Members of Congress nominate white students to military service academies at disproportionately high rates, leading to an underrepresentation of minorities there and among the military’s pool of general officers.
Military veterans who helped clean up the nuclear disaster in Palomares, Spain, over five decades ago may finally be able to get Veterans Affairs benefits. Yale's Veterans Legal Services Clinic is suing the VA on behalf of sick veterans who served in Palomares.
By NIKKI WENTLING | STARS AND STRIPES Published: March 17, 2021 WASHINGTON – Members of Congress nominate white students to military service academies at disproportionately high rates, leading to an underrepresentation of minorities there and among the military’s pool of general officers. The Connecticut Veterans Legal Center explained the discrepancy Wednesday in a report titled, “Gatekeepers to Opportunity.” Researchers analyzed data from 1994 to 2020 using congressional nominations to the country’s three largest service academies: U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Military Academy at West Point. White students received 74% of nominations from lawmakers, despite comprising only 54% of the total U.S. population age 18 to 24, researchers found. Only 6% of the nominations went to Black students, and 8% went to Hispanic students.