The NYT story on recruitment contains an outrageous statement:
Critics also say that Latinos often wind up as cannon fodder on the casualty-prone front lines. African-Americans saw the same thing happen during the 1970’s and 1980’s, an accusation that still reverberates.
It may be true that “critics” say such things, but that doesn’t make them true — and if NYT reporter Lizette Alvarez is going to report this claim, then she has an obligation also to report what the facts tell us. In this case, the facts tell us that there are no significant racial or ethnic disparities in the military deaths coming out of Iraq. See this report, table 14.