Nor should we forget that the Hell's Angel's started off as a group of disgruntled WWII veterans.

I think the issue is important, but not new. I have seen my fair share of gang bangers, right wing extremists, racial conflicts (late 70s early 80s), etc. in our ranks. We do reflect the population we hail from, and that includes the bad with the good. We also had FALN members (a Puerto Rican terrorist groups two or three decades ago) join the military to get training. The FALN set off over a 100 bombs in the U.S.. Lets not forget the Islamist extremists we had in our ranks. Timmy McViegh and Terry Nichols were Army buddies before they conducted their terrorist attack in Oklahoma city. The list gets much longer when you look at the list of criminals.

However it is inaccurate to state or imply we're actively recruiting these people. I think the Services have also given several gang members a chance to escape that life and completely transform their lives for the better, and I suspect the same may be true for some former extremists. We're too quick to pass laws and develop regulations in an attempt to solve the problem in my view. I don't think we should have an absolute ban on these individuals entering the Army, but they do need to reject that life style. If we continue to ban options for people who started the down the wrong path in life, then we are in practice commiting them to life of criminality with no off ramps available.

The author makes good points that need to be taken seriously, but lets avoid another knee jerk over reaction.