by Ms. K

Created on: May 20, 2008   Last Updated: May 21, 2008

An English teacher allowed students to place an anti-war poster beside the military recruitment poster. She believed she was teaching them something about free speech and the right to protest. Apparently, she was wrong, because according to the recruiter visiting the school that day, she is unpatriotic. He told her so in front of her class.

My son brought home literature that day. He was enthusiastic about all the money he would make and all he had to do was sign up for a few years! He would be a world traveler!

"They even offer a place to live while you are serving! Isn't that great, Mom?"

He saw pictures of ships and jets, the indoor pool at a particular military base, a pretty girl behind a reception desk, and young uniformed men joking around and laughing under an oak tree.

"What did they tell you about war time?" I wanted to know.

"I would get hazard pay. That's a lot more money."

"Did they tell you that you would have to fight whoever they told you to fight? That you won't have the choice - that even if you disagree, you will have to go? Did they tell you that you would see friends get hurt? That you would probably see some of them die? Did they tell you that if you get scared and run, you will be put in prison? Did they tell you that right now, military spouses are seeking financial help from the states because they cant afford to pay their bills? Did they tell you about the military families forced to go to food banks? Really Bud, did they tell you that we haven't fought a justifiable war since World War 2?"

Apparently not. They forgot to tell my 14 year old those "unimportant" details. They did remember to tell him he couldn't join yet. You have to be a couple years older to be sacrificed in the name of crude oil. They even offered to talk to him again when he was 16 or 17 - so he'd be ready to join when he graduates. I guess when a kid is 18; they are mature enough to know what they are doing. They are mature enough to sign on the dotted line and die to protect rich people's right to be rich. Never mind that at 18, they can't legally drink alcohol, sign a lease without a co-signer, or win the lottery. Oh, but they can carry guns, drive trucks into dangerous territories, be forced to commit atrocities in the name of "freedom", watch their friends lose limbs and die, or even die themselves. They can become one of the majorities of war veterans suffering from PTSD.

Tell me: Who really knows what they are doing when they are 18 years old? The military likes to catch them before they are even 18 because at the time, they are impressionable and inexperienced. It is the best time to sway teens toward an "exciting" career.

Don't get me wrong. I believe soldiers are heroes. I believe they join the military with every intention of saving lives and defending their country. It gives them a sense of purpose. It instills discipline. It even makes sense that they have to follow orders without question. It is our leaders' responsibility to make sure those orders are entirely justified. The problem is that our government doesn't take THEIR responsibility serious enough to warrant that kind of loyalty.

By allowing military recruiting in our schools, we are allowing irresponsible authorities to influence our teenagers. As parents, it is our right to say "no". We should be using that right to tell them that we will not allow recruiters to talk to our children at school. We wouldn't want an irresponsible relative influencing our children's behavior. Why should we excuse the irresponsible Uncle Sam?

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