Not joking. Army recruiters here with the Army "dragster"

[Ishoutandscream2]

Yes, during our school day today, classes can take their kids out to the parking area and they get to see the Army dragster and its driver. What a recruitment tool! I'm sure several of our students will sign up and drive Army dragsters all around the country!

Question - why does the army need a dragster? Are we on the racing circuit in Iraq? I'm sorry, but how transparent is this? I mentioned how ridiculous this seemed just a while ago, and no one blinked an eye.

No, this is not a rip off of a Simpsons episode. The Army is really putting on a show today with a cool race car to recruit our unsuspecting kids to the service and in the process (more than likely) sending them to Iraq. It makes my stomach hurt just thinking about it.

[DS1]

1. 300mph is all but IED proof

[wtmusic]

2. My nephew shipped off to Iraq yesterday

where there will be lots of cool dragsters, and everyone gets a pony.

[racaulk]

3. I'm so sorry, wtmusic...

I hope he comes home safely.

:hug:

[wtmusic]

6. thanks, me too

They lied to him, said he wouldn't go to Iraq for at least 2 years (oops, make that right after Basic).

I have lost so much respect for the military. It used to make me proud when I saw fighters overhead -- now I'm sick to my stomach.

[RebelOne]

14. My grandson signed up in the Army

and he was told he would be sent to Iraq right after basic training.

[wtmusic]

15. Curious -- why did he enlist? nt

[bobbolink]

21. "It used to make me proud when I saw fighters overhead "

It's difficult to learn the hard way.

[rurallib]

4. Is anybody speaking out? Teachers?

Anybody standing up and calling out the bullshit. I know it would be hard to do. Just curious.

[Ishoutandscream2]

7. No. Absolutely not.

When I got the email from my principal this morning, I wrote back something like "hmmmmm." No, no one's speaking out, except good ol "radical James" (me).

[wtmusic]

8. High school? nt

[Ishoutandscream2]

11. Yes, I'm a counselor at a high school

grades 9 - 12.

[HughMoran]

5. It is sickening.

I LOVE drag racing (as I participate myself), but it was disturbing to see the Army team at a Top Fuel event last week.

Now I know why I felt uneasy seeing the Army participating in a civilian sport. Very devious indeed...

[gratuitous]

9. And yet . . .

When I approach school authorities about setting up a table for Brethren Volunteer Service or Christian Peacemaker Teams, I get a flat refusal. Maybe we should invest in dragsters?

[Ishoutandscream2]

16. LOL. I can just see a Christian Peacemaker Teams dragster

But, you never know. Really, doesn't all this remind you of a Simpsons episode? What next, will we have rappers here to help recruit for the armed services? It just boggles the mind.

[unhappycamper]

10. goarmy.com

The Dragster
U.S. ARMY TOP-FUEL DRAGSTER SPECIFICATIONS



EXTERIOR

* Wheelbase: 300 in (25 feet: front axle to rear axle centerlines)
* Weight: 2,225 pounds (rolling weight)
* Strange Engineering 12" aluminum rear-end assembly
* Paint: Sikkens paint



CHASSIS

* Chassis: 2005 Hadman RED
* Brakes: Strange Engineering carbon-fiber with ARP fasteners
* Wheels: American Racing wheels
* Tires: Goodyear tires (replaced every 2 runs)
* Chutes: Impact parachutes
* Automan pneumatic clutch and fuel systems



ENGINE

* Engine: 500-cubic-inch TFX aluminum hemi (8000+ horsepower)
* Fuel: Nitro-methane racing fuel (12 gallons per run)
* Shafts: Billet steel crankshaft (replaced every 8 runs)
* Belts: Gates Belts & Hose
* Supercharger: PSI 14-71
* Gaskets: Fel-Pro
* Heads: Alan Johnson aluminum hemi heads & manifold
* Pistons: Venolia
* Ignition: MSD dual ignition
* Clutch: Automan pneumatic clutch



PERFORMANCE

* Best quarter-mile elapsed time: 4.428 seconds
* Best finish-line speed: 337.58 mph
* 6 G-forces at the starting line (nothing accelerates faster on land)
* 6 negative G-forces upon deployment of twin parachutes at 300 mph


NASCAR also has a army machine.





GET UP TO SPEED ON THE U.S. ARMY 01 TEAM

The Army 01 Team works hard preparing for each and every NASCAR NEXTEL Cup event. This season the Army team will have the added experience of NASCAR veteran Mark Martin joining the team. Martin and the Army team will also look to the future with rookie driver Aric Almirola.

Get detailed info on the entire Army 01 Team, from the highly skilled driver to the equally talented and well-orchestrated crew chief and pit crew.

[jmowreader]

18. Sikkens paint? On the Army dragster?

You know that shit's made in Holland, right? I want my tax dollars going toward all-American paint, dammit!

/sarcasm

No, but seriously folks, the only reason the Army sponsors race cars is because it works.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

12. Tony Schumacher.

His father, Don Schumacher, runs the biggest Drag Racing team in the sport, Don Schumacher Racing(DSR). Verily, they are cashed-up, too. Private Jets, the whole bit. The Army uses your tax dollars to fund this team, which has the single best crew chief in Top Fuel racing, Allen Johnson, who is also the single most expensive. They have the best of everything, including a hospitality infrastructure that must be seen to be believed. The Army also sponsors a Pro Stock Bike operation in DSR, with two bikes ridden by Angelle Sampey and Antron Brown.

What does this all mean?

Millions of your tax dollars are being spent on a tool for Army Recruitment, some in ways you might not consider at first blush, such as the transportation and accommodations for the many Army personnel who are in attendance at every event.

Note: I have a sense of the economics of running a Top Fuel or Funny Car team, because Bob Wilber, the PR guy for the Checkers' Schuck and Kragen funny car team is an acquaintance of mine and we have discussed those economics. DSR gets a hell of a lot more money from the Army than an average team would.

[Hotler]

13. Those are your tax dollars.

Going to support under privileged team owners.

[flashl]

17. Public schools are under threat of extortion

This administration passed a law that forced public schools to give students phone numbers to military recruiters. Schools who refuse to comply with the turning over of this information risk losing federal funds. The prime demographic for recruiters are high school students. However, some recruiters have been found contacting children as young as 14. IIRC there was an agressive campaign, "Leave My Child Alone!", to help parents safeguard teenagers from aggressive military recruitment.

[jayfish]

19. What Does One Need To Score On The ASVAB To Get A Driver Job? -NT-

Jay

[baldguy]

20. I wonder how much body armor the Army's advertising budget could buy?

[lebkuchen]

22. Interesting

It's pretty early in the SY to be recruiting, isn't it? I thought that sort of thing went on from Mar - June.

[PA Democrat]

23. They are so desperate for fresh cannon fodder that recruiting of high school

students is a year-round effort. We got two phone calls just last week. That made it a total of 26 calls since June, despite the fact that we sent Opt Out letters. They have been told every single time they call that our son has no interest in the military, yet they continue to call our private unlisted number and try to sell their lies.

I think that in some cases, like my son's, their tactics have backfired. He is disgusted by ANYTHING to do with the military due to the slimy recruiting practices that he has witnessed. My son is actively trying to get one of his best friends to back out of his Delayed Enlistment Program. This friend's recruiter "hangs out" with his friend and asks him to set up opportunities to meet his friends. If this guy weren't a military recruiter most people would question the motives of a grown man hanging out with teenage boys. It is stalking.