The United States Army Recruiting Office in American Samoa is reporting an increase in the number of young people wanting to join the Army, but very few are passing its entrance exam.
Sergeant David Mamea of the US Army Recruiting Office says their office is usually full with high school graduates or those who've taken college courses but do not think school is for them, so they look at the Army as an option.
But he says the majority of applicants struggle to pass their vocational aptitude test.
"The biggest obstacle that these kids are facing is the word knowledge and also the math [mathematics]. They are given a word and they are to choose a word that is supposed to mean the same as the word they are given in the exam but some of those words are not in every day use. I can understand that but the math that is the other big obstacle."
Sergeant David Mamea of the US Army Recruiting Office.
