The Ten Top Questions to Ask
Your Military Recruiter
A series of studies have showed that some 80-85% of US troops in WW’s I and II intentionally avoided
killing the enemy. (Source: “The Compassionate Instinct” by Keltner, Marsh & Smith) Since then, the US
military has found ways to “desensitize” recruits – essentially brainwashing them into being killing
machines.
 If I join the military, what sort of brainwashing/desensitization will I receive to make me more
willing to kill others?
Reports have consistently shown US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have commonly killed old people,
pregnant women and children. They have done it from the ground and from the air. (For the latest report,
see “collateralmurder.com”)
 If I join the military, will I end up killing innocent and possibly helpless civilians?
In recent decades, the US military has commonly used “depleted uranium” (DU) for bullet shells, bombs,
tank armor. This DU burns and sends out a highly toxic nuclear dust upon impact. Horrific birth defects in
Iraq have skyrocketed as have cancer rates. This DU dust will spread throughout the world, threatening all
future generations.
 If I join the military, will I be participating in this horrific pollution and how will contact with
DU affect me and my fellow soldiers?
US prisoners held in Iraq and Afghanistan are routinely abused and tortured. This includes being tied in
“stress positions” for extended periods, being chained and beaten, and being held under sensory and sleep
deprivation for extended periods.
 If I become a soldier, will I have to engage in torture?
Presently, some 5 US soldiers per day try to commit suicide (source:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/01/military.suicides/index.html) and some 6,000 veterans commit suicide
per year (Source: US Dep’t of Veterans’ Affairs).
 Why are so many US soldiers and ex-soldiers killing themselves and what are the chances that I
will become another one of these statistics?
As of 2008, some 40,000 US soldiers were diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (ptsd) over the
previous 4 years (source: http://healthandsurvival.com/2008/05/27/40000-us-soldiers-with-ptsd/). The
symptoms include chemical addictions, violent acting out including domestic abuse, inability to maintain
normal relationships or to keep a job. An additional 19% report having received a traumatic brain injury
(source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417112102.htm)
 If I join the military, will I end up with post traumatic stress disorder or a traumatic brain
injury and be unable to function in society?
From the time the US invaded Iraq to 2007, the army alone discharged some 7,000 soldiers per year on
less-than-honorable discharges (source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17362654.)
The causes of these discharges were often the exact same symptoms as those suffering from PTSD. The
result was that these discharged vets receive zero benefits after discharge.
 If I become a soldier, what are my chances of getting a less-than-honorable discharge, thus
eliminating any benefits – included possibly desperately needed medical and psychiatric
benefits?
US presidents have claimed that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were being waged for all sorts of reasons,
from getting rid of Saddam Hussein’s “weapons of mass destruction” to ending international terrorism. Yet
(see over)
Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction, and the information above leads us to ask:
 Considering all the many innocent civilians killed by US forces, who are the real terrorists
here?
In today’s economic times, joining the military may seem the ticket to affording a college education and a
good job in the future. Yet why should we accept these options?
 Shouldn’t I really be fighting right here at home for free higher education, decent jobs, and
decent health care for all, rather than joining a military that is only defending the top corporate
interests around the world?
Warning! In 2005, the US top military brass had to temporarily suspend all military recruitment while they
dealt with the growing scandal of recruiters brazenly lying to potential recruits. They were lying about
where recruits would be stationed, how long they’d have to serve, what training they’d receive and what
future benefits they’d get. Has anything much changed since then? So, the final question is:
 How do I know that anything you tell me is true?
Workers And Students United
WSU represents a wing of the student movement which feels education is a class issue. Therefore, we must
strengthen our connection to the labor movement and identify ourselves not just as students but as members
of the working class. Affecting real change in the cost and quality of our education requires challenging the
interests of big business in every aspect of our society. We don’t see the cuts in education and public
services, massive layoffs, furloughs, evictions/foreclosures, as stemming from different causes. Instead, they
all have their common origin in the nature of the capitalist system itself and thus our success in this new
student movement depends on our furthering of the class struggle.
WSU feels that direct action is the most effective means of waging this struggle. We welcome the
campus occupations, with this corollary: as these instances are rallying points for the movement, they
should be used to hold mass public meetings, and where possible workers should take a leading role in
these occupations.
For more information, contact:
workersandstudents@gmail.com