Wanted: Asian-Americans. That’s the new mantra of the Marine Corps as recruiters kicked off a campaign Wednesday to encourage more Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders to join.
Only about 3 percent of the Corps is made up of Asian-Americans, Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, the Los Angeles Times reported. That’s in comparison with whites, at almost 69 percent; blacks, at just more than 10 percent; and Hispanics, about 13 percent.
The campaign has a name — “A Warrior’s Education,” the L.A. Times reported. It includes videos of high-ranking Marines speaking of the values they learned from their family members of Asian descent.
The push to boost Asian-American ranks is part of a larger diversity multimedia campaign the Marines have launched under it commandant, Gen. James F. Amos, called “Fighting With Purpose.” The underlying theme is to bust stereotypical views of the Marine Corps as a white man’s club, the L.A. Times reported.
The Corps operates under an annual advertising budget that ranges between $90 million and $100 million, the L.A. Times reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.