The Nation - News from Feb. 4, 1986

Thanks to a strong recruiting year, the nation’s active reserve forces climbed to their highest levels in history during fiscal 1985, the Pentagon said. The report also shows that 88% of all the new enlistees in fiscal 1985 were high school graduates, compared to 85% in fiscal 1984. Twenty percent of all enlistees were black compared to 21% in fiscal 1984, and 12% of all enlistees in fiscal 1985 were women, the same percentage reported in fiscal 1984. The overall strength of the so-called Selected Reserves rose by 42,200, or 4%, during the year ending last Sept. 30, setting a record total of 1,088,100.