RECRUITMENT BASICS
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Introduction to recruitment
Reality of the military
State of JROTC and Cadet Corps in CPS
What is Counter Recruitment
What are the issues
Background of the Opt-Out form
What is ASVAB
What you can do
WHO ARE RECRUITERS?
• Some armed forces personnel volunteer for a recruiting
position job and some are chosen to become recruiters
• Many don’t want to be recruiters but must to further their
career in the military
• Most are not out to purposely spread mis-information,
they themselves have been indoctrinated and may need
to be informed of the issues surrounding what they do
• Their performance is measured by how many new
recruits they get signed up, not how nice or honest they
are
• As individuals they are not the enemy, but they should not
be welcomed into schools by students, parents or
administrators
WHY ARE RECRUITERS IN THE
SCHOOLS?
• The U.S. Army Recruiter Duty Description states :
Contacts representatives of schools, public officials,
personnel managers, parents of prospective applicants,
religious and civil leaders, and others to present the Army as
an employment and career opportunity. Presents formal and
informal talks on advantages of the Army at civic and
service organizations and student bodies.
• Schools provide easy, almost unrestricted access to
students in their hallways, cafeterias and classrooms
• This allows recruitment to begin four years before
students will be eligible to join the military
• Recruiters, until recently, have faced little or no
opposition to their presence in the schools
A FEW WAYS RECRUITERS GAIN
ACCESS TO YOUTH
• SCHOOLS: aside from hallways, cafeterias and classrooms at schools:
job fairs, sporting events, school festivals, Cadet Corps in middle
schools, JROTC in high schools, ROTC in colleges
• MEDIA: school newspapers, tv commercials, movie previews,
magazines, billboard advertisements, video games created for the
military & downloaded for free from the internet (also collects personal
information when registering for download)
• CITY SPONSORED EVENTS: Taste of Chicago, Blues Fest, Air &
Water Show, Armed Forces Day (Navy Pier), Warped Concert Tour,
Puerto Rican Festival and other select neighborhood festivals
• MARKETING DATABASE: aside from ASVAB info and school
databases required from the No Child Left Behind Act, the Pentagon
has recently contracted with a private marketing firm to create a
database of ALL high school age students (16-18) & all college students
across the country.
The new database will contain personal information including birth
dates, Social Security numbers, e-mail addresses, grade-point
averages, ethnicity and what subjects the students are studying.
THE RECRUITING MACHINE
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MARKETING THE MILITARY
According to an April 2005 article in the Chicago Tribune:
“The military is exhausting every imaginable idea, effort and
inducement to keep manpower up and attract qualified troops.
Recruiters are hitting NASCAR events, rock concerts, rodeos and
rib festivals, using custom-painted Humvees and other gimmicks
to attract the masses like old-fashioned traveling salesmen.”
The military's recruiting advertising budget doubled from $300 million to
nearly $600 million between 1998 and 2003
The overall recruiting budget in 2004 approached 4 billion dollars.
A 1.1 million dollar tractor-trailer with an Apache helicopter simulator
travels to schools all across America looking for recruits for the Army.
Similar trailers contain Humvee simulators
The Army video game (America’s Army) itself cost 12 million dollars to
develop and is available for free
These deceptive marketing techniques reduce the military, war, death &
destruction to a mere game
WHY YOUTH ENLIST IN THE MILITARY
• Money for college
• Get away from hostile environments
• Lack of jobs
• Promise of travel
• To heroically serve the country
• Family tradition
• Discipline and physical challenges
• Enlistment bonus up $20,000
REALITY OF THE MILITARY
Every enlistment contract contains the following
language:
Laws and regulations that govern
military personnel may change without
notice... REGARDLESS of the provisions
of this enlistment document.
This means the military can change an enlistment
contract at any time even if a contract contains
written promises.
The only benefit of getting recruiter’s promises in
writing is that there may be a possibility of
discharge if the military breaks the enlistment
contract. This however is never a certainty.
REALITY OF THE MILITARY
The military is rarely best alternative to
living in a hostile environment
• Drugs, gangs, racism, gender discrimination, bigotry,
alcoholism, rape, spousal and child abuse all exist in
the military much like it does in the real world or worse
depending on the military branch and duty station
• The military a dangerous occupation; the likeliness of
death or disability due to training or combat related
accidents is a valid concern
• If an injury is not diagnosed while in the military, the
government is not responsible for treating it once the
soldier leaves the military
• Once out of the military, a veteran could have a myriad
of issues to deal with including:
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Delayed Sicknesses such as depleted uranium sickness (DU)
Homelessness: one out of every three homeless males has been in the military
“Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and Networking Group for Veterans, 11 th Annual Progress Report”, May 3, 2005
STATE OF THE
JUNIOR RESERVE OFFICERS’
TRAINING CORP
(JROTC)
IN
CHICAGO
Message from the director of Chicago
JROTC programs
We are very proud of our
program in Chicago Public
Schools. We have the largest
JROTC program in the country
in number of cadets and total
programs. Also, we are unique
in offering a myriad of
educational opportunities to our
students: military academy high
schools; military academies
within a school; high school
JROTC programs; and Middle
School Cadet Corps programs.
