Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/129419
Public schools should not be the recruiting Full disclosure: I am a military wife. My husband grounds for young people to be subjected was on active duty for 30 years in the U.S. Navy. to sophisticated, persuasive marketing Our eldest son earned an ROTC scholarship and techniques designed to sell them on joining is a graduate of UC Berkeley. He and his wife are the military. physicians on active duty in the U.S. Air Force. I believe military recruitment is about the Our second serves in the Naval Reserves. So yes, indoctrination of our young in a culture that I believe military recruiters should be allowed on glamorizes war and violence. Recruiters use deception and false high school campuses. Here's why. promises to entice students who feel like they have few or no opOPPORTUNITY: Our military services offer training and adtions. We call this the "poverty draft." The lure of the military parvanced education in a variety of fields, including auto mechanticularly impacts youth of color, and more middle-class families as ics, engine repair and maintenance, flight mechanics, air traffic college becomes less affordable. control, construction, medical fields, linguistics, chaplain services I witnessed Marine recruiters promising students from workingand food service. Military members may drive, steer or guide poor families a way to be "successful," go to college, buy a home planes, helicopters, drones, sailboats, small boats, large ships, for their parents and make their families proud. They promise cars, trucks or monster trucks. Those who sign up for a four-year male students a way to manhood, strength and independence. commitment may stay on for a full career of 20 or 30 years. The promise females the best of all worlds: supervision and PHYSICAL FITNESS: Through training and education, military independence that will help them build strength and character. members develop self-discipline and physical fitness. They Recruiters know how to market the military in a way that speaks may be trained as Olympians, or participate in inter-service to the dreams and hopes of these young people. sport rivalries. It is particularly painful to see how the military recruitADVANCEMENT: The military is a meritocracy. Women and ers gain the trust of families and become a "big brother" to minorities are well represented, including at the highest levels. potential recruits. Then, Advancement is based P O I N T / C O U N T E R P O I N T after the student enlists, upon merit. Those who disthey disappear. play a positive work ethic The invasion of Iraq move up. changed my life. I was INCOME: A fair wage is outraged knowing that it offered, with support for was the young people food and housing. Military I saw every day in the high members leave the serschools of Los Angeles — as well as those across the country — vice, prepared to compete for a competitive wage in the civilian who would perhaps die, lose limbs or have traumatic brain injury. job market. I worried that when they returned home, many of them might live SACRIFICE: The military is a voluntary service. It is a sacrifice with post-traumatic stress disorder, homelessness or unemployto join. Yet it offers the opportunity to work, learn, succeed and ment. Even worse, they could join the growing ranks of veterans excel while participating in a cause that is larger than self. who commit suicide. PROFESSIONAL TRAINING: Those who display academic I asked others to join in providing factual information to youth achievement and leadership accomplishments in high school about the realities of war and enlistment connected to a broader may earn an ROTC scholarship to a civilian college or an appointnational counter-recruitment movement. This was the beginning ment to a service academy. Professional schools are also availof CAMS (Coalition for Alternatives to Militarism in our Schools), able in medicine, dentistry, nursing, psychology and more. The which I brought to United Teachers Los Angeles. In the "Adopt debt is not in money, but in years to serve. That "free" education a School" project, we identified a contact in each of 50 high is an investment our country makes in the youth of America. schools to organize counter-recruitment efforts in the schools, TRAVEL: Realistically, yes, service members may be sent including schoolwide restrictions on military recruitment, distribinto harm's way, but they may also be sent to Germany, Italy or uting "opt out" information so students could withhold contact Japan, steam around the world, or travel to and through most of information from recruiters, encouraging student-led Peace our 50 states. Clubs, sponsoring alternative career fairs, and inviting speakers DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY: Let's be honest. It hurts to send such as veterans and filmmakers to share about their experiences a young adult into harm's way. Breathing stops. But when the with combat. decision is made, when that young adult seeks to live the life of If we are a society that values our young, it is imperative we military service, it is with pride that families — and schools — stop allowing the military to give them false and misleading support their decision to serve our country. information. It is wrong for the military to be afforded legitimacy IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO: Public schools gratefully acand authority in our schools without also providing the truth about cept public funding to support our students, even though that what it means to experience war. Each of us can make a differfunding comes with strings attached. It would be disingenuous ence. Over the years I've seen hundreds of students change their of us to reject access to military recruiters on our campuses mind about enlisting. Learn about this movement and get conbecause we may disapprove of the military mission. Who are we nected through the National Network Opposing the Militarization to allow our disapproval to deny access to others? of Youth (www.nnomy.org). Christine Steigelman, Unified Association of Conejo Arlene Inouye, United Teachers Los Angeles, is a speech Teachers, is a fifth-grade teacher at EARTHS Magnet School therapist and CAMS coordinator. in Newbury Park. No! Yes! Should military recruiters be allowed on school campuses? May 2013 www.cta.org 9