To the Editor: The phrase "moral waivers" euphemizes the real problem, which is that some of these new soldiers are dangerous criminals.

Consider the moral waivers for violent offenders, to meet recruitment targets.

The sharpest increase was in waivers for serious misdemeanors, which make up the bulk of all the Army's moral waivers.

To his knowledge, he said, recruits who are issued moral waivers are not tracked once inside the military.

The majority of moral waivers are for serious misdemeanors, most often committed by juveniles.

But most who were granted moral waivers succeed in completing their term and were more likely to re-enlist.

In the last three years, more than 125,000 moral waivers have been granted by America's four military services.

But those who have committed more serious crimes, especially those involving weapons, vehicular homicide or sexual abuse, should generally be denied moral waivers.

A single adult felony conviction could be subject to moral waiver, at the discretion of the national commander, but multiple ones are completely disqualifying.

In the last three years, we have seen a very significant increase in the number of individuals accepted into the military with so-called "moral waivers."