by Laura Conaway

Figures from the Defense Department show a drop of 58 percent in African-Americans signing up for military service. Reports the Boston Globe:

The unpopular Iraq war is the biggest reason, according to military analysts, Pentagon surveys, and interviews with young African-Americans. But they say mistrust of the Bush administration is adding to the problem — along with the notion that black soldiers are being steered to combat jobs, a lingering perception from the Vietnam War.

The Globe talked to Brian Jackson, 27, who called the war "unnecessary." Jackson cited the situation in his hometown of Philadelphia, where more than 85 percent of victims in that city's recent epidemic of murder have been black. He said:

"It's not our war. We got our own war here, just staying alive."

Bonus: Newsday on race, casualties, and the rise of Latino enlistment