Retire or Soldier on?: The essay question
November 15, 2010
Today, while working my way through this week's school assignments, I was instructed to select an argumentative essay topic from a provided list. Among the topics was a selection entitled "should the Military be allowed to recruit in High Schools?". As a recruiter, I was little perturbed that my university decided this topic was even debatable. Recruiting is a series of rejections and negative speculation by others, so I didn't let it bother me long. Instead, I began to ponder a thesis statement and started developing the paper.
I began to write about the "all volunteer force" that our Armed Services have boasted since mid 1973. At some point I stopped writing and just began thinking about that term - all volunteer force. All volunteer force must have been so named by someone, somewhere who never spent a few years or even a few days in USAREC. The term is misleading in that it implies a literal Army of good citizens wakes up every morning and stands in line at the local recruiting station in eager anticipation of the doors opening, so they can get a uniform and set about the business of defending our constitution.
Terminology better suited to describe our military is ALL RECRUITED FORCE. Believe me, there is a huge difference. No matter the branch of service in question, I assure you that no recruiter has ever been forced to sit a his/her desk and call out numbers...now serving number 43....for three years or so. There is, I'm afraid, a little more to it than that.
All this leads me back to the irritating question - "should the Military be allowed to recruit in high schools?". I wonder if my university would find less debate in a draft? Somehow I doubt it! It's not as though recruiters are going into schools with caveman clubs and dragging students to MEPS and holding up their right hand for the oath. Most recruiters spend their time in high schools fostering long-term relationships designed to provide students with facts and options to have at their disposal should they chose to select a military option after graduation. Those that join while they're still in high school do so because they, together their parents, see benefit in that option. Parents typically like the sense of purpose it instills, having a reason to graduate ON TIME. They like that someone is mentoring their child and providing a moral compass outside the home. Most students who enlist though, will do it a full two tears after graduation. They will do it after having had a go at college, the workforce, or some other plan. They will do it when they want to get married and need improved medical and monetary benefits. If passing on information to those who ask for it within the walls of the school is a negative thing, it should be considered the same way regardless of the employer or school who is providing that information.
Do educators at my university think so little of high school students that they presume to know what is best for each of them? I got news....the Military pays for plenty of college degrees! Most military students have a 3.6 or higher GPA compared to a community college that is lucky to even retain 20% of its first year students. Truth be told, most recruiters probably only enlist that small amount of high school students who literally BEG to join, as young people are a bit of challenge in that their minds change frequently. I wonder if the university that found it questionable that recruiters spend time in schools knows the Military only expects about 20% of its total enlistments to come from high school students at all?
I'm quite certain schools enjoy collecting federal dollars to squander, but do they support the brave souls who protect their right to collect that money? Perhaps that would be a better topic for an argumentative essay!
You can probably detect that it annoys me a little when someone - anyone - questions the value in what my Soldiers do every day. It irritates me, just a little, when the Soldier profession is called into question, especially by someone who undoubtedly never served in the Military.
When my head cleared, I decided this topic doesn't even really deserve a dignified answer at all. A question such as this could only come from the clouded judgement of a fool - a fool with the freedom to ask such a silly question in the first place.
Today I will stay because I love being among the few who dare face such ignorance in the performance of their day to day duties. I will stay another day and continue to lead them in their effort!
Until next time,
Terry
Mike Sz
Nov 15, 2010 10:27 PM