When I leave school I see them dressed in their army fatigue uniforms in the lobby of Murry Bergtraum H.S. at least twice on any given week. They pass out flyers containing a list of the benefits of joining the United States Army such as the following:
- 100% Tuition Assistance for your education, up to $4, 500 per year
- Army Reserve Education Scholarships (Selective GI-Bill and Kicker), up to $23,724
- Low-cost health and life insurance
- Extra monthly pay check for your monthly Drills beside your civilian Jobs
- Up to $20,000 Bonus for enlistment
- Earn a professional training certificate
- Enroll to the army civilian placement program (PaYS)
- Earn a extra pay check while you retired
- Receive a veteran benefit after complete 6 years Selected Reserve service
- Chance to travel (SPACE A)
In the Seattle Post, intelligencer reporter Deborah Bach wrote an article where Vietnam veteran Michael Dedrick stated that “teens are sometimes misled about the educational benefits offered by the military and about their ability to back out after enlisting.” As a counselor with the GI Rights Hotline, Dedrick said he regularly rece
ives “calls from students who say they were intimidated or even threatened after changing their minds” and believes it is a violation of military regulations.
With the ongoing war and the false promises made by the military many students are turning down military recruiters. The most affected branch of the military is the United States Army because it handles a larger portion of the war functions in Iraq. As a result there are less people volunteering for the military and those who do enlist are more likely to enroll in the United States Navy, United States Air Force, or other branches of the military. An analysis by the National Priorities Project showed a decrease in the number of people who enlisted with a high school diploma in the United States Army from almost 84% in 2005 to less than 71% last year reaching a 25-year low.
The U.S. Army has decreased the requirements needed for joining in order to meet quotas and the number of waivers to recruits who would not normally qualify has increased due to pressure to fill ranks. The Army shows it would rather place unqualified new recruits in uniform and ship them off to Iraq in order to fill their quota instead of trying to decrease the reasons why there are such few new recruits. All the while Larry Korb is quick t blame the “mothers and ministers” for turning people against the Army.
Not only are “mothers and ministers” discouraging enlistin
g into the military but also musicians, such as Ludacris who raps in a song called Slap, "And everybody in the hood is mad 'cause President Bush could give a damn. Troops gone and we still at war; nobody even really knows what for." A powerful influence in the hip hop community, musicians such as Ludacris have had a strong impact in the decisions of many young adults to not enlist in the military, especially in the young black community.
The military has noted a decrease in the number of new black recruits. Though in the past a quarter of the new recruits would usually be black, the number of new black recruits has decreased due to the war effects and influential factors opposing enlisting. What was once seen as a second option for the young black community has now become ignored due to the large amount of doubt and confusion surrounding the reasons for the war.
Sources:
Info:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/193750_eschool05.html
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/01/23/army_recruits_with_diplomas_hit_25_year_low/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10040667
Pics:
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44211000/jpg/_44211475_afghan_ap416.jpg
http://3stonesback.com/movienews/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/ludacris.jpg
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