Are all Americans poor?

This problem should be discussed from two aspects.

First, most American soldiers who join the army are generally children of poor people or families with low social status. Because the military service system in the United States is not compulsory military service, such as universal military service or compulsory military service, like China and the small Nordic countries, it is a conscription system (so-called professional soldiers), which is called by the state and individuals voluntarily sign up for the army. For Americans, the more real meaning of being a soldier is a profession, or a means of making money. Because the salary and various welfare benefits of American soldiers are much higher than those of other social positions, they often become the means for children of the bottom families to make a living, while others usually serve as soldiers for several years to earn their own tuition. The rich children in the upper class are not financially difficult and generally do not choose to be soldiers.

Second, in the United States, only the children of the upper class can become officers. In the American army, officers and soldiers are two completely different classes. Becoming officers and getting good development in the army is also an important channel for Americans to enter the mainstream society. Take the president of the United States as an example. In the history of more than 200 years, there are 44 presidents in the United States, 23 of whom are soldiers. 1/4 was promoted to general officer before taking office. As far as the origins of American military officers are concerned, most of them are graduates of various military schools, and the number of officers promoted by soldiers is very small, which basically has no development prospects. All kinds of junior military schools basically recruit local students. There are many other restrictions on military school enrollment besides personal academic performance and physical condition. For example, the famous West Point Military Academy in the United States stipulates that students applying for the West Point Military Academy must obtain the qualifications of President, Vice President, Senator and Representative of the United States one year before taking the exam. At the same time, it also greatly limits the possibility of children from low-class families becoming officers. More directly, children from poor families and families with no social status can only join the army.

Of course, there are senior officers from poor immigrant families like Powell, but they only account for a very small proportion and cannot represent the mainstream of the army at all.