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TechnoratiWake Up Call: Activists Visit 'The Army Experience'
On Monday, February 16th about 50 activists decided to take a trip to the Franklin Mills Mall right outside Philadelphia, PA to get their look at a new "store". "The Army Experience" (AEC), as it is called, built by the taxpayers to the tune of $12 million, attracts local kids to play video games, most of which are high tech simulations of combat situations.
The group was made up of members from all over the area. World
Can't Wait from New York City and Philadelphia; Delaware Valley
Veterans of America; Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW); Veterans for
Peace from the Philadelphia area; CodePink Women for Peace; Granny
Peace Brigade; and, the Brandywine Peace Center converged on the mall
at about 10:30 AM, greeted by a heavier than usual security force. 
As a little background, let me explain. This 15,000 sq. ft. center has the look of a brand new spaceship, clean, polished and full of gadgets and was opened in August, 2008. On the website it announces in a welcome message "Providing unique insight into the Army Experience Center is an unparalled interactive experience designed and built by the world's premier land force - the United States Army." "See what excitement is all about!" The area contains what they call a "Tactical Operations Center" or TOC, where a separate room is available for local schools to conduct classes, with full/free internet and computer access. In the TOC, students as young as middle-school class attend and receive instructions on various topics, but mostly concerning what jobs the army has to offer them. In a wiz-bang fashion, the modern space offers the community, and mall goers the slick new and improved way that military recruitment is being ushered into the 21st century.
In a statement made when the facility first opened, the creator of the center, Ryan Hansen of Ignited Corporation, said "They are the Army, and as the slogan states "The Army is more than you think it is." 'Through market research, and proven outreach tools like the "America's Army" game and the mobile "Virtual Army Experience," Hansen said the Army learned that the best way for people to become acquainted with their Army was for them to be able to touch, feel and see the Army in a non-threatening environment. By incorporating the lessons learned from the technologies of those outreach tools, officials believe the Army Experience Center will make the Army accessible to visitors,' which it does.
Young kids can see what it's like to sit inside a real humvee, tank, apache helicopter and get first hand experience killing the enemy, and being killed themselves. When we spoke to the staff inside, all in "civilian" clothes, looking friendly and naïve, they tout the fact that they do not "recruit" kids. On the contrary, they "offer" them a place to go, no questions asked, and they can browse around what the army has to offer, if they so choose. But to get into the AEC and play these games that are so popular with high school kids, they must register at the front desk. Of course, on the application form there is a spot to check off if you "want the military to contact you."
So a young person who is anxious to get inside and get their lifetime pass to play games for free, shows some ID, fills out an application and may or may not check off a box. It isn't mandatory. My friend did it. She went to the desk, a member of the Granny Peace Brigade, and signed up. Got her ID card, and went to play the games, got a tour of the entire place and was totally disgusted by the disguise the army is presenting.
So about 50 activists devised a plan to take on the center and call attention to the real mission of the Army. At about 11 AM, a "tour" group went in, comprised of 4 young people, and also a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). They took the tour, in which a helpful army representative showed them around the place and gave them a glowing report of how the center since it opened, has helped local inner-city kids, whose public schools are under funded, learn to read, pass the "Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery" (ASVAB) and generally teach them discipline. With all of this, they don't have to join the Army, this is a public service they are giving away freely; however, since the AEC opened, they have enlisted 48 kids, information freely given to one of the protesters.
At 12:00 PM the rest of us walked into the center and did a freeze action. On our t-shirts were signs stating "WAR IS NOT A GAME" and we remained in a frozen position until the mall security, almost immediately, told us we had to disperse. Some folks were on the outside of the AEC, right in the mall area, and they were told to remove their shirts or leave. Standing still in a large mall area is not against the law, the last I heard. Nor is standing still inside an area that you are allowed to be in as a taxpayer is also not illegal, however, we were told that this "Army" center was on private property. Photos and videos were prohibited, but we managed to sneak a few in.
IVAW member, Matthis Chiroux from NYC, who stood frozen wearing his military uniform, was challenged by the head of mall security. "I am warning you, sir, that if you don't leave the area immediately you will be arrested and charged with criminal trespass!" After repeating that about 3 times, Matthis responded by saying "I heard you the first time!", and kept his frozen stance. Along with him, were about 7 others who remained after the first warnings were given. Others meandered very slowly back out to the general mall area, and some remained inside the AEC, but milled about slowly looking at the games and video screens mounted on the walls.
