The Nation - News from March 4, 1988

A significant number of the nation’s 1.1 million men and women in military reserve units are dissatisfied with weekend drills as a way to sharpen their military skills, the Pentagon said. The Pentagon’s first comprehensive survey of its reserve units in a 1986 sampling of 52,000 enlisted personnel and 12,000 officers also showed that one-third of enlisted personnel and one-tenth of the officers are members of minority groups. Although dissatisfaction was found with weekend drills, the Pentagon’s report on the survey said there was “general satisfaction” with annual training, during which a reserve unit goes to a military camp for two weeks or more of maneuvers.