Rick W. Mills
Defence Secretary Gen.
William Cohen, described
JROTC as:
“one of the best recruiting
services that we could have.”
Is Junior ROTC building
character -- or lining up
soldiers?
The military’s success in
Chicago has led it to dub the
city “the national leader” for
integrating JROTC into an
urban education system.
Chicago has 107 Public
High Schools
ALL PUBLIC
HIGH
SCHOOLS IN
CHICAGO
In Chicago there are:
34 Army JROTC Schools
5 Navy JROTC Schools
2 Marine JROTC Schools
1 Air Force JROTC School
42 Schools with JROTC Programs
3 are full-time military academy
high schools
JROTC
PROGRAMS
IN CHICAGO
HIGH
SCHOOLS
CHICAGO
HIGH
SCHOOLS
WITHOUT
JROTC
ALMOST HALF OF THE
CITY’S SCHOOLS HAVE
JROTC PROGRAMS
Only 5 schools in all of the
more affluent Chicago
suburbs have JROTC
programs
The Children’s Crusade, Jennifer Wedekind, June 2005
Chicago currently has
10,600 students enrolled
in Junior ROTC programs-and the military plans to
increase that number to
15,000 by 2007
The Children’s Crusade, Jennifer Wedekind, June 2005
JROTC costs $75,000 per school
The Chicago school system spent $2.8
million on JROTC programs in 2003 and
another $5 million on the two military
academies -- more than it spends on any
other special or magnet program.
Nationwide, school districts
spend $222 million in tax dollars
on JROTC
The Children’s Crusade, Jennifer Wedekind, June 2005
“Trading Books for Soldiers; The True Cost of JROTC”, AFSC 2004
“Mayor Daley would like to see
JROTC in every classroom,”
according to Lt. Col. William Fletcher,
deputy director of Chicago’s JROTC
program
Rick Mills, the JROTC
director in Chicago says,
“… if we have the opportunity
to present ourselves at an earlier
age, all the better."
MIDDLE SCHOOL CADET
CORPS
MIDDLE SCHOOL CADET CORPS
(MSCC)
• 26 MSCC programs in Chicago
• 850 students are enlisted
• 11 to 14 year old children
Herman Barnett, director of Lavizzo’s award-winning
MSCC program, asks the public to give the students
the benefit of the doubt. “They don’t look at it as
getting ready for the army,” he says. “They’re just
doing it for entertainment and fun.”
INDOCTRINATION
(NOT SO) HIDDEN ISSUES BEHIND
JROTC
• JROTC targets low income communities: the majority of
nationwide participants are students of color
• JROTC teaches passivity, not leadership or critical thought
• JROTC textbooks are biased and bigoted
Army JROTC text booklet 3, p. 185, "Fortunately
for the
Army, the government policy of pushing the Indians
farther west then wiping them out was carried out
successfully."
• JROTC discriminates: against students and instructors who
are gay, lesbian or bisexual, people with disabilities and
immigrants
• schools with JROTC programs, at a very early age, point
students towards the military instead of focusing on
teaching valid skills that will prepare them for life
“All high school students who are .S. citizens at least 14 years or older and are physically fit are eligible to join JROTC”: JROTC Fact Sheet, DOD Public Affairs Office
“There is no legal protection for gays and lesbians in the JROTC, only a non-binding commitment from the local JROTC Officer” : Report to San Fransisco School Superintendent Rojas (Sept. 27, 1993)
from Mark Barmore, Deputy City Attorney. This is an extension of the Armed Forces stance on homosexuality in the military through the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy.
Rick Mills, the director of Military
Schools and JROTC for the Chicago
Public School system, states:
“These kinds of programs would not be
in schools if there weren’t kids who
wanted it, parents who supported it and
administrators who facilitated it.”
WHAT IS COUNTER RECRUITMENT
• ANY action that stops or hinders military recruitment at any
level
• EXAMPLES:
– GETTING INFORMATION OUT THERE - talking and distributing info
to youth, parents, teachers, neighbors & friends about the reality of
the military
– DEMONSTRATING – in front of recruiting stations, at city festivals
where recruiters are present, in parades, at any number of regularly
held neighborhood protests
– HELPING students, parents and communities get organized
around the issues
POINT OF
COUNTER RECRUITERS
“We are not sales people for any ideology or point
of view, unlike recruiters, we don’t have quotas to
meet. We believe people considering joining the
military should be empowered by as much
information as possible before making a decision.
