The military pursuing kids..... your thoughts?

When I was in high school, recruiters didn't do that. But, I'm sure that, as the Viet Nam mess continued they started. I know that when my stepsons were in high school the recruiters did call them and one even stopped by the house (invited). They do their best to sweet talk our kids, that's for sure. When these guys get out of the service they'll have no trouble landing a high pressure sales job

your army must really be 'desperate' to add more military personnel.. we dont have that kind of problem in our country just yet.. but i guess if we were put in an 'emergency' situation - we'll be facing a shortage of military personnel as well.. kids are just not interested in the army any more, i think the ones who 'readily' volunteers to join the army, are the ones who are jobless, and are in 'need of job'.. still.. although they sound a bit 'persistent' in calling on your son.. i think your army wont really 'force' him into it.. not like those days during the war.. anyway good luck.. i hope they'll give up and leave your son alone soon...

I think it's kind of wrong unless the kid has personally requested that their information be shared. My peace activist friends refer to the policy of schools giving out students information to military recruiters (unless their parents or themselves specifically request otherwise) as the leave no child along policy. I had hoped Obama would end this policy but not as of yet.

I have never known this to happen in my country, the forces appear from time to time when there is a event day somewhere and there are recruitment offices around and about but they do not bother people about it. My eldest has just recently joined the RAF, he is currently in basic training, it was totally his decision to join and he had no pressure whatsoever from anywhere. I would not like the idea of anyone pressuring my children to join something if they were not interested.

Both my daughter and my step-granddaughter graduated this spring and they are both still receiving mail from military recruiters. The latest one, which just came today, is from the Air Force. They want her to be part of something big and there's "over 140 different career fields to choose from, the sky's the limit." There's no way my daughter is joining the military so this will go into the trash just like all the rest. My son, who's 31, has already talked about joining the Army Reserves because of financial problems and that's hard enough to deal with right now.

My life in the military has been a very hard one. Three tours in combat doesn't make you a lovable person nor will todays army, truly take care of you. unless you have given the ultimate price that really no ones whats to give. I had 6 true friends that will never see another christmas or there loved ones. More than a dozen Solders that wish they never got hurt in Iraq and wish to this sec. I was there to prevent what happened to them, they are our fallen hero's but there wife's and kids to this day wish different. I have seen more soldiers placed into the ground and with each flag I presented to there love one. It seem to take a small part of me. I truly encourage you to help your son find a goal to reach and something he will be willing to focus on that everyone needs. Find a job or career that he will always make money. Support for mom and dad is priceless.........

Well, I have never experienced that - I'm not sure if it works the same way in here or not - but I assume that , of course, things would be presented to kids in such a way that it would sound much more positive than what in reality is. I also have noticed - from what I have heard from friends - that they do target mostly - but not only - kids that have less possibilities to continue their studies at a higher level and lure them with the opportunity to take courses and learn things that will help them later for a career. That strategy is not new, of course. My real experience - the one from back home - was different because military service was mandatory for all males at 21. 2 years of it, more if the country needed ( which they did since they were going on a loosing battle in the colonies). Since it was mandatory, there was no need to sugar the pill, or to go on a recruiting campaign. All boys knew that they would have to do it. Period. Regardless of me agreeing with it, or not. This method was also quite unfair, because families that were well off and could send their kids to university - the same happened in there I think - could ward off military service, either temporarily or even permanently. This until so many soldiers were dying that they needed to go deeper and get the rich kids going as well... and then we had a revolution, of course, because all those rich kids were starting to die in there too. My opinion on this is really mixed. I understand that there is a need for people to defend each country and if governments just wait for the ones that actually want to go,without any luring, they might never get anywhere. But at the same time, it doesn't really seem like a fair process and in fact it becomes a matter of just a good pitch to the right kids. Targeting kids in middle or high school might be a good idea for their purposes, but I really don't agree with it. At that age kids are not really aware of what military service is or are even able to understand what it can mean.

well being a soldier is a job after all. ofcourse the government will pursue its people with this job. But a minute to minute call is absurd! is that government really desperate on recruiting people?