While there is some stereotype of enlisted personnel being disadvantaged or unable to find other types of employment, a recent study indicates that military personnel are better off economically and are better educated as well. With these types of results, it is easy to see that the conventional wisdom has been incorrect for quite some time. The report came up in an interview last week with a former Fort Drum commander who mentioned the study and the recruiting benefit from the economic recession. While the economic slowdown certainly sends more people to recruit themselves into the military, he stated that most people who intend to join the army do have other options. Despite the recruiting struggles that have been very well publicized in the last two years, the quality of officer corps and enlisted troops has only increased since the beginning of the Iraq war according to the Heritage Foundation study. The study indicates that the enlisted personnel and officers could certainly expect to have a somewhat lucrative career in the private sector and that the stereotype of soldiers volunteering because they had few other opportunities simply does not hold up under scrutiny. Military personnel are more likely to have high school diplomas, indicated by the fact that only 1% of enlistees did not have a diploma, compared to 21 % of men between 18 and 24 years old.