military stress cards

Military Stress Cards - The Military Stress Card, a wallet-sized card containing a liquid crystal thermometer, is the subject of controversy over whether its use by recruits in the US military is an urban legend. According to Snopes.com and Stars and Stripes, boot camp recruits cannot use stress cards to stop training.

But, according to Time magazine, it was issued for that purpose by the Navy to recruits heading to boot camp at RTC Great Lakes.

Military Stress Cards

Urban legend or not, its alleged boot camp use has been cited as evidence of softening the US military, reducing combat readiness and even causing post-traumatic stress disorder in those exposed to the psychological hardships of combat.

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Recruitment trends from 1975 to 2001, showing total recruits across all branches of the US Armed Forces in light blue and the percentage of recruit targets in dark blue. The percentage of recruits with at least a high school diploma is shown in gold, the percentage with above average AFQT is in orange,

While all branches of the military met or exceeded their recruitment targets during this period, the quality of recruits has declined from the peak reached in 1992. "High quality" recruits are defined as having a high school diploma and above On average, Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) scores were much lower in the 1970s, increasing, although the first minimum quality requirements were established in 1993 for recruits, which have since been taken every year, despite a decline in subsequent years.

Possible explanations offered in hindsight were a decline in public enthusiasm for the military in the years immediately following the successful Gulf War (1990-1991), which coincided with lower unemployment and higher civilian pay relative to the military; more high school graduates attend college instead of enlisting; and a perceived decline in quality of life and job satisfaction in the military. Even at their low point in 2000, these recruiting quality statistics remained well above those of the 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Rumor has it that the Air Force issued yellow stress cards that allowed recruits to "take a break". learning has become very stressful. These were essentially "get out of prison free" cards that could be given to the Recruiting Division Commander, or RDC, to allow peace of mind.

If that sounds outrageous to you, you'll be happy to know these cards never existed. They were a myth. But how did this myth originate and why did it spread?

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He seems to have been born in the 1990s with the so-called "blue cards" that the Navy issued to recruits. It was not a "stress card" but a pamphlet to let recruits know where to go if they were feeling down. The aim was to give recruits a choice before they reached the point of defecting or disappearing. The cards didn't last long and didn't stop the heavy dressing with the RDC (route instructor).

Somewhere along the way, the Blues Cards story was twisted and became the Stress Card handed out by the Air Force. Every generation of veterans seems to think IM was tougher than current recruits. Elderly veterans are concerned about the country's youth. Perhaps they are too soft, too spoiled, unwilling or unable to shoulder the burden of our national defense. Add that preoccupation with chair power stereotypes and you have the perfect recipe for an urban legend that captures all those fears and assumptions in one outrageous story.

In fact, as airmen are spending more time than ever on joint operations, the Air Force recently went from six and a half weeks of training to about eight and a half weeks preparing recruits to become "combat pilots." Stress cards are not allowed.

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