Because Tuition Isn’t Worth Dying For
Because Tuition Isn’t Worth Dying For
How is it that in a country where “support our troops” ribbons and bumper stickers abound, the military is suffering from serious recruitment woes? Why has the Pentagon had to resort to questionable (at best) recruiting tactics, like creating a database of students’ personal information, possibly in violation of the Privacy Act?
A new Campus Progress article by Daniel Savickas offers a compelling answer. Savickas, who tagged along with several Army recruiters while they worked, found the “general consensus of the recruiters was that most people joining the Army today are either doing it to help pay off college debt, or to pay their way through college.” Savickas writes of recruiters who have to “sell” military service in cold calls, and quotes one saying, “A lot of the time you’ll ask for someone and they’ll tell you they’re there until they find out who you are, then they tell you the person left.” Savickas’ own conclusion gets to the heart of military recruitment problems: “I know a lot of people joining the army are trying to earn money for college or pay off college loans. I know that an education can provide a better life. But I just don’t know if it’s worth dying for.”
It doesn’t have to be this way. Answering the call to military service should mean loving our country’s principles so much that one is willing to sacrifice one’s life to protect them. If our government would stop deceiving us about matters of war, if it would adopt a foreign policy that embraces this nation’s historic values, we would have Americans enlisting because they wanted to, not because they had to.
– Michael Thompson, Campus Progress
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It’s harder to recruit in wartime than in peacetime. What’s the mystery? *L*
July 8th, 2005 at 5:31 pmThe LAW, it IS harder to recruit in wartime than in peacetime. However, for the most part, Americans aren’t confused that a “war” is still hot in Iraq. The administration is attempting to stymie the public by being rosy. We see death and destruction on the networks, but the government tells us we are doing just dandy. What the country needs now is not mixed signals, but one truthful consensus assessment about Iraq.
It’s not just the college-bound people the army is having a hard time recruiting; it’s also the soldiers already in Iraq, who the recruiting officers try to get to prolong their enlistments. Most of the time these soldiers also say no. Of course, one can argue that it’s because the soldiers are afraid of their own mortality. They’ve already served and have seen the devastating toll of the daily “war” on terror.
We should be thinking of more ways to bring our soldiers back home.
July 8th, 2005 at 5:45 pmIt wasn’t very hard to recruit during WWII.
July 8th, 2005 at 5:57 pmThe United States draft was halted only after 1973. In other words, it means the military back wasn’t the “all-volunteer” kind like that of today’s society.
July 8th, 2005 at 6:09 pmIt’s harder to recruit in wartime than in peacetime. What’s the mystery? *L*
This is complete bullshit. After 9/11, even wealthy people like Pat Tillman and stock brokers were lining up to do their duty as Americans and fight in Afghanistan. Not Afghaniraqistan. What’s changed, I wonder?
July 8th, 2005 at 6:25 pmAlthough I share the originator’s general sentiment (i.e., money for college isn’t worth dying for), let’s look at reality. Ever since we abandoned the draft in 1973, the armed services have been forced to compete with private sector and other public sector employers for recruits. To do this, they have to address the same concerns Intel and Alcoa and San Diego County have to address.
Those concerns (in no particular order and among other) are: money for rent or a mortgage payment, health care, money for food, and money for school. As a result, the trend in military recruiting ads since the late 1970s has been away from appeals to patriotism and toward appeals to other things (particularly job training and college money).
If you don’t want kids to enlist to pay off existing college loans (something only the Army offers) or to pay for college during or after service, please present an alternative.
I don’t blame the DoD services for flogging the various tangible incentives available to those who join up or the kids who join up because they find those incentives attractive. I blame the American public for not seeing the long-term benefits of universal public service (not only in the military) for the current specter of recruiters holding a golden purse in front of college students who are in hock up to their eyeballs. And I blame the college administrators who believe they have to offer new student unions with jacuzzis and latte bars (and have to raise tuitions to pay for them) to attract students.
Mandatory public service would eliminate the need to offer student loan pay-offs and tuition assistance as enticements to enlist. And lower tuition costs would further lessen the need to seek legal (though possibly dangerous) ways to obtain funds to pay off outrageous student loan debts.
