Should Military recruiters be allowed to go into High Schools?

[book_worm]

Poll question: Should Military recruiters be allowed to go into High Schools?

and try to get recruits among HS grads?

[Patchuli]

1. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I work in a hs...it scares the shit out of the kids!

[143tbone]

2. Hell no. n/t

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Not just no...

HELL no.

No way should they be allowed anywhere near HS students of any age.

PERIOD.

God damn.

:grr:

[rockymountaindem]

4. How else are they going to get recruits?

Several of my friends enlisted right out of high school or went to college on ROTC or to the Air Force Academy. They seem plenty satisfied with their career choices. I got mailings and calls from them all the time, but told them I was pursuing another path and eventually I seem to have fallen off their lists. It's not a press gang.

[Patchuli]

5. Maybe if they don't behave like predators...! nt

[rockymountaindem]

7. I never felt like prey

Neither did my friends, apparently, all of whom have reenlisted save one who apparently got bored sitting around Air Force bases.

[mentalsolstice]

34. What year was that?

Things have changed, recruiters are desperate. I've even seen them hanging out in the parking lot of Target, going to the cart guys and other teenagers in the parking lot. They walk up and down the rows of cars looking for fresh meat. You should also check out "The Recruiter" on HBO. That guy was lie a shark going after chum.

[rockymountaindem]

38. Class of 2003 n/t

[baldguy]

44. How does McDonalds get recruits?

The only difference is that Ronald's representatives don't lie.

[GarbagemanLB]

6. Yes, but on 2 conditions.

1) They only speak to people 18 years old and no minors without parental consent.
2) The meeting is optional.

[Luminous Animal]

8. I'll add another condition...

they visually show possible consequences. That is, pictures of U.S. soldiers dead and maimed. The whole spectrum from the minor to the major.

[uponit7771]

12. +1 !!!

[LiberalFighter]

21. Another condition

They have permission from the parent to call the student at home.


I received calls from them all the time even though my kid wasn't 18.

And I didn't care for them calling my home when it was my phone.

[Sebastian Doyle]

29. Did your kid take the ASVAB test in high school, by any chance?

ASVAB = Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (I think?)

I took that one when I was in high school (early 80's) without realizing what it was. Any excuse to get out of classes for a day, and they said it was "for college and stuff", of course.

I scored very high on the damn thing. Don't remember the exact score being it was 25 years ago or so. But what I do remember is how many calls we started getting from the military recruiters after that. Joining the military under Cowboy Ronnie was never an option, so the calls were refused. But they kept trying. Long after I moved out, even, probably until I was into my 30's.

[mitchum]

40. I took the ASVAB in the late 70s merely as a way to get out of class for 3 hours

I also scored very high on the thing and all branches called me non-stop for months. They would not take no for an answer.
My mom and day just had to start screening my calls.

[Igel]

45. Took it.

The guy said I could pretty much choose to do whatever I wanted to. He was wrong, of course; there's a lot such a test can't measure.

In any event, I told him that since I could do whatever I wanted it meant there'd be no reason for me to choose the military, so I wasn't going to. If I changed my mind, I'd be sure to let them know.

No pestering, no phone calls. They went away when I told them to. Test was useless for steering me in some useful direction; I was sort of hoping it would, and it didn't.

[mitchum]

47. Just to get them off my back, I agreed to appointments with them...

with no intention of showing up
and gave little or no reason for my no show
when they would contact me again
I figured a repeated pattern would convince them
that I was not the material
of an officer and gentleman
apparently not
That's when the screening started
and lasted 4 or 5 months
They were relentless for a while

[Lyric]

52. I took it. I didn't realize what it was; it was just an optional standardized test on a list

of tests that we could choose between.

I still remember my score--a 96. I was harassed by recruiters calling my house for months before I finally told them that I was a fat girl who was never going to make it as a soldier.

Still felt good to get such a high score, though. :)

[AZBlue]

43. I'd like to see those two conditions met and have them be allowed only for job fairs

and education/college fairs.

[MrSlayer]

9. Sure, why not?

You don't have to join and they do need to recruit. Anyone younger than 18 needs parental consent to join. They were in my high school when I was a kid, I asked the Marine recruiter if I got a sword like the dude in the commercials. He said no, I walked away.

[Luminous Animal]

10. Because they fucking lie their asses off..

and use every psychological trick in the book to hook kids.

Sure they can recruit, but not without me standing right next to my kid to point out their lies.

[MrSlayer]

13. I think kids are smarter than you give them credit for.

And if they aren't really interested, they won't join. I wouldn't have joined the Marines if I got a sword. There was no way I was shaving my head and having some nutcase screaming in my face for any reason. Both my brother and I took the ASVAB test and they were calling us and visiting us constantly, dying to get us. There was nothing they could promise either of us to get us to join. They can try to recruit my kids if they want, they won't join.

[Luminous Animal]

14. Good for you and your brother...

No doubt every single kid in the world is just like you.

[MrSlayer]

17. No, fortunately for the world that is not so.

Or perhaps to its detriment. Anyway, a lot of the kids listened to the spiel and walked away. The few that did join were always going to join. Perhaps the methods are different today from what they were then. We got the hard sell, the soft sell and every sneaky sell there is. But they didn't have all the cool video games and shit they have now. It may have made a difference but I doubt it. I guess I'm simply not as leery of the practice as you are.

[Zynx]

23. Some people are very easily manipulated.

You tell some kid who just isn't cutting it academically and socially in high school he has an out of that sort of life, he might take it without really thinking about it.

[IndianaGreen]

11. Let's starve the war machine: No!

and Hell no!