You should know about the reality of military life
and hear the moral arguments against participating
in war before making a decision.” CCCO
WHAT STUDENTS ARE DOING
• letting recruiters in hallways and cafeterias know that they’re not wanted
• setting up booths wherever recruiters are, at job fairs and other events, to
distribute counter recruitment literature
• demanding equal access for classroom speakers who provide
information about the military and alternatives to the military
• creating alternative displays in the schools to counter military posters and
propaganda
• organizing to completely ban or severely limit recruiter access to schools
January 20, 2005
Students at Seattle Central Community College (CAN) to
Recruiters: "No more war, leave our school.“
(NOT SO) HIDDEN ISSUES BEHIND
RECRUITMENT
• target inner city youth and minority
communities
• focus their efforts against the poor and
working class
• rob communities of potential leaders
• keeps the cycle of poverty turning
(NOT SO) HIDDEN ISSUES OF THE
MILITARY
• $399 BILLION tax dollars fund the Pentagon
• $34 BILLION tax dollars fund K-12 education
• 12 TIMES as much money is spent on defense than the
education of our country’s youth
• the military consists overwhelmingly of the country’s
middle & working class; people who are putting their
lives in danger in order for the rich of the country to live
in extremely comfortable security while taking tax
dollars to protect their interests
OPT-OUT
• vast majority of schools have been voluntarily giving recruiters
students’ names, addresses and phone numbers for decades
• the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act of 2001 made providing
recruiters access to student lists mandatory
• before NCLB, release of the information was discretionary and if
schools elected to do it, they had to notify parents of the right to
opt out
• when NCLB was implemented in 2002 the opt-out right was still in
effect, but schools can no longer choose to withhold names,
address and phone numbers from recruiters without risking losing
their federal funds
• opt-out campaigns are important, but they shouldn’t distract from
other equally important counter recruitment action
• ARMED SERVICES VOCATIONAL APTITUDE BATTERY (ASVAB)
• “This program is designed to help students learn more about
themselves and the world of work, identify and explore potentially
satisfying occupations, and develop an effective strategy to realize
their goals.” straight from the ASVAB website
• free to schools and targeted for students in grades 10,11,12 &
postsecondary schools
• 14,000 schools per year administer the ASVAB, taken by 1.25 million
students, over half of all high schools nationwide participate
• the military gets around the opt-out barrier using the ASVAB
• with very few exceptions, the ASVAB results in student contact
information and much more personal data being released to recruiters
even if opt-out is used
• if a school or individual decides to use the ASVAB, they should utilize
option 8 ”no release to recruiters”. this option prevents the students'
names from being added to the military's recruiting list. be aware
however, the military regularly makes absolutely no mention of this
option, and often it is purposely left out
• schools can also use option 8 to exclude the entire school
• students are not required to take the test and can not be forced to give
this kind of personal information to the military. unfortunately, some
schools give the students the impression that they must take it — or
even coerce them into taking it
• the ASVAB discriminates against certain groups of people. Many
service members are automatically assigned to non-technical military
jobs because of poor ASVAB scores. as a result, for example, many
African-American service members are assigned to low-skill jobs when
they might have been able to be trained for more technical jobs.
Women are also less likely to get good scores on the mechanical
sections, because many haven't done mechanical work in the past
HOW STUDENTS CAN GET
INVOLVED
• form student social justice clubs look to existing
clubs for inspiration
• research and learn the facts – there is a wealth of
information available from a multitude of sources
• learn & know your rights as an individual &
student
• talk to friends and family to get them involved
• perform direct action: confront recruiters, start
opt-out & anti-ASVAB campaigns, demonstrate,
protest, create new ways of approaching the
issues
HOW PARENTS CAN GET
INVOLVED
• talk to teachers, faculty, administrators and
guidance counselors
• attend/join PTA & school councils
• learn the facts about military recruitment and
JROTC programs in your child’s school
• volunteer to give presentations to schools
• indirectly help students organize by offering
support and encouragement
• understand the need to allow students to act
independently
• create a parents for social justice group
• inform students about their options instead of
joining the military (very important)
HOW COMMUNITIES CAN GET
INVOLVED
• resist attempts to militarize schools
• demand tax dollars be spent on education, not
militarization
• support local teacher, student & parent social justice
causes & organizations
• volunteer support and resources
• make yourselves visible & affective
• get alderpersons and other local officials involved and
aware of local opposition to the militarization of
schools and youth
• network with other communities interested in the
issues of militarization
• if one doesn’t already exist, start your own community
counter recruitment organization
EMPOWER
OTHERS
BY
EMPOWERING
YOURSELVES
“Counter-recruitment is far more than a tactical issue
concerning Iraq. It is an integral part of a larger
strategy for defeating militarism that is absolutely
necessary to cultivate a political and social climate
that embraces critical thinking and democratic
discourse. Counter-recruitment work is really an effort
to ensure our future ability to work for progressive
social change in the U.S. It's very crucial that this
larger context not escape us.”
Rick Jahnkow 2005