A nonprofit group says that up to 90 percent of young Philadelphians are ineligible for military service because of criminal records, obesity or lack of education.Pennsylvania-based Mission: Readiness released its report Monday. It says 1 million Pennsylvanians are ineligible for the same reasons. The report says 145,000 Philadelphians ages 18 to 24 cannot meet the military's medical, moral and mental standards.
Mission: Readiness is made up of more than 150 retired generals and admirals. The group wants state and federal funding for pre-kindergarten programs that it says give children a solid foundation for academic and personal success.
Nationally, the Department of Defense estimates that 75 percent of young adults are disqualified from military service.