I myself waited until Matthis left and then I walked over to one of the gaming stations where Joan and Bev, both Granny Peace Brigade members from NYC were playing the games. Watching them play "Ghost Recon", the initial startup video screen takes you into Mexico along the border, and right away the military personnel are being shot at along the border, as if we were at war with Mexico. The soldiers are shot at, dragged off, shot at again and blood splatters right onto the video screen. Screaming, yelling, gunfire, rocket fire and helicopters are all rampaging right in front of your eyes.
As Bev recounts: "Unaccustomed to playing video games, I was excited at finally making a direct "hit" with the rifle. However, the "body" spurted blood, jerked about when shot again which shocked and disgusted me. Two boys, no older than fifteen, were playing the games before we entered the area and remained intently engaged when we left the arcade. The military staff's glib answers just rolled off their tongues during a lengthy discussion and tour of the three simulator exhibitions."
I got into a long discussion with 4 different recruiters when standing there. Still wearing my t-shirt reading "WAR IS NOT A GAME", I took my time and stood there for almost an hour. The conversation went from allowing these young kids to play violent games with taxpayer dollars, to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. All the while, the staff there defended their position. One staff member who was in Iraq on 3 combat tours told me he was in the Army for 10 years, and it works for him. Besides, where else could he go, he has a family. Another told me he goes to the inner city schools and teaches kids to read. I mentioned that there are teachers to perform that task, but he said there was no funding for public schools. So why not take the funding from the center and give it to the schools that had accredited teachers, I stated. He didn't have an answer other than that wasn't up to him.
For example, federal funding for the 2009 Department of Defense's (DOD's) base budget is $515.4 billion-a nearly 74-percent increase over 2001. This funding will ensure a high level of military operation, as opposed to a federal budget for the Department of Education of $68.6 billion. Just a quick examination of this unbalanced funding gives us an idea where the government is headed as far as the connection between educating our youth and the militarization of them.
After telling them that I was a military mom and my son has served 3 tours of duty, and is still in Iraq, they kept me engaged in conversation. I told them what they were doing was similar to the youth brigades in Germany under Hitler. I told them that the military budget was bloated and of course kids would join the army since it was an economic draft. I told them that unmanned drones were the product of the Military Industrial Complex and some guy sitting in Nevada was killing innocent people in Pakistan. I told them that they had to understand all of this since they worked there. Most of the time they didn't really have an answer, it all went back to they didn't have a choice and there was nothing wrong with what they were doing, it was up to our political leaders to change the direction, not them.
Here in New York City, we are faced with more militarization of our youth. The Department of Education is welcoming the Army into nine NYC public high schools, with more likely to follow. This partnering is disguised as teaching the students "life skills, with students being drilled by soldiers in setting goals." However, military officials involved in this program state that "the project is not a recruitment tool." This announcement marks a second step in NYC where the DOE and US military relationship appears to be growing increasingly cozy. Considering the fact that the Mayor has just threatened to lay off 15,000 teachers, we should all be very alarmed at the escalation in military involvement with our youth on all of these fronts.
The bottom line is that "The Army Experience" is an experimental center, and if it works, we could be faced with a whole new monster in recruiting in other malls across the Country, as well as these new programs in our high schools. The military is right in one respect, they don't have to recruit, they just have to smile and give a tour, let them play, teach them to read, teach them "life skills" and where else do these kids have to go? We are in an economic depression, no jobs for anyone, especially those who are locked into areas of the country where there was a deep oppression before the economy went sour.
Those of us who realize the extreme danger of this subversive army mission targeting our youth on a whole new level, must mobilize to stop it. However it is done, we cannot simply hand out opt-out forms at high school events any longer. To counteract the high level of technological lying that is being mastered, our mission should be to rise to the occasion and not allow these new techniques to go unchallenged.
There is a program right now that is taking this on. The "We Are Not Your Soldiers" tour in high schools around the Country, is bringing an Iraq/Afghanistan veteran who is against the war as well as a Viet Nam war resister into classes to tell them the truth about why the empire is recruiting them. To let them know that the promise of money for college, or job training is not worth selling your soul to a Country that wants you to kill and be killed for the purpose of power and greed.
It is up to us to speak truth to power, to join together and push back against the military industrial complex before it really becomes too late!
47 Comments so far
Show All"I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it."
Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. general and 34th president 1890-1969
Here's more on military recruiting.
