The Iraq War is taking its toll on the Army's recruitment, as has been thoroughly documented in the media. Now Joseph R. Chenelly reports for the Army Times that the Army is lowering its standards for new recruits.

Army recruiters now have a wider pool to find future soldiers in. The Army is reaching out to a slice of America’s youth long ineligible to serve: non-high school graduates who don’t have a General Equivalency Diploma
Recruiters can now go after that demographic through the “Army Educations Plus” option, the Army announced Tuesday.

If an individual has been out of high school for at least six months, can pass a physical exam and the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, he or she may be eligible for help getting a GED.

The program allows recruiters to enlist a high school dropout, according to S. Douglas Smith, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command. But the enlistee must have the GED before shipping off to basic training. The Army will pay for individuals to attend a course to prepare for the GED test and will cover the cost of taking the GED exam.

With thousands of National Guardsmen rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina and another Hurricane headed for the Gulf Coast, maybe it is time to do whatever is necessary to meet recruitment goals -- even if it requires changing the standards.