[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 25, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1087-E1088]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HOME SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE MILITARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MARK E. SOUDER

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 25, 2005

  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, recently I was made aware of a 
discriminatory policy within the Department of Defense that is 
preventing some of America's best young people from enlisting in the 
military. At a time when we need as many individuals as are interested 
to consider a career in the military, it is outrageous that the DoD is 
turning away home school students--a group of young people who happen 
to be, generally speaking, very mature, smart, well-disciplined and 
highly patriotic. What more is our military looking for? If any 
students should qualify for priority enlistment it is these students!
  Instead, however, a young man in my district was recently informed 
that he would have an extremely difficult time being accepted into the 
Air Force merely because he was educated at home. He was told that 
home-schooled students were categorized as Tier 2 applicants--the same 
category in which high school dropouts are classified. Upon further 
inquiry by my office, the Air Force confirmed that, yes, home school 
applicants could not be considered on a level playing field with other 
high school graduates and that, ``as a rule, less than 1 percent of 
[the Air Force's] annual non-prior service accessions [would] be 
alternate credential holders.'' Additionally, even if a home school 
student is accepted into a branch of the military, the fact that he or 
she started

[[Page E1088]]

in Tier 2 means that they will not qualify for the same benefits and 
positions available to traditional high school students.
  I am aware that a 5-year pilot project was initiated in 1998 that 
allowed home-schoolers greater access to the Armed Services by 
considering them as Tier 1 applicants. While the project was extended 
an additional year, it expired without further extension on September 
30, 2004. In January of this year, the DoD appeared to make an effort 
to remove remaining obstacles to home-schoolers entering the military. 
However, the memo that was issued contained conflicting language, and 
ultimately, the classification of home school students as Tier 2 
applicants remains on the books, perpetuating the military's policy of 
discrimination.
  While the Army has recently found a way to get around the Tier 2 
categorization, the other branches of the military are still excluding 
home school students from priority consideration. It doesn't matter how 
qualified and motivated a home school student may be, it is highly 
unlikely that he or she will be able to serve their country in the 
Marines, Navy or Air Force.
  Mr. Speaker, I raise this disturbing situation to the House today to 
highlight the lack of fairness and equality within our military with 
respect to home school students. While I will not be offering an 
amendment today, it is my intention to introduce a bill soon to address 
this problem. I sincerely hope that with the Armed Services Chairman's 
support, we will be able to find a resolution to this issue that will 
enable all qualified students to live out their dream of serving their 
country in the U.S. Armed Services.

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