His journey to the Army began last year when he lost his job as a hotel maintenance man and could only find work picking up trash at an Amazon warehouse.
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At 42, Joseph King had given up on ever meeting the military’s enlistment standards.
Then he heard about an Army program, launched three years ago during one of the worst recruiting droughts in U.S. history, that helps those who aren’t eligible to join because they are overweight or unable to pass the military’s aptitude exam.
In late August, Joseph was sitting in a classroom at Fort Jackson, S.C., with 13 other trainees, most of whom were half his age. The instructor was showing them how to calculate a salesperson’s income based on salary, sales and commission.
“What’s a commission?” the teacher asked.
The trainees were silent.
“Guys, I know this is insanely boring,” she said, “but we still have to learn it.”
Joseph rubbed his face. He knew what was at stake: health benefits, housing, a better life for his wife and five children.