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Over his mother’s objections, two months ago, 17-year-old James Vogl signed up to join the Marines. “No offense to her but there’s nothing she could have said to ever change my mind,” he says.
In schools all over America, recruiters are trying to sign up young men and women. “It’s the things the Marine Corps is going to help you out later in life,” says Sgt. Jason Shepherd, U.S. Marine Corps Recruiter.
When kids join the military, especially in time of war, experts say parents often see danger while their kids may see only adventure. “A snappy uniform, they’re going to be thinking ‘Top Gun,’ you know, Blue Angels, some kind of very exciting lifestyle,” says Dr. Nancy McGarrah, psychologist.
James agrees that some kids have it all wrong. “A lot of teenagers don’t understand. I’ve personally lost a few friends, and one actually died in the war. And it’s a lot different in high school, people just, they think it’s all fun and games. They just want to go over there, and they say they want to kill people,” he says.
“The parents job isn’t to dissuade them or talk them out of it, necessarily, but it’s more to make sure that they’re looking at all the reasons, why they want to do it and what’s involved,” says Dr. McGarrah. She says it’s hard to argue with a child who wants to serve their country, but parents should make sure their kids ask lots of questions before they enlist. “Things like where you’d be living, what you’d be doing, do you know how long you’d have to commit for, some of those basic situations. What’s the salary? Do you realize some places you go would be dangerous, some wouldn’t. … What appeals to you about that?” says Dr. McGarrah.
For James the right reasons to join are clear. “You’ve got to join it because you love your country. You’re patriotic, and it’s something you have to be able to mentally deal with also.”
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By Amye Walters
CWK Network, Inc.
As the Iraq war persists and tours of duty lengthen, some potential military recruits are posing more of their questions and concerns to recruitment officers. Many of these facts and concerns have resulted in decreased enlistments over the last year. The U.S. Army National Guard reports it’s shy of its 56,000-person recruitment goal by 5,000 new soldiers. In addition, the Army announced it’s lowering testing requirements to ensure achieving this year’s recruiting goal.
A federal law requires high schools to give student information to the military. Since the 2002 enactment of No Child Left Behind, high schools are mandated to supply military recruiters with students’ names, addresses and telephone numbers. The armed forces use this information to appeal directly to teenagers, sometimes without a parent’s knowledge. Consider the following:
- Recruiters have quotas to meet. If students are learning about the military from recruiters alone, they’re getting only part of the story.
- Nearly half of the respondents to a 2002 Army survey of recruits said they and not a recruiter made the first contact. About a third of those surveyed said they were first contacted by recruiters.
- Historically new high school graduates have been a source of recruits.
- Often recruits are contacted long before age 18.
- The percentage of recruits who said they saw or received an Army advertisement on the Internet increased from 17 percent in 1998 to 76 percent in 2001; it was 68 percent in 2002.
- The survey found that more than 80 percent of recruits became interested in the Army between 12 and 18.
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By Amye Walters
CWK Network, Inc.
Even the most committed ROTC members say the war makes them think twice about a career as an active soldier. Students might want to go to Iraq and fight alongside current soldiers, but they certainly don’t want to die. Today many students are asking about the number of non-combat jobs in the military. It is important for parents and students to remember the purpose of the military, which is to protect and defend the nation.
Some schools really only want recruiters to talk about military universities. And other schools don’t want recruiters on campus at all. Many youngsters want to use their military experience as a stepping-stone to a career as a military attorney or a high-level employee for the Central Intelligence Agency. Consider the following:
- Schools who don’t provide military recruiters with access to facilities (such as invitations to job and college fairs) and student contact information can lose federal funding.
- Before No Child Left Behind, one-third of high schools denied military recruiters campus access and student information.
- Parents and students must notify their school administration and district in writing of their desire to have their records kept secret.
- Recruits are required to pay $1,200 into the Montgomery GI Bill. But 65 percent never take advantage of the program.
- Only around 15 percent of recruits graduate with a four-year degree.
- Minorities represent one-third of enlisted personnel but only one-eighth of the officers.
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