The Iraq War is changing the way blacks view the military. For decades, they saw military service as a route out of poverty and an escape hatch from discrimination. Not now.

Thanks to President Bush's war, blacks have soured on the military. The number of black recruits has plunged in all four branches of the military since the invasion of Iraq, according to Pentagon data reported by the Associated Press. In 2001, there were nearly 51,500 black recruits for active duty and reserves. By 2006, that number had fallen to less than 32,000 - a 38 percent decline.