Military in the Schools...

This morning I ran across an article via michelle malkin.

This struck me due to my having been an Army Reserve recruiter for four years. My work area was inside the Army Recruiting office. My first assignment was in a Recruiting Station that had four Army recruiters and two reserve recruiters, and one Station Commander.

The way it worked in those days was that you were assigned a mission. You signed for your quarterly mission, and it was an official mission meaning if you failed to achieve your mission that was assigned to you there were repercussions. If you achieved your mission you would get a little star to attach to your recruiting badge. There were rumors we got additional money for each recruit but that was untrue.

Some Schools were very welcoming toward us, while others were very anti Military. The friendly ones would get special services from us, and the ones who weren’t did not. Special Services might mean the Army band performing and things like that. One School only allowed for a "Service Day" whereby all four Service were allowed a classroom and could only give a five-minute spiel about jobs we offered then a Q and A session.

One School the Principle was an office in the Army Reserves so we had an open door policy there, we could come and go as we pleased as long as we checked in, he allowed us to use the guidance office to meet potential recruits. I also was a special teacher for the Careers class at that School. meaning I would come in about once a quarter and be a guest teacher talking about how to fill out resumes and so on. I was not allowed to recruit, but was allowed to wear my uniform and answer any questions asked me directly.

There were varied responses from parents, most were for the Military, but some were not. Some were upset knowing we were talking to their child, but most, were interested in knowing the options that the Military offered. At the time there weren’t any conflicts the US was involved in, and this did make a difference in how we were perceived.

The line "Some opponents of American military recruitment are political naifs who retain the delusion that freedom can be effectively defended with a program of hugs, kisses, and multicultural programming." is great in demonstrating how this country was not founded on pacifism and how it remains so today.

One of the lines I used to give people objecting to my uniform was to tell them "It is because I wear this uniform that you can stand there and insult me, this is why I wear it for you to have that freedom" Most had no idea how to respond to this. Many would resort to irrational arguments at that point.

Yes, we did give away freebies, and yes some were pencils, some were frisbees, badges, patches and many more hand outs. However, rarely was there a Recruiter who was recruiting through unethical means.

We took ethics classes’ monthly usually on a Saturday. If you were suspected of an ethics violation there was an immediate investigation. You were read your rights and arrested on the spot. Once the investigation was over and you were exonerated, you could then go back to recruiting. I wont paint a fantasy picture here, there were recruiters from time to time who were caught at improprieties and action taken.

The overall attitude was one of the highest standards. You sold the Army for what it was; you did not lie about it. You told the prospect to expect hard work, to be in harms way, and uphold the Constitution through bearing Arms and killing if you were ordered to do so. These points were made clear from the very beginning of the recruitment process.

And the quality of the recruit was high as well. These kids are not the dredges of society, as some would have you believe. Most of the recruits are kids with high standards, kids with great academic records. They understand what it means to be in a free country and are willing to do their part in keeping it that way.

Recruiting for me was a mixed bag. I enjoyed the daily activity of recruiting and seeing these young men and woman become better citizens and honorable people. There was a negative side that I was not comfortable with, that negative side being two fold. One the mission standard. If you did not meet your mission you were reprimanded sometimes severely with pay reduction and punishment. The leadership in recruiting was through negative leadership not positive. The other item was sometimes running into hostile people.

On one occasion while on a State University campus, a female student attacked the Army Recruiter who was standing beside me at a recruiting table in the Campus Center. It was an ugly encounter She was violently angry that we were allowed to be there along with all the other Employers that day at an Employment fair. We were banned from Campus for one year. That did not go over well with HQ.

The debate over allowing recruiters on School campuses rages on. The law says to the effect that as long as the School receives federal money recruiters have as much right as any other potential employer to meet with students on campus. Be that campus High School or Collage.

Overall my experience was a positive one and looking back my only regret is that I did not do it longer. I allowed the negative side to consume me and left recruiting to move on to other Military adventures. Maybe talk about some of those another time. One though was very positive and that was building Schools in Honduras. yes, the US Army builds Schools. Ever see that in the press!

Meeting all the kids I met and all the parents of those kids, never once was I shamed to be wearing that uniform. I was proud of what it stood for and was proud to tell others about what it means to wear it.

It goes the same for my Christian faith. I am proud to wear it out there for all to see, and proud for it to be seen and never shamed. I met many Christians while wearing the uniform, and have several whom I still correspond with. Two of them are Military Pastors, and are proud of both uniforms they wear.

For those who feel it shameful to wear a Military uniform, or be a Christian or even to be an American, then I say you aren’t looking in the right places. Stand up and be counted for who you are, and be proud of what you are doing. It may not always feel like you are doing the right thing, but you are. Some will try to tear you down and make you feel less than God intended you to feel, but remember the good works you are doing. Look around and see the fruit that is growing and be proud. There are great things happening out there.