Bad economy is bad news for dropouts who hoped to join the Army

The bad economy has been good for the Army: Even at a time in which the United States is fighting wars on two fronts, the military no longer has a problem getting young men and women to volunteer for service.

And that means the Army no longer has a need to help potential recruits get earn their high school equivalency certificate — a bare minimum qualification for enlistment. So the Army is shutting down a "prep" program that helped 3,000 high school dropouts get a GED.

In 2008, 82.8 percent of people who enlisted for active duty were high school graduates. That number jumped to 94.6 percent in 2009, according to the Associated Press.

Army recruiters now tell potential recruits that their chances of getting into the service are not good if they don't have a high school diploma. And even a GED won't cut it in most cases.