Dear Parents,

Not so long ago, joining the military was a way out and a way up for lots of young Americans. It helped them grow up, get a start in life, maybe learn a skill, defend their country, and be part of a noble cause.

If you have kids today, recruiters will be around to see them. Maybe we already have, telling that familiar story.

But today, less and less of it is true. I hate to say it, but that's the fact.

For one thing, where's the noble cause? Let's face it: the latest war was based on lies. Too many troops there don't even have the armor they need. The top US leaders are now trying to justify torture, and ignoring the Geneva convention. Terror fears are up, not down.

Meantime, the dangers keep increasing. The war's official death toll is bad enough, and it's shameful the way high officials try to hide all those caskets coming home.

But it's more than that: for every dead soldier, up to ten are badly wounded. And lots more suffer serious psychological damage: PTSD, Gulf War Syndrome and more. Deployments are longer and tougher. Stop-loss keeps thousands of troops in the military long past their release dates. Naturally, all this is very tough on families - domestic abuse is much higher.

And what about all those benefits? Enlistment bonuses are up, but overall benefits are down, especially for those who get wounded or suffer PTSD. Besides, military job training really doesn't help all that much in civilian life. And veterans benefits? They can't cut them fast enough.

The word about all this is spreading, so recruiting is getting harder. As it does -- I hate to say it, but more recruiters are telling more and more, well, lies. It makes me ashamed, but the reports keep piling up. It got so bad by May of 2005 that we had a total recruiter stand down to spend a whole day studying recruitment rules. Didn't make much difference, though.

As a parent, what can YOU do about this?

A lot, actually. If your child is in high school, tell the school NOT to send their information to recruiters. (A word to the wise, though: the military will still get the information. But the schools need to hear from you anyway.)

Then, if your child is underage, you can say NO to recruiters. And even afterward, talk to your kids: Get my special guide to the enlistment contract (the link is below), and show them all the pitfalls. Urge them to go to college, trade school, start a business. They can have peaceful adventures, or do volunteer work to learn how to serve their country and the world.

If they sign up for the Delayed Enlistment Program and then change their mind, you can show them how to get out - it's easy. And if they do enlist and then regret it, remember this number, for the GI Rights Hotline: 1.877-447-44871.877-447-4487 .

So there's a lot you can do. But still, I know, it's tough to be a parent in a time of war. Where will it all end? More wars? The draft? Who can say? It's not a pretty picture.

I know this is a lot to think about. I think about it every day.

But you know what I think is most important? That you take good care of your kids.

Because we sure won't.

Sincerely,
Sgt. Abe
the Honest Recruiter

Source: http://quakerhouse.org/documents/toparents.html (archived)

Here are some recommended links available to better inform you as a parent. This is a work in progress and NNOMY will be adding new documents as they are prepared and as policies change that effect enlistment. Check back periodically.

Resources:

The National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth 2013 Back-to-school Kit for Counter-recruitment and School Demilitarization Organizing is now available to assist you in understanding the work, your rights, and the challenges to return to the public schools to counter-recruit. Please visit this page and review the materials we have assembled for you and feel free to ask questions as well at Our Contact Page and we will do our best to answer you or your group in a timely manner.

Links:

• Truth In Recruiting
• GI Bill & Benefits
• Alternatives To The Military
• Military Recruiting Tools
• NCLB
• JROTC
• ASVAB
• DEP
• School/Legal Policies
• Downloads
• Demilitarization Groups

Downloads:

•  Information for Parents - In Spanish
•  Know Before You Go, 'Cause There's No Reset Button

Articles on the web:

• Growing Problem for Military Recruiters: Parents
• Parents caught off guard by military recruiting policy
• Military Recruitment v. Right of Privacy (VIDEO)

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Revised 03/26/2018

Enlistment in the Armed Forces is a very important decision. |español 

https://nnomy.org/ConsideringEnlisting/

Before enlisting, think carefully about what it means to be a soldier for eight years. Every member of the military, from the medic to the mechanic, is trained to fight and to kill, and the ongoing conflicts prove that fighting and killing can begin very suddenly. You may enlist to get job training or money for college, but eventually you may be faced with war. You owe it to yourself to think seriously about when you believe it is justified to kill another person.