July 8th, 2005 at 6:45 pmAndrew Webb,
The military would prefer to have an all volunteer force. It is far preferable and works just fine as long as we beat up on tiny, weak countries, like Grenada, and avoid the quagmires by using diplomacy and judicious use of the U.N. Afghanistan was no problem, but the idiots in power crossed a bridge they didn’t have to, and it was a bridge they fell off of, far away from home.
July 8th, 2005 at 6:51 pmThe guy who has been telling everybody that the cost has been worth it is still standing.
He ain’t dumb, he successfully avoided his duty during the Vietnam War, so he’s a sly dog, for sure.
He’s staying away from the fight. Somebody else can do that.
The insurgents were afraid the US was going to withdraw forces in Iraq, so they engineered another terrorist attack. This time, it was in jolly old England.
Got to keep Americans in Iraq, you can shoot them there and not face the law and jail.
Hard to slaughter American soldiers when they’re not where you want them to be.
The insurgents are pleased as punch. It’s open season on Americans in Iraq.
July 8th, 2005 at 7:17 pmAndrew Webb is doing advance work for the coming draft. Nice work, Andrew.
July 8th, 2005 at 7:24 pmMISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Downing Street Minutes and drive to impeach Bush & co are now safely buried and forgotten.
Weak minds are so easily distracted.
:(
July 9th, 2005 at 5:23 amWhat makes you think the Downing Street Memos are buried and forgotten? What makes you think that Bush could be impeached right now if he shot Ted Kennedy to death, in full view of everyone on the floor of the Senate tomorrow?
They aren’t buried and forgotten, and I doubt even Bush could get away with Shooting another Kennedy, but with this Congress, anything is possible. Be patient.
July 9th, 2005 at 6:30 amI agree with Andrew (sic). Let’s bring back conscription, that will be a few more nails in the republican coffin heading into the 2006 and 2008 elections.
I think the point was made that people will rally behind important democracy issues and fight to the death. People are also smart enough not to want to get involved in some political/economic ideological fabrications that are set for corporate or personal gains rather than the defense of our freedom.
July 9th, 2005 at 9:58 amMichael Thompson
In your article you state -
“If our government would stop deceiving us about matters of war, if it would adopt a foreign policy that embraces this nation’s historic values, we would have Americans enlisting because they wanted to, not because they had to.”
If you look at the nation’s historic values by examining the nation’s historic activities – you would come to the conclusion that our historic values were to build empire, just as we are doing now.
What the nation says and what it does are two different things. THe government and the oligarchic web of families and corporations that support it disseminates the myth that historically we were freedom spreading, democracy spreading.
But in actualty, we were spreading war and conquest in the pursuit of wealth. Which is exactly what the govt is doing in Iraq.
Yes, the government should tell the truth, but if it did I doubt anyone would willingly join the military for love of that ugly truth.
July 10th, 2005 at 2:01 pmLook at the reaction of most people after 9/11, they wanted to know what to do, to help, to fight our enemies. Our government, especially our Administration, has turned a blind eye to the fact that most people love the country and want to help protect it. We need to recultivate Americanism! :)
July 10th, 2005 at 5:41 pmWhat exactly is “Americanism”?
July 10th, 2005 at 10:37 pmIf people believed in this oil war they would sign up.
The fact that nobody will sign up is proof that Bushie has lost all control.
I laugh at the Army commercials as does everybody I know.
votetoimpeach.org
July 11th, 2005 at 10:50 amIf Americanism is allegiance to the United States and its customs and institutions, amongst other similar definitions, I am for it. This country offers what most others do not. To those who fight for that, and some of you are probably reading this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
But for now, the ONLY thing that can redeem Mr.Bush is to bring Osama in. That is all. He is only choosing not to “think about” or go after this criminal. This diversionary Administration is doing a good job, if diversion is what they want. But negating our country’s “customs and institutions” is an insult. We only have this Administration to thank for trying to erode what America is about—truth, justice, and peace. Not condescension and elitism.
July 11th, 2005 at 11:40 pm