Each of the Army's recruiters faces a quota of two new recruits a month.
They spend several hours per day cold-calling high school students,
whose phone numbers are provided under the No Child Left Behind law.
They go to malls, high schools, colleges and wherever young people gather….
For the first time since 1998, the Army has lowered its standards,
accepting more recruits without high school diplomas. (1)
One of the most common promises recruiters use is money for college,
but only 16% of enlisted personnel who completed four years of military duty
ever received money for schooling. And recruiters don't tell you that
a military person has to make a $1,200 nonrefundable deposit within
the first year of his/her service to be eligible for education money. (2)
Only 12% of male veterans and 6% of female veterans said they were using
skills learned in the military in their civilian jobs. (3)
Sources:
- NY Times, 3/27/2005.
- Rand Corp. 2000 Study, SF Bay Guardian, 4/10/2005, pg. 13.
- Ohio State University Study, SF Bay Guardian, 4/10/2005, pg. 13.
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Recruiter: "I mean, where else can you get paid to jump out of airplanes, shoot cool guns,
blow stuff up and travel seeing all kinds of different countries?" (1)
"Marine Sgt. Rick Carloss, a recruiter, is as familiar to students as some teachers
at Downey High School. He does push-ups with students during P.E. classes and plays in
faculty basketball games. During lunch, he hands out
key chains, T-shirts, and posters that proclaim:
"'Think of me as your new guidance counselor.'" (2)
Sources:
- News Hour, Dec. 13, 2004.
- The Christian Science Monitor, April 19, 2005.
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