African Americans have been turning away from the U.S. armed forces in record numbers since 2000, a period covering the 9/11 terror attacks and the Iraq war, the Boston Globe reported Monday.
Pentagon statistics show that the number of young black enlistees has fallen by more than 58 percent since fiscal year 2000, according to the report.
The army in particular has been hit hard: in fiscal year 2000, more than 42,000 black men and women applied to enlist; in fiscal year 2005, the most recent for which a racial breakdown is available, just over 17,000 signed up.
The unpopular Iraq war is the biggest reason, according to military analysts, Pentagon surveys, and media interviews with young African-Americans.
Mistrust of the Bush administration is adding to the problem -- along with the notion that black soldiers are being steered toward combat jobs, reminiscent of the Vietnam War.
Negative opinions about Iraq have overshadowed the military's efforts to highlight the positives of military service.
A recent CBS News poll showed that 83 percent of African-American respondents thought the Iraq invasion was a mistake.
In addition, President George W. Bush's approval rating has hit rock-bottom with only 9 percent of black voters backing him.
Source: Xinhua
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