The U.S. military has been pushing DEI and LGBTQ policies. So how is recruiting going?

[Michie]

Are Bible Belt families and pastors still enthusiastic about sending children into the armed services?​

Try to imagine an America in which families that have, for generations, urged their children to serve in the armed services stopped doing precisely that.

Would that be a big news story?

One would think so. With that in mind, take a look at the numbers in this chart posted on X by the Missing Data Depot Substack feed.



Here’s the written summary from that tweet:

Military families have soured on the military. The % of military family members who would recommend service to their children dropped from 55% in 2016 to 32% in 2023.
Relatedly the military fell 41,000 recruits short of its 2023 goal & it is now at its smallest size since 1940.

Clearly, economic issues — think slow-rising salaries, housing costs for military families, day-care costs and more — are affecting recruiting. You can read all about that in this report by Stars and Stripes. These are logical, valid angles for reporting.

However, during this week’s “Crossroads” podcast, we focused on some of the cultural, moral and, yes, religious themes that almost certainly loom over these military recruiting woes. Are journalists asking “religion ghost” questions?

Continued below.

Crossroads -- Asking faith questions about future U.S. soldiers

Are Bible Belt families and pastors still enthusiastic about sending children into the armed services?

tmattingly.substack.com

 

[RileyG]

This needs to stop. Enough of this nonsense.

 

[Wolseley]

Some of the guys I served with would have been more likely to stick a trench knife between the ribs of a homosexual individual rather than place themselves in a position where they needed to depend on said individual in combat. I'm not making any judgements one way or the other, I am merely relating the facts of the matter. When I was in the military, this stuff was not only against regulations, it was also not tolerated by the troops.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Some of the guys I served with would have been more likely to stick a trench knife between the ribs of a homosexual individual rather than place themselves in a position where they needed to depend on said individual in combat. I'm not making any judgements one way or the other, I am merely relating the facts of the matter. When I was in the military, this stuff was not only against regulations, it was also not tolerated by the troops.

Several in-laws in the military bailed out rather than making a career out of it over the whole woke thing.

 

[Wolseley]

Several in-laws in the military bailed out rather than making a career out of it over the whole woke thing.

I have read numerous accounts of mid- to high-level NCOs doing the same thing for the same reason. I am proud and privileged to have served when I did, but it's not the same service I was in---not by a long shot. If I were a young man right now just out of high school, there is no....way I would consider entering the military. Not any more.