Four suicide deaths of Army recruiters (all from the same battalion)
in Houston Texas, prompted the Army to suspend all recruiting on
Friday Feb 20, 2009 to focus on "leadership training, suicide prevention and the health of its 8,900 recruiters".
From a story in the Houston Chronicle 2/15/09:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6261403.html
Also, see: counter_recruitment.blogspot.com
And: http://www.timeswv.com/editorials/local_story004023653.html
"Scrutiny of Military Recruiting Warranted"
Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee is calling for hearings and an investigation into the deaths (suicides) of these recruiters.
I have played this game several times and its not bad after you go through it an injured vet talks to you and tells you war is not a pretty picture and how they got hurt so before you do anything you need to try it.Its not a recruiting thing at all.If your going to protest this game you might as well protest against Sonic you get killed in that.Or how about Mario go Karts where you crash
Sorry, that 2nd link may be dead now.
The "Scrutiny" editorial piece was from the Times West Virginia, Jan 4, 2009.
I think it can still be found on www.counter_recruitment.blogspot.com
Don't limit this to just the young kids playing video games. The older but still young adults are often pushed into desperate ideas such as signing up when they are out of work for longer periods of time and are unable to make it back to employment no matter how hard they tried. This happened to my son and son-in-law. My husband, daughter, and I even tried to help them get a decent job and then a job at all but it was no use. In the end, they argued and we were unable to shake the madness off and a couple years later, dead. Military experience is a sick joke. Training isn't what it used to be. All that matters to the Military Industrial Complex is that these young men and women are foaming at the mouth ready to kill kill kill for a "living". Lives don't matter to them !
"War is wrong. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. There are always alternatives"
I borrowed this from above because its almost correct. There are usually alternative's is correct, not always. Sometimes there is no alternative. Fortunately we haven't been faced with that since WW2.
But certainly correct about many of the engagements and wars between then and now. Some areas where we have intervened we have done good. But Viet Nam, Iraq, Afganistan, the shenanigans around the world at various times.
There is no excuse for the deaths we and the other nations have suffered, its been due to bad leadership every single time.
But until human nature changes or the World is restructred anyone who believes they don't need a military or that we shouldn't have a strong military are simply fooling themselves. No one with knowledge of the world as it is would advocate that in my opinion.
And though I favor closing many, actually most of our bases around the world....certainly not all. The ability to project force anywhere is a an absolute must. I have no interest in fighting a war in our streets.
I agree. We need a reasonable well-trained force in order to protect us from threats which still exist. There will always be some who will engage in war and armed robbery. The need for a military could get smaller and smaller over time if we made a sincere effort toward worldwide nuclear disarmament and toward reducing arms manufacture.
Joe
In addition to the scenes of horror, the blood and guts, what about having the video “games” (read recruitment tools) inflict actual pain. Having never been in the military and thus actual combat (my bike messenger years were “combat” of a different sort) I don't know what it actually feels like to suffer an IED. But I bet it's quite painful. Maybe if we let those potential recruits talk to vets who've suffered severe injuries and discuss in detail just how much actual pain is involved in being injured and how much they still suffer, we can make a dent in recruitment.
War is wrong. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. There are always alternatives. The US is, hopefully, in its death throes now and the powers that be are desperately trying to hold onto false images of glory. They'll never say that, of course, but that's why real spending on military activities in this country is probably over a trillion ($1,000,000,000,000,000 – it's more impressive if written out rather than spelled...) and spending by the federal government on education is only 68.6 billion ($68, 600,000,000 – compare the two and see which shocks/horrifies more...)
At some point the military and military endeavors will cost so much that ALL other government programs will have to cease, including social security and medicare if we continue the present course. There will be no funds for anything other than the military. No new bridges, no new roads, no repair of existing infrastructure, no publicly funded education, nothing but funding for the military. What happens then? Mass uprisings? Hardly, because this will have been planned for and the domestic combat troops will put down any dissent. Think I'm wrong? Wait ten years.
-- ekaton aka d.k.shaw
davidpeace
"I don't know what it actually feels like to suffer an IED. But I bet it's quite painful"
Let me assure you that getting shot or taking shrapnel is extremely painful but I've been told by Marines that have experienced both that IED's are worse because of the physical damage as its usually so close, you aren't ready for it really and the blast pressure itself. I'm glad they didn't hasve them back when from what I'm told.
I think it might be a good idea to have every recruit talk to a combat Vet as you say. Not to try to scare them or to put a bunch of bloody stuff up which is what is usually suggested by folks that have never seen blood. But to honestly let them see what could happen if the VET happens to have lost a limb.