Many of the details about enlistment are not well explained to people considering joining the military. Recruits may not understand the specifics of the enlistment agreement, the possibility of recruiter fraud, the limitations of college funding available through the military, and the problems faced by veterans when they leave the armed forces. It is important to learn all you can before you join. Remember that if you enlist, and decide you don’t like it, you cannot quit.

When You Visit the Recruitment Office:

• Take along a parent or friend as a witness.
• Read over the entire enlistment agreement very carefully.
• Get all promises in writing. Spoken promises do not have to be honored.
• Before you sign anything, take it home and discuss it with your parents, friends, and a trained counselor who understands   how recruiters operate. Your recruiter must give you a copy of the agreement if you request it.
• Get copies of everything you sign.

The Enlistment Agreement

The enlistment agreement is not a contract. It is a one-way agreement that is binding upon the recruit but not binding upon the military. The agreement states that the enlistee is “entitled to receive pay, allowance, and other benefits, as provided by law and regulation.” However, the enlistment agreement also states, “Laws and regulations that govern military personnel may change without notice to me. Such changes may affect my status, pay, allowances, benefits, and responsibilities as a member of the Armed Forces REGARDLESS of the provisions of this enlistment/reenlistment document.”

This language means that the military does not have to honor any promises made at the time of your enlistment. You, however, must give eight years of your life, obey all orders, and possibly kill or be killed. You may be subject to health hazards, discrimination, and emotional or physical abuse. Your superiors may decide to cut your pay or benefits without even telling you. Even the job placement that the recruiter promised you may be changed at a moment’s notice. If you refuse to obey orders, you may be disciplined, face a court martial, and perhaps receive a dishonorable discharge.

Recruiter Fraud

Any potential recruit should realize that his or her recruiter is not a teacher or a counselor but a salesperson. Recruiters are under great pressure to enlist a certain number of people each month; if they don’t, they may lose privileges, bonuses, and may be transferred from the recruiting command. Recruiter fraud has become a serious problem in the military. Four hundred recruiters were relieved in a three year period for misconduct. Sometimes recruiters try to convince enlistees to lie on the enlistment agreement – to provide false information so that you will be accepted into the service. They may also lie to you or to your family.

In the “Record of Military Processing,” for instance, you will be asked questions concerning your character and social adjustment. These questions concern previous drug use, involvement with communism, whether or not you are a conscientious objector to war, and whether you have previously been in trouble with the military. All of these categories are considered character defects by the military, and anyone who fits these categories is considered unfit for the military. When filling out the enlistment form, recruiters frequently suggest that you lie – particularly in this section. Do not lie. When fraudulent information is uncovered, often the recruit is the only one punished.

Recruiters almost always say that the military is exciting and adventurous – that you’ll learn a skill, earn money for college, and gain leadership and discipline. Your recruiter is selling something. Many of the promises are simply not true.

Job Training? College Benefits?

The recruiter will probably emphasize the high-tech, state-of-the-art, sophisticated equipment that you will get to work with. True, some soldiers are trained for the highly skilled jobs. Generally, however, those jobs go to the soldier who was already trained, educated, and technically skilled before joining the military. Many of the high-skill jobs will go to soldiers who already have at least two years of college. And often the high-tech work is done by civilian contractors who have the necessary training and skills.

In reality, few military assignments could be described as high-tech, although many of the jobs sound high-tech. For instance, one U.S. Army brochure includes assignments with titles such as, “combat engineering,” “general engineering,” “supply and service,” and “food service.” These assignments, and others offered by the military, would likely offer little more than low skill, manual labor. The armed forces simply do not have the time, the need, or the resources to train many recruits for highly skilled work.

Above all, the military exists for war. Most soldiers will be trained to fight and to kill, skills which aren’t marketable in the civilian world. It is, therefore, not likely that you will be able to transfer expertise gained in the military to a civilian career. A study from The Ohio State University showed that only 12 percent of the men and 6 percent of the women in a sample group made any use of their military skills in a civilian job. The Medical Corps specialist, for instance, may get credit only for “first aid” when he or she applies for nursing school.

Many people join the military for college money; the Army advertises providing up to $60,000 for college. Yet to receive that amount of money, you must accept a hard-to-fill military job category; you must complete your term of enlistment, and you must receive a good discharge. Even if you meet all these criteria, your commander may decide that you are still ineligible for some or all of the money. Soldiers who decide that they are unable to attend school loose all the money.