[Freddie Stubbs]

20. One of President-elect Obama's campaign promises is to INCREASE the number of troops

[IndianaGreen]

24. An idiotic idea that needs serious revising

Even the British military realizes that Afghanistan is lost.

[Freddie Stubbs]

27. The voters didn't think it was that idiotic when they elected him

[Hekate]

15. Hell no. They don't allow our Vets for Peace to wander the campuses telling the truth...

... the way they allow (even encourage) recruiters for the War Machine to wander around befriending impressionable boys and girls. NCLB also mandates that schools provide info to the DoD or lose federal funds, and while there's an opt-out provision almost no one knows about it. :grr:

Hekate

[cboy4]

16. They should be able to but the rules need to be adjusted ... such

as recruiters not being able to sign a kid out of school as they're able to apparently do now.

A Marine recruiter where I live in California is accused of signing out a girl and having sex with her during their "recruiting" sessions.

I have even less of a problem with recruiting now that a Democrat is going to be in the White House and theoretically make sure these kids who sign up aren't just automatically shipped off to die in the Middle East.

I know I wanted to be a pilot before I got into something else, but that information should be available to high school students as they try to decide what to do about college and what they want to do with their lives.

There are some fantastic institutions such as the US Air Force Academy.

[sampsonblk]

18. Yes, but honesty and accountability should be required

What I have been reading above is very anti-military.

There is nothing wrong with serving in the military. And there is nothing wrong with recruiters recruting boys (almost) wherever they are.

The problem is that the damn recruiters lie worse than used car salesmen. I have NEVER figured out why that's allowed.

That shit needs to end, and some of them need to see the inside of a cell.

Edit = typo

[newfie11]

19. Hell NO!!

I also don't like the fact they try to find out the names of all the graduating seniors. Years ago when my son joined the navy they asked him for the names of other kids in his sisters graduating class. They got letters expounding on how wonderful the military was.

[hulklogan]

22. Yes, though I don't personally like it and I hate that my nephew has fallen for their lies.

We still need some way to fill the ranks of the military, and preying on moral but naive high school kids is better than dragging all of the convicted felons out of prison.

*puts on flameproof jumpsuit*

[Forkboy]

25. They shouldn't even be allowed in colleges.

[Tom Rinaldo]

26. They should be allowed to attend a career day event

same as any other potential "employer", with no special access to students different than anyone else.

[SKKY]

28. Perhaps in small towns that don't have their own dedicated recruiting station...

...but that being the only exception.

[wiley]

30. Yes

As should health educators speaking honestly about sexual health, including LGBT and opposite sex issues, pregnancy, abortion and contraception
As should counselors speaking very frankly about alcohol use and addiction as well as smoking


I want HS kids to be able to recognize and deal with all these things. Besides, if a kid can't deal with a military recruiter or a sexual predator or abuser, they should know exactly where to ask for help.

[backscatter712]

31. I wouldn't have such a problem with it...

if the recruiters were honest, and our military was used to defend our country rather than oppress other countries for oil...

[tritsofme]

32. Should an arm of the government be able to promote itself in public schools?

If federal dollars are going to that school, then you bet.

[cherokeeprogressive]

51. Couldn't public schools be considered an "arm of the government"?

The government collects taxes to fund the schools, does it not?

[tritsofme]

55. Yes, and to prohibit cross-promotion of government programs is insanity.

nt

[tammywammy]

33. Yes n/t

[varelse]

35. If "truth in advertising" is enforced

and if anti-war organizations are allowed equal time on HS campuses, then yes. In addition, it should be up to the school board and/or the parents in that district. Admission of military recruiters should never be a condition of receiving federal education funding.

[zulchzulu]

36. I think there should be also Peace Corps/Greenpeace/HFH there at the same day

Perhaps have a job fair where the military (ROTC, etc.) could be there, but there would also have to be equal representation from such groups as the Peace Corps, Greenpeace and Habitat For Humanity there as well.

[anonymous171]

39. Good idea.

Joining the military is not the only way that youth can serve our country.

[BlooInBloo]

50. If 17 year old boys had the mentality you WISH they had rather than the one they DO have...

your compromise would be relevant.

But they don't, so it isn't.

[Hippo_Tron]

53. Guess I was an abnormal 17 year old, but...

The idea of getting shot at didn't really seem appealing at that age. It also didn't seem appealing to all of those people that did everything they possibly could to avoid the draft.

[anonymous171]

37. Only in areas where the average income is greater than $150,000

[TK421]

41. No- easy meat for the grinder n/t

[BlooInBloo]

42. Child abusers of ALL varieties should be kept away from schools.

[Brooklyns_Finest]

46. Sure

Recruiters usually came to our school on career day. I was never recruited. When i turned 18 I just walked in to the recruiting office and told them to "sign me up and give me the infantry". Joining the military was the best decision I ever made. I am 30 now, but if my son wanted to join when he comes of age, I would be happy for him.

[davidpdx]

48. No and I don't feel they should have phone lists of people

to bug them at home either. If people want to sign up, then let them go into the recruiting office. If there were a job fair or something, then I support including them for that type of a setting only. I have to wonder if the military targets lower income people and minorities because they feel they have more limited opportunities.

[Seldona]

49. They start in elementary.

I am against it period. I have been signing the opt out form every year.

[ensho]

54. NO, NO and NO again

let the military go after grown men not boys

[Brooklyns_Finest]

56. The military is a young mans game

The average age of the troops in my estimation is 19. The officers are 22 ish and the company commanders are late 20's. Most people who join don't make it a career. We need to constatnly recruit high school grads to maintain our strengh. I joined at 18, I would never have joined at 21. It has always been this way and I don't see it changing anytime soon.