Black military recruitment plummeting

It's summer -- peak season for military recruiters, with curious high school grads looking at their options. But the Associated Press reports that interest in military careers among African-American youth is taking a nose dive:

The number of blacks joining the military has plunged by more than one-third since the Afghanistan and Iraq wars began. [...]

According to data obtained by The Associated Press, the decline covers all four military services for active duty recruits. The drop is even more dramatic when National Guard and Reserve recruiting is included.

Why the big drop-off? The Pentagon believes the role of black leaders, parents and other "influencers" on black youth are a leading cause:

[T]he growing dissatisfaction with the war among black political and community leaders, as well as parents and teachers, is a major factor, too.

"The influencers of these youth have a larger effect on African-Americans," [DoD's Curt] Gilroy said. "Some have argued that, because of the makeup of African-American families and the relatively more significant roles (the families) play, moms have a greater influence on their families. And we know that moms, in general, do not support the war."