Between the rising costs of higher education and the multiple restrictions the army places on scholarship monies, many soldiers find that the money they do receive from the military is not enough to afford to go to college. Few soldiers find the educational opportunities the military claims to provide. Martin Smith, a veterans employment representative, figures that only 20 percent of the veterans he has worked with took extra classes in the service and that “those 20 percent seemed to be the smart kids anyway.”

RACISM IN THE MILITARY

The military has policies to overcome racism in its ranks. Despite its authoritarian structure it has not succeeded.

During the current wars, Arabs have been labeled “towel-heads” or “sand-niggers,” while there were reports of cross burnings and KKK gatherings on military grounds. During the Persian Gulf War, for example, half of the troops deployed were black while white soldiers were more likely to remain in the U.S. or be stationed elsewhere.

The few opportunities that exist in the military benefit primarily educated, white soldiers. While one-third of the enlistees are people of color, only 11 percent of the officers are. Non-white enlistees tend to get low skill, combat-related jobs. Disproportionate numbers of African-Americans and Latinos face courts martial and receive bad discharges. One out of three black GI’s will get a bad discharge.

WOMEN AND THE MILITARY

The unspoken message that the military continues to convey is that war is for men and women should stay away. Half of all women in the military are assigned to traditional roles such as cooking, nursing, and secretarial duties.

Rape and sexual harassment occur frequently in the armed forces. One report stated that 64 percent of women in the military have experienced sexual harassment. Often men use rank to try to get sexual favors. Women who refused to comply have been labeled lesbians.

And after you leave the armed forces ...

Soldiers are often discharged with no money to continue in the civilian world and no transferable job skills. Unemployment lines are filled with veterans who are poorly qualified and lack the useful skills for civilian employment. Many veterans remain jobless for long periods and are a large part of the homeless and prison populations. Even those who are gainfully employed will remain behind their civilian counterparts in income and advancement for the rest of their careers. Once you have been in the military, you can’t catch up with the rest of the world.

The military stays with you in other ways as well. Much of the appeal is the idea of proving yourself, developing discipline, being “all you can be.” Perhaps you want to carry “army pride” with you all your life. Remember, however, that this is only part of the picture. No one can participate in violence and remain either unscarred or indifferent. You will always be part of the destruction you supported. And if the United States does fight a war, you may never be able to forget the people you killed. For some people the weight of these memories is too heavy to bear. The suicide rate among Vietnam veterans is many times the national average.

Enlisting in the military is a serious commitment. Before you join, know what is in the fine print. Learn all the details and choose what’s best for you. Think about it.

Source: https://centeronconscience.org/advice-to-those-considering-military-enlistment/

Sources: Bixby, Lyn, “Many Recruiters Use Fraud to Sell the Service,” The Hartford Courant, December 17, 1989./ Brown, Darryl, “Job Training In the U.S. Military,” Youth Policy, Youth Policy Institute, Inc., August 1986./ Joseph, Toni, “Rude Awakening, Many Veterans Find Military Jobs No Road to Success,” The Wall Street Journal, October 9, 1985./ Laurence, Janice H., Peter F. Ramsberger and Monica A. Gribben, “Effects of Military on Low Aptitude Men,” Human Resources Research Organization (Sponsor: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense), December 1989./ Wilson, George C., “Marines Discover Fraud in Pittsburgh Recruiting,” Washington Post, March 8, 1989./ “Anything to Enlist Recruits.” Albany Times Union, June 30, 1993.

Resources

• Truth in Recruiting
• Alternatives to the Military
• Militarism/War (ethics etc)
• JROTC
• ASVAB
• DEP
• Info for Parents
• Find a Group to help you

 #GoArmy | #GoMarines | #GoNavy | #BeforeYouEnlist | #ConsideringEnlisting | #NNOMYpeace

###

Revised 4/30/2021

Current Content:

• Immigrants
• Citizenship
• DREAM Act
• Illegal Immigrants: Uncle Sam Wants You

This page is under development. Watch for future content that addresses recruiting of:

• African Americans
• Latin@s/Hispanics
• Asians/Pacific Islanders
• South Asians
• Native Americans
• Women
• LGBTQ
• Low Income communities

https://nnomy.org/militarizedschools

Prior to the outbreak of World War I, military recruitment in the US was conducted primarily by individual states.^[2] Upon entering the war, however, the federal government took on an increased role.

