Military Recruiters Farming High School Juniors

[~m@c~]

Should we be concerned they are trying to get Juniors in High School to commit for military service on graduation. Holding what amounts to a job fair of military services. Now you might say there's no reason for concern, but if they continue to suffer low enlistment rates what then. It wouldn't be a draft since they already committed, and they could finish high school while serving.
Remember the draft took kids at seventeen.

[Ferret Herder]

This isn't anything special. I graduated high school in 1988, when we weren't in a war, and they were calling promising high school juniors and seniors then, and had been for years from what older friends said.

[Garfield226]

Not a big deal at all, and has been going on for quite some time.

There was a military recruiter present at our "college information fair" (or whatever you want to call it) that all students had the opportunity to go to when they were juniors. We also had various colleges give presentations (which students could elect to go to), and IIRC, a military recruiter gave a presentation as well.

Should we be concerned that colleges are trying to get Juniors to commit to going to their college upon graduation? That companies are trying to get Juniors to commit to college funded by the company with a requirement to work for that company for several years after graduation?

It's educating students about their options after high school, nothing more, as far as I'm aware. Nothing wrong with that.

[Jonathan Chance]

Yeah, this is a non-starter. There's nothing wrong with the military making the pitch to high school kids about joining. It's not like they're just running through schools impressing the youth of America into the service.

Hell, I did one of those. Took a battery of tests at 16 (would have been 1983 or so). Aced them and was the subject of about a million recruiting calls before I left for college.

[thirdwarning]

As I recall, the draft took boys at 19, not 17. It would have been hard to do otherwise, since they didn't even register until 18. And no, I don't have a problem with presenting high school kids with career options, even when those options involve military service. The services don't want the kids until after graduation, anyway.

[Bear_Nenno]

Lame.

Also, the military has had something called the Split Op program. Students can enter the National Guard, and go to Basic during the summer between Junior and Senior year. Then they actually serve in the National Guard during their Senior year in high school. After graduation, they go to AIT and come back home with great benefits and (usually) 100% of their college paid for. So they start college during the same fall semester that all their friends do. Only they have tuition taken care of.

This has been going on a very long time. It has nothing to do with current world events. And, despite what you might want to believe, it has nothing to do with Bush in office either. It's just how the military has been doing things. It's a great program and offeres great oppurtunities.

There's not going to be a draft, and Bush is not going to steal all the 16 and 17 year olds out from the safe loving grasp of their crying mothers. . .

[Loach]

Um....ditto?

Thanks Bear, that's what I was going to say.probably not as well but still..