COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Recruiting: Personnel Crunch
Military recruiters up the ante
BRIGID BRETT, North County Times
May 31, 2007
Three years ago, when my son was getting ready to graduate from highschool, I wrote a column about the letters of recruitment he was
getting from the military. It was 2004 and Operation Iraqi Freedom
was a year old. "High school is almost over," said one letter. "And
you have some big decisions to make. College, work, or will you have
to juggle both to get where you want to go? Where's the adventure in
that? We should talk. There are ways I can help you gain valuable
hands-on experience. ... With exciting adventures and real life
challenges. This is your opportunity to make something of your life
---- something extremely cool."
Hmm.
My daughter is now about to graduate from high school and once again
the recruitment letters are pouring in. But these are not letters
---- they are sleek, expensive, graphically stunning packages. They
really are cool. An elaborate foldout contraption from the Army
entices her to join. "The strength of the Bradley fighting vehicle
lies in its steel encased armor," it says. "But the strength of our
nation lies in its Soldiers. If you're looking for adventure,
challenge and the honor of serving your country, the U.S. Army is for
you. As a Soldier, you'll gain the strength, confidence and
determination to overcome any obstacle. Armed with the most advanced
training and technology available, you'll have the tools you need ...
to protect our freedoms, our Nation and our future." Obviously
they're assuming that because she's a teenager she doesn't follow the
news and hasn't learned just how many obstacles there are ---- both
in the war zone that she'd most likely be sent to and then when she
comes back home too injured to be of any use to the military and
needs physical, emotional and financial support from them.
But they know she's a teenager so they offer her "a free U.S. Army
water bottle with no obligation just to send in the enclosed card,
call 1-800-705-8784 or visit goarmy.com/info. " Summer's almost here
---- who doesn't need an extra water bottle?
The Marine Corps, being the elite corps it is, goes much further and
spends much more money in its recruiting efforts than the Army,
sending not only a dozen glossy 3-by-5-inch cards with motivating
messages and full-colored photos, but the added enticement of a
Marine Corps windbreaker ---- also "just for going to Marines.com/ my
part or calling 1-800-Marines or returning the attached card."
Don't get me wrong. I am humbled and grateful to the thousands of
service members for making the sacrifices they are making. And I
understand why the military needs to up the ante in its recruitment
techniques. It's just that there's something abhorrent about luring
kids with jackets and water bottles and then abandoning them when
they are too hurt to serve you any longer. The truth about how the
military sees our children lies in the choice of words in a 2005 news
article on the Department of Defense Web site:
"WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2005 ---- A fresh supply of recent high school
graduates, more recruiters and more enticing enlistment incentives
are being credited with the Army's second straight month of meeting
its recruiting goals."
A fresh supply? As the recruiters like to say, we need to talk.
This archive consists of a topically organized selection of
articles culled by members of the Counter-Recruitment List Serve from printed
publications and web sites. The archive is not complete. We have chosen
material relevant to the work of