Sometimes You Don't Need a Survey

The Boston Globe reports surveys have revealed that Black soldiers are not that enthusiastic about the current never-ending war in Iraq, and recruitment numbers are starting to reflect it.

Gregory Black, a retired Navy diver who last year started the website BlackMilitaryWorld.com, said that... "African-Americans detest this war. Everybody kind of knows the truth behind this war. It's a cash cow for the military defense industry, when you look at the money these contractors are making. African-Americans saw this at the beginning of the war and now the rest of the country has figured it out. It's not benefiting us in the least."

"It's basically about oil, basically about money. Read more...

This of course has affected military recruiting.

...the enrollment of African-Americans in the military may be at its lowest point since the creation of the all-volunteer military in 1973. In 2000, 23.5 percent of Army recruits were African-American. By 2005, the percentage dropped to 13.9 percent. National Public Radio this week quoted a Pentagon statistic that said that African-American propensity to join the military had dropped to 9 percent.

Which is a reflection of the opinion of the war among African-Americans in general who;

...by far lead the way in calling the war a mistake. According to Gallup, 85 percent of African Americans say it was a mistake, compared to 53 percent of white Americans. According to Pew, a plurality of white Americans, 49 percent, still say it was the right decision to invade Iraq, compared to 21 percent of African-Americans.

"African-Americans are always more sensitive to anything that smacks of neocolonialism, which this war did smack of," said Joint Center political analyst David Bositis.

Really, you knew this already, right? The military has provided an option for Blacks over the years to advance their careers and education, and throughout American history, our people have nobly served in all of this country's wars. But give us some credit for having both patriotism and good sense. With open-ended commitments to dubious war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, a certainty of being deployed to increasing more lethal combat zones, and the prospect of little to no support upon your return back home, is it really a surprise that many young Blacks have decided that joining the military at this time might not be such a good idea?