The increased emphasis on a national effort was reflected in World War I recruitment methods. Peter A. Padilla and Mary Riege Laner define six basic appeals to these recruitment campaigns: patriotism, job/career/education, adventure/challenge, social status, travel, and miscellaneous. Between 1915 and 1918, 42% of all army recruitment posters were themed primarily by patriotism.^[2] And though other themes - such as adventure and greater social status - would play an increased role during World War II recruitment, appeals to serve one’s country remained the dominant selling point.

Recruitment without conscription

After World War II, military recruitment shifted significantly. With no war calling men and women to duty, the United States refocused its recruitment efforts to present the military as a career option, and as a means of achieving a higher education. A majority - 55% - of all recruitment posters would serve this end. And though peacetime would not last, factors such as the move to an all-volunteer military would ultimately keep career-oriented recruitment efforts in place.^[3] The Defense Department turned to television syndication as a recruiting aid from 1957-1960 with a filmed show, Country Style, USA.

On February 20, 1970, the President’s Commission on an All-Volunteer Armed Force unanimously agreed that the United States would be best served by an all-volunteer military. In supporting this recommendation, the committee noted that recruitment efforts would have to be intensified, as new enlistees would need to be convinced rather than conscripted. Much like the post-World War II era, these new campaigns put a stronger emphasis on job opportunity. As such, the committee recommended “improved basic compensation and conditions of service, proficiency pay, and accelerated promotions for the highly skilled to make military career opportunities more attractive.” These new directives were to be combined with “an intensive recruiting effort.” ^[4] Finalized in mid-1973, the recruitment of a “professional” military was met with success. In 1975 and 1976, military enlistments exceeded expectations, with over 365,000 men and women entering the military. Though this may, in part, have been the result of a lack of civilian jobs during the recession, it nevertheless stands to underline the ways in which recruiting efforts responded to the circumstances of the time.^[5]

Indeed, recommendations made by the President's Commission continue to work in present-day recruitment efforts. Understanding the need for greater individual incentive, the US military has re-packaged the benefits of the GI Bill. Though originally intended as compensation for service, the bill is now seen as a recruiting tool. Today, the GI Bill is "no longer a reward for service rendered, but an inducement to serve and has become a significant part of recruiter's pitches.” ^[6] Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_recruitment

Militarization and Corporatization of Schools

Public schools in the United States have increasingly come to resemble the military and prison systems with their hiring of military generals as school administrators and heavy investment in security apparatus—metal detectors, high-tech dog tag IDs, chainlink fences, and real-time Internet-based or hidden mobile surveillance cameras—plus, their school uniforms, security consultants, surprise searches, and the presence of police on campuses.1 But it would be a mistake to understand the preoccupation with security as merely a mass media-driven hysteria in the wake of Virginia Tech and other high-profile shootings, and myopic to ignore the history of public school militarization prior to September 11.

Militarized education in the United States needs to be understood in relation to the enforcement of global corporate imperatives as they expand markets through the real and symbolic violence of war. Militarism and the promotion of violence as virtue pervade foreign and domestic policy, popular culture, educational discourse, and language. A high level of comfort with rising militarism in all areas of life, particularly schooling, set the stage for the radically militarized reactions to September 11—including the institutionalization of permanent war, the suspension of civil liberties, and an active hostility from the state and mass media towards any attempt to address the underlying causes for the unprecedented attack on the United States.

I believe that militarized schooling in America encompasses two broad trends—“military education” and what may be called “education as enforcement.” - Kenneth J. Saltman

Source: http://reimaginerpe.org/node/1177

Military Programs and recruitment methods in the Schools

Below are a set of links that will take you to pages on the NNOMY website that describe the various programs and recruiting methods of the Department of Defense, some that have been in existence for some time and others recently  formed. Many of these strategies for military recruitment, old and new, have been expanded in recent years and now a new trend of public military academies has emerged to target poorer youth in communities classified as "at risk" for crime and imprisonment. All the following programs and methods are generally funded under the Department of Defense's recruitment budget even though the DoD claims that these programs, like ASVAB testing and JROTC, are not for recruitment purposes.

