By Isaac Lasker and Krystof Gonzales,
Staff Writers.
You’ve likely seen military recruiters at informational tables in the quad or wandering around the Santa Rosa High School campus. This is enabled by federal laws stating that if a school receives federal funding, they must supply recruiters with easy access to campuses, and make it as easy as possible for the military to recruit, either via college scholarship or direct employment.
However, the military is a vastly different field than that of other employers. There are more physical and mental pains associated with the military, and there is a potential of death if a war were to occur. The main question around this is: should military recruiters be allowed to interact with students below the age of 18 and potentially be able to persuade them to join a field that could risk their life?
One thing that is absurd about military recruiting is that they use manipulative tactics. They are recommended by the USSRP (United States School Recruiting Program) Handbook to help in the school scene to insert themselves into the student’s life in hopes of getting more recruits, and to interact with faculty, which seems similar to concepts of manipulative actions. They