The fact that “Uncle Sam Wants You!” is not new.
Neither is allowing military recruiters on high school campuses. So it’s hard to understand recent outrage, locally and nationally, over this practice.
What is new is a provision in the 2001 “No Child Left Behind” act that requires schools to release the names, addresses and phone numbers of juniors and seniors to the military, or risk losing federal aid.
Also relatively new is the war in Iraq, and the fact that the military is having a hard time reaching its enlistment goals. Some see a conspiracy here, to lure unsuspecting youngsters into war with a hard-sell recruitment pitch, false or trumped up promises of bonuses or assurances they can fight terror from behind a desk. People are apparently afraid that their kids can be conned into the military.
Not surprisingly, the answer to this controversy on school campuses is education. Start with some facts:
* First and foremost, as illustrated locally by Meadowdale High School parent Kurt Kutay’s crusade, students can opt out of having their information released to the military by signing a form. If your school doesn’t have a form, a parent’s note will suffice. If you’re not sure, call the school to find out.
* Students under the age of 18 need their parents’ permission to enlist.
* The military is a good option for some students. The argument that the military focuses on low-income kids with few options doesn’t pan out in Snohomish County. The military attracts all kinds – those disciplined few who already know what they want and how to get it, including a four-year degree, to those wanting specific technical training, to those truly moved by patriotism. The military has long been the answer for many who lack direction and need discipline in their lives to get on track.
Parents worried that recruiters could exert undue influence on their teenagers need to teach their children, as we hope their schools are also doing, to think critically. Today’s kids are savvy and have known from an early age just what the advertisers are trying to do. Students don’t need to be hidden from Humvees on campus and recruiters wearing cool berets. Teens on the brink of adulthood need to be able to think for themselves, especially in the presence of a hard sell.
So talk to your teen, about opting out or opting in, plaster a “Question Authority” bumper sticker on his head if need be, and let the military recruiters do their duty.
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