These programs and methods are as follows:
(Programs and methods BOLDED are of particular concern)

• 4-H Military Partnership
• Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)
• Civil Air Patrol (CAP)
• Delayed Entry Program/DEP/FSP
• DoD 1033 Program - Arming Schools with military weapons
• DoD Starbase
• Facts About Recruitment
• Joint Advertising Market Research & Studies (JAMRS)
• Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC)
• Middle School Cadets (NDCC) (Coming Soon)
• Mission Readiness
• No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
• National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program
• Opt Out/Student lists
• Police Explorers and ICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• Project PASS
• Recruiting in Specific Communities
• Recruiter Access
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Program (STEM)
• Sea Cadets and DEA | Drug Enforcement Administration
• Space Force Cadets commissioned in to the U.S. Space Force
• Troops to Teachers
• Young Marines

Additional resources related to the militarization of schools and youth:

• Recruiter methods manuals/regulations
• Educators’ tour (New but needs revision)
• Career fairs (archived)
• Military Media & PR
  
  • Advertising (archived)
  • Video games
  • Army Experience Center
  • Recruiting vans
  • Film & TV: Militainment (archived)
  • Public Events / Sports
• Recruiter abuses

Other Pages:

1. Recruiting Immigrants

Peaceful Interventions:

1. No More Soldiers, No More Wars: New Resources for Countering Military Recruitment (archived)
2. Military Recruiters Evicted From UCSC Job Fair, Again! - Indymedia

Additional Articles:

1. In ‘Act of Valor,’ a Secret Military World, Approved for Public Viewing
2. RECRUITING CHILDREN INTO THE US MILITARY: The Pentagon's Child Recruiting Strategy (archived)

Documents:

1. Jason Bortz, Natalie Granger, Competing Messages: Mass Media Effects on Recruiting,  University of Oklahoma
2. "Just Say No”: Organizing Against Militarism in Public Schools - Fellowship of Reconcilliation (Archived)
   
3. Veterans and Military Families in the Anti–Iraq War Movement - Lisa Leitz, 2014

Definitions:

1. "corporatization" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatization

 Please consider becoming a supporter of The National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth
And our work to demilitarize our schools and youth.
Donate Here

###

Revised / 11/04/2023 - GDG

The military has maximized its presence and influence in the educational system by seeking the widest possible access to classrooms, school career centers, counseling offices, student records, student newspapers and even elementary school playgrounds.

In the effort to counter militarism in schools, a number of approaches have been developed: Some are organized bv students themselves, some by non-students, and some by students and non-student allies working together. Strategies have ranged from educating individual students about the realities of military enlistment and their other options, to working for policy changes that will reduce the military’s presence in schools and increase student exposure to non-military options.

This section is a portal to topics and information relating to these different strategies and approaches.

Here are some recommended links available to better inform you as a student. This is a work in progress and NNOMY will be adding new documents as they are prepared and as policies change that effect enlistment. Check back periodically.

Links:

• School Policies
• Truth In Recruiting
  
• NCLB
• Opt Out/Student Directory Info
• Equal Access
• GI Bill & Benefits (In development)
• ASVAB
• JROTC
• Educators’ Tour
• Career Fairs (In development)
• For Students
• For Teachers/Guidance Counselors
• Know Your Rights
• Model Programs (I.e. Adopt A School)
• Recruiting on College Campuses (In development)
• Recruiter Abuses (In development)
• How to report recruiter abuse (In development)
• Materials & Links
• Find A Group
• Ask the Experts (In development)

Organizations you should know:

• Project Great Futures
• Sustainable Options for Youth
• NJ Youth United Against War and Imperialism
• Students Concerned About Militarism
• Ya-Ya Network

Documents:

• default DMZ: A Guide to Taking Your School Back from the Military
• pdf Activist Tool Kit
• pdf Using Equal Access to Counter Militarism in High Schools
• pdf How to Handle Difficult Questions

Articles on the web:

• Students campaign to restrict military recruiting at high schools
• Chicago-area high school students face expulsion for antiwar sit-in
• The Battle of Berkeley:This War Must Stop
• High school students win right to counter-recruitment table
• Tactics & Targets: Boeing and University of California

Revised: 10-11-19