Incentives draw more Latinos to military, Rand study finds

[Ardent15]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Though the percentage of Latinos in the U.S. military remains lower than the percentage in the general population, gains are being made in efforts to increase diversity in the military, a recent study shows.

In 2007, the percentage of Army recruits who were Hispanic was 11.4 percent, up from just 6.6 percent in 1994, according to the study by the Rand Corporation. For the Navy, the percentage of recruits who were Latino rose to 15 percent from 8.9 percent.

That success can be directly related to specific signing incentives, the study found.

Martin Enriquez of Los Angeles, California, said he was inspired to enlist in part because of the signing bonus but even more because of the education benefits.

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<http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/21/latinos.military/index.html>

[Captain Hilts]

1. Language skills have been a real deterrent. Hispanics are actually UNDER representedin the military

for that reason.