Recruiting crisis: Even vets are telling their kids, not just "no," but "H*LL, no"

Sky Nisperos’s grandfather came to the U.S. from Mexico, and became an American citizen by serving in the U.S. Navy. Her father, Ernest Nisperos, is an active-duty officer in the Air Force with two decades of service. For years, Sky planned to follow a similar path.

“I wanted to be a fighter pilot,” the 22-year-old said. “It was stuck in my head.”

Now, one of the most influential people in her life—her father—is telling her that a military career may not be the right thing.

The children of military families make up the majority of new recruits in the U.S. military. That pipeline is now under threat, which is bad news for the Pentagon’s already acute recruitment problems, as well as America’s military readiness.

[I’ve hit this theme over and over again in my own posts. It’s here, it’s real, the rot is so pervasive, the loss of trust and confidence so complete, so thoroughly destroyed, that I have no idea how we right the ship in time to save ourselves. ~ Beege]