Harrisburg, Pa. - Every month, about 40 to 50 people come through the doors of the Harrisburg Recruitment Center wanting to enlist in the Army. The problem is, most of them can't.

"Out of 50, we would probably have less than 10 that are 100 percent qualified walking through the door," said Staff Sgt. James Slough, commander of the recruitment center.

The Pentagon reports the military won't accept 70 percent of young adults because they either don't have a high school diploma, are in poor physical shape, or have a criminal record. A group of retired military generals who held a news conference at the state Capitol today said that is cause for concern.

"Technology has changed things," said Retired Major General William Burns, "We can't tolerate the three or four individuals in a particular unit who can't read or write."

"With the two wars we got going on right now and with North Korea doing what it's doing, we don't know what we're gonna need military wise in the future," Specialist Jason Harrington said.

Harrington is an Iraq (web | news) war veteran and a recipient of the Silver Star. He knows the physical and mental challenges soldiers must go through.

"When I heard the number 75 percent of 17- to 24-year-olds aren't eligible to go in the military, that bothered me because we need soldiers," he said.

The generals are asking state lawmakers to keep funding for early childhood programs in the budget. They say targeting children as young as three or four years old pays off later in life, as they're more likely to continue their education and stay away from crime.

Current budget proposals make cuts in those areas.

"At the end of the day, I feel like these cuts shouldn't even be on the table," Sen. Mike Stack, D-Philadelphia, said "We're in such a horrible economy, if we're really serious about investing in Pennsylvania and in our future and coming out of our bad times, we gotta invest in these little kids."

Military officials say their concern goes beyond the future of the military, but the future of the next generation.

"One of the biggest things the Army can offer the men and women when they come in to join is our education package," Slough said. "Inside of the Army or not, you’re going to have to go to college at some point to be successful."

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