Fewer African-Americans Joining the Military

Long a mainstay of the military, black Americans have made up a shrinking share of enlisted troops since 2000, Pentagon statistics show.

The number of black enlisted troops has declined significantly in three military branches from 2000 through 2004 - by 15% in the Army, 23% in the Marines and 11% in the Air Force. The Navy's number fell only slightly. The overall size of all four branches has stayed roughly the same.

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Other factors include a rise in black college attendance and the fact that the war in Iraq is more unpopular among blacks than among whites, according to public opinion polls.

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Here's the entire article.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20051104/ts_usatoday/blackamericansmakeupsmallershareofmilitary

The number overall has dropped but the military has depended on African-American numbers for a long time. Recruiters often target minority children in schools more so than whites.