We do spend far too much on our military, but its the dishonest in government that allow it. And Generals....never met a General that saw weapons program he didn't like. We have too many Generals anyway.
The only thing would be screening out John Wayne and every outfit usually has one or two. Though they usually get themselves killed. They will lie about combat.
Have you seen the photos of the DU babies? They are on the Internet.
Just looked. Was expecting shock and awe and got HORROR! Those children must be suffering on a scale that can't be imagined!
How far are we willing to go to resist the military industrial complex? The parents of these kids probably work at places like Raytheon or Lockheed-Martin or GE. I wonder if they will give up their jobs in protest. If everyone who worked for a military supplier just up and quit tomorrow, what would happen?
I can dream, can't I?
That is EXACTLY what must happen. Raytheon, LM, GE, Blackwater et al and all who are employed by them are just as guilty as the sniper who shoots a car filled with innocent civilians. We must create a society where being employed by the Masters of Destruction is no longer socially acceptable.
Many years ago I was employed by GE and later by United Technologies. I will spend the rest of my life trying to make amends.
They would probably just insource cheaper workers to replace them, but it would be a great gesture and cause a lot of turmoil initially. If the word got out, then maybe soldiers would find the courage to defect. There'd likely be a cascading effect. And all that would be wonderful.
I got my first lesson about war and the US Army in school. It was 1965-66 in eighth grade history class. The teacher was late and a guy was showing around photos from his brother in Vietnam. One shot showed a blanket spread on the ground covered with a dozen or so pairs of black human ears. It was the platoon's ear collection.
Were we even at war in '66? But of course we never really were at war in Vietnam, or Iraq, or Afganistan, or Korea, or...
In '69-'70 I sat in the VA hospital next to Paul's bed. He had a cast from below his knees up to his armpits, with a window in the leg so the nurses could change the dressing on the hole in his leg you could fit a graprefruit into. He told me that whatever I did, don't go. Go to Canada, go to Sweden, go to jail.
I went to the American Friends Service Commitee and they sent me to a friendly doctor.
Hey youg man. What ever you do don't go! I partied with guys without arms and legs, with plates in their heads and parts of their brains missing, with scars on body and soul. I thank God that I never went. Those recruiters won't be there for you or your family. They get paid a bounty to deliver your body. However bad you think things are THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN WAR.
"However bad you think things are THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN WAR."
A truer statement won't be made. War should be the very last resort and then I'd think it over.
Excellent comment young man.
Sioux Rose
When one looks ahead it seems like a Dystopian nightmare in that the military is about the only institution given all the easy funds, and as persons go jobless and hungry, it will become "the answer." Thus person will be turned on person under an orchestrated system that has purposely gutted far more worthy job pursuits to fulfill this very outcome: that of militarism feeding on itself like a never-ending spiral.
I'm up to the part in "Shock Doctrine" where torture tactics were being refined by several university departments, and I have to ask myself if persons with known disorders/sadism go into this type of work, or if once ensconced, they lack the mortal turpitude (a/k/a basic empathy) to stop these types of experiments that are based on BREAKING PEOPLES' minds. Any society that makes militarism its chief investment is celebrating death and destruction regardless of the PR campaigns, slogans, mind control, or other deft devices utilized to mask intentions clear as blood.
Thomas More: Hello from Texas! I'm in your neck of the woods for the next 2 hours...
Go to graduate school. You will see how seemingly normal people can be steered to pursue questionable or inhumane experimental goals based on the pressure for recognition and professional accomplishment. Empathy for "subjects" such as public school children or animals can be ignored in the pursuit of some kind of so-called "knowledge". The real goal is to please funders and get a professional footing in a world largely based on illusion and control.
Joe
Sioux Rose
You're kidding! You picked a great weather day to be here! DFW or Houston?
Now I can make you an honorary Molly Ivin's Texan!
It could be a great use of taxpayer money if it shows graphically what happens to you when an IED explodes, what happens to your family, or when you accidentally blow the head off some innocent kid.
I was thinking along those same lines. How about some high resolution close-up photos of what happens to kids just like these who have been "smokescreened" with white phosphorus. Maybe they could plaster the walls with those flag-draped coffin photos we were never allowed to see. Or what the hell, instead of video games, why not just some actual footage of real people with blood spurting out of their severed limbs.
I think this may be a clue to why so many returning vets are having trouble adjusting: such a big difference with what they thought they were going to do and what they actually did have to do.
I, too, am a member of VFP. The simple message that must be made public is that the purpose of the military is to KILL people for corporations - NOT to defend the USA. It's time to put that old myth to bed.
Back in the 1930s, General Smedley Butler wrote his book "War is a Racket". It was a racket then and it still is.
Any one who still refers to the Dept of Offence as the Dept of Defense is promulgating the myth.
People who kill are not heroes. Wearing a uniform might make a fashion statement but it gives no one the moral right to kill another human being.
"The simple message that must be made public is that the purpose of the military is to KILL people for corporations - NOT to defend the USA. It's time to put that old myth to bed."
Thats not true, sorry.
Alas since WII it certainly has been true. Google for example CIA "United Fruit" Guatemala and read this list of interventions for the list of interventions for the benefit of the elite and think:
http://www.killinghope.org/
It's not our grandfathers army that fought the good fight against the Nazis anymore. :(
Sorry, still not true. Nice try though.
http://www.killinghope.org/
EXCELLENT! Thank you, hootowl. People, please go to and browse that link. I saved it to my desktop.
-- ekaton aka d.k.shaw
Ray Berthiaume
I was a teenager during WW2. Do I recall we had a Department of War, not Defense? I'm not sure my memory is correct.
"Hansen said the Army learned that the best way for people to become acquainted with their Army was for them to be able to touch, feel and see the Army in a NON-THREATENING ENVIRONMENT."
Perfect! The Army is one of the most "non-threatening" institutions we have! Ah, Orwell... you saw it so well. War is peace.
Isn`t it traitorous to say anything negative about the military and their actions? Oh, thats right, Bush and Cheney are not our masters anymore!! The defense complex will bleed the entire assets out of our country if they are allowed to do it. The problem is that it is easy to always find someone somewhere that are out to get us and so we need more defense to save America. We have an unfortunate situation now with the joblessness for young people. Naturally, the military are only too happy to take care of their future employment as they have plenty of money and perks to promise them.
Trillions upon trillions spent on the "world's most powerful military" since Vietnam whose lessons apparently went unlearned, and it cannot even "pacify" Baghdad. Some powerful military, eh? Now if you want to set off a few nukes or sink a few ships or submarines our military probably has no equal. After all the great Iraqi navy and air force were certainly stopped dead... er... ah... umm...
What we need in Philadelphia at the Franklin Mall Army Experience are a handful of blinded crippled vets and some "gold star mothers" setting up a silent vigil and answering questions if approached.
-- ekaton aka d.k.shaw
Maybe some really young - and awakened- recently returned Iraq vets?
Young men and women speaking to other young men and women: peer-to peer
I think the left needs to update it's image, too!!
Grannies for Peace, Viet Nam vets and the Pinks are nice, but where are the young anti-war, activists-of-color in this mix?
As a member of Vets for Peace, I wholly support attention being focused on Pentagon propaganda schemes like the $12 million recruiting center at Franklin Mills mall, and support to use of counter-recruiting in the public schools wherever the government's recruiters have been given access by local school officials.
Another scary example of this phenomenon hit me flush between the eyes when I recently went to my local cinema multiplex to see the highly acclaimed film "Slum Dog Millionaire."
Amidst the trailers for future coming attractions and other commercial messages that preceded the start of the feature, there was a long, very high production cost advertisement urging enlistment in the National Guard which had plenty of NASCAR footage and a head-banging sound track courtesy of Kid Rock.
Interspersed between the race car action and MTV-style closeup shots of the Kid's performance art, viewers were treated to segments showing real and simulated combat footage from the Iraq and Afghanistan theatres of operation, replete with lots of very colorful, high tech shock and awe. For fair and honest balance, there were a few staged scenes showing Guard members rescuing babies from burning urban rubble, and shoring up levees to hold back rising flood waters here on the home front. There were plenty of flag-waving hometown homecoming parade snippets too.
This promo was nothing but Department of Defense psy ops paid for with US taxpayer dollars. It was calculated not only to sell the National Guard experience as a packaged product targeting primarily young, macho-oriented consumers, but also to sell the general audience the Pentagon's glorified, red-white-and-blue version of two bloody, shameful wars already in progress.
Theatres of operation indeed.
Bill from Saginaw
Strange...I was just talking to a friend that saw same thing at another movie last night. Here I'm with you. The arcade and the commercial is money that shouldn't be spent. As I'm sure you aware, video games bear no relationship to combat. NASCAR for crying out loud......
Yes the military must recruit as you know, but lets have honest recruiting without the soft sell lollipop.
Google in "military propaganda" and tie results to this article. Recruiters are trained to literally "prey" on the most suceptible young adults; taught their jargon, become buddies with them, take place of high school counselor, show up at civic and athletic events, etc.
The corporations need their bodies in the military and will go to any lengths to get them - note they just lower standards for hispanics because they have higher retention rates in the military.
"The "We Are Not Your Soldiers" tour in high schools around the Country, is bringing an Iraq/Afghanistan veteran who is against the war as well as a Viet Nam war resister into classes to tell them the truth about why the empire is recruiting them."
I am totally against this propaganda just ass much as I am against allowing Army recruiters into our high schools.
This type of activity removes the possibility of arguing that recruiters should not be allowed into high school, in fact, it makes it mandatory in terms of fairness.
A bad idea.
I diagree - recruiters have carte blanche in most high schools anyway - there has to be a presence in the schools simply for the sake of presenting some objectivity. Would you rather those that resist the system to have no direct voice to the victims of that system?
Odoco
"Would you rather those that resist the system to have no direct voice to the victims of that system?"
I don't believe either one has a placer on a high school campus. But any high school that allows recruiters should immediately allow "the Tour" or someting like it access to the campus. In Texas we don't allow recruiters in most high schools, though I believe there are some that do. My town certainly does not.
Only hearing one viewpoint is far worse than the most dishonest and blantant propaganda.
I work in a high school and it is my understanding that in order to receive federal funding at that level(high school) all public schools MUST allow access to military recruiters to provide information to students. Parents of students under 18 and students over 18 may "opt out" of being on the detailed list of student information that is automatically provided to the Pentagon for recruitment purposes even after the youth have graduated. This was attached to one of the kneejerk post 9-11 legislations that eroded our rights. SOOO needless to say, I DON'T BELIEVE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, because I don't see the schools in TEXAS turning down federal funding. Maybe if it is a private school you're familiar with, you should not infer the climate in other schools from your situation.
netminnow
I forgot to ask which State? And are military recruiters allowed in your High School? Thanks.
netminnow
Perhaps its colleges you are thinking about. I'm talking about public schools. We don't turn down much Federal funding because Texas pay's in more than we get back, lucky us.
But I'll tell you even if you were right and I don't believe you are, I know that Military recruiters are not allowed in our high school. Nor in the cities and towns around us. A list or mailing recruitment information is not exactly allowing military recruiters on campus.
No need to shout.
Sorry, Thomas, but I think that you cannot possibly be correct.
The No Child Left Behind Act mandates recruiters in High Schools.
Check it out.
The high school that I work in regularly has recruiters in the building hallways and they set up "info" and free-swag tables (keychains, soccer balls) in the school cafeteria at lunch times. They have easy and frequent access to the kids.
The Career Services person is forced to schedule ANY branch of the U.S. Armed Services whenever they want to come. The ASVAB test is also freely given.
Counter recruitment, and peace & justice groups, on the other had, have a much more difficult time getting into the schools.
Good information about opting out and avoiding being hounded by recruiters is hard to distribute.
"In Texas we don't allow recruiters in most high schools,"
Glad to hear that Thomas I have to admit I have a stereotype of Texas as being very gung ho military. Ii for one think that one can engage military propaganda wherever one finds it AND argue against military recruiters in school, why should those two things be mutually exclusive.
Hey Hoot....
It just struck me that stereotype might be simply because we have (and had more) some very large bases and many military transits stage from here. Ft.Hood, Naval Air Station, etc. We may have more military in state than anyone else. (don't know that for fact)
Thanks Hoot.
Texas isn't any more "gung ho" militarily (thanks for using an old Marine expression) than most other States I think. It may be more patriotic than some or a Texans view of America may be more positive, but thats all.
I can assure you that if I saw a military recruiter on our high school campus I would personally escort him off and I assure you even at my advanced age "I'm wearing the boots that can do it" to quote James Garner in Murphy's Romance. Youth is often overated, experience counts too!
But remember In my opinion there are many kids that are a real fit in the military. That do better there than anywhere else they could be. Just not now. I would advise any kid not to join even the Coast Guard at the moment.
IMO we could learn a lot from Switzerland's ideas about national defense.
The only jobs that will be left military .police and corrections officer .Oh and inmate detainee