WP: Hostile Mission for Recruiters

[MountainLaurel]

KEYSER, W.Va. -- In an oil-stained gas station parking lot, Army recruiter Justin Broadwater drinks iced tea and waits, paperwork ready, for an 18-year-old he says is "hard-core ready to go."

Sgt. Broadwater hopes so, anyway. His wedding plans give him only two weeks to meet his monthly quota of three new soldiers. One is already in hand. He's hoping that this will be No. 2.

His cell phone rings. "Yeah, buddy, I'm down here. . . . Yeah? Ah. That's bad," then a quick sign off and a sigh. The candidate's mother is sick. He'll reschedule soon; he's not sure when.

-snip-

Poor and patriotic regions like this one are the lifeblood of America's volunteer military. Kids join as soon as they leave high school, for the college money, the job training, the opportunities so scarce at home. They join because they're proud of their country and they want to help. But during the past three years, they've been seeing more combat and less college. Every reserve unit in this area has been called to the Middle East at least once. Two active duty soldiers died, one with young kids, the other a kid himself. Then came Abu Ghraib and the photos that disgusted the world. Now, pride comes mixed with anger and growing doubts about the war.

"It's the parents holding me back," Broadwater says. When he calls, they hang up the phone, refuse to put their children on the line, tell him off. They try to talk their sons and daughters out of joining, and, more often now, they succeed.

Let's give a big round of DU applause to all of those parents who are saying NO, you're not going to take my child to fight your wars for you!

[Tsiyu]

1. Clap! Clap!

Contrary to * & Co, Americans are not pathetic idiots. They are waking up. And all the mothers and fathers who refuse to let their children be pawns in these sick, violent times are my heroes.

Let every recruiter hear the numbing buzz of a dial tone...


"Cheney You, Recruiters!" click ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[Raster]

2. I'll just state the obvious...

(1) There should be opportunities for every kid in this country, rich or poor. It's disgusting that some wonderful, brilliant kids get left by the wayside and kids like gee-dubya get EVERYTHING handed to them on silver platter when they don't even deserve the platter.

(2) It's high time that--and gawd how I hate to type this--the upper classes contribute their fair share of humanity to the armed services. If there's a draft, by all means, the rich kids go first.

[MountainLaurel]

4. Excellent points

When I was a senior in high school, my father was pushing the National Guard and ROTC so that he wouldn't have to help support my college education (as if he did anyway). I will pay off my student loans from undergrad this year, just in time to begin payments on the ones for graduate school.

I wonder if he'd be singing the same song now that it's a hell of a lot more likely that I'd be overseas.

And I occasionally thank heaven that my brother is legally deaf and can't join the military, or he'd be one of those kids with few options who had to join the military to get out of a dead-end town and recover from past mistakes. (He's still in said town and is working to escape.)

[David__77]

3. Easy way to get rid of them: "My son/daughter is gay."

Or if your child wants to be left alone, they can say this. The harassment will instantly stop!

[MountainLaurel]

5. Kick

For my family members still stuck in Keyser.