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<\/a>Kyle Bayard, 20, struggles to remain in position during a stationary push-up during physical exercise in the parking lot behind the Army recruiting station in Grandview, Mo., May 6, 2014. David Eulitt\u2014MCT\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n
By\u00a0NOLAN FEENEY
\nJune 29, 2014<\/p>\n
Approximately 71% of the 34 million 17-to-24-year-olds in the U.S. would not qualify for military service because of reasons related to health, physical appearance and educational background, according to the Pentagon.<\/p>\n
The ineligible typically includes those who are obese, those who lack a high school diploma or a GED, convicted felons, those taking prescription drugs for ADHD and those with certain tattoos and ear gauges, the\u00a0Wall Street Journal<\/em>\u00a0reports, though some requirements can be waived.<\/p>\n Only 1% of young people are both \u201celigible and inclined to have conversation with\u201d the military about possible service, according to the Defense Department.<\/p>\n \u201cThe quality of people willing to serve has been declining rapidly,\u201d Major General Allen Batschelet, the U.S. Army Recruiting Command\u2019s commanding general,\u00a0told the\u00a0WSJ<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Approximately 180,000 men and women volunteer for and enter active-duty forces each year, though U.S. military activity in recent years has led to some looser standards for recruitment. Only 79% of those enlisted had a high school diploma in 2007, while that figure was 90% in 2001. During the Iraq war, the military was also less strict about soldiers\u2019 body fat.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have not adopted a zero-defect mentality,\u201d said Defense Department spokesman Nathan Christensen, who noted that the military\u2019s recruiting targets in recent years have been met. \u201cWe evaluate each applicant from a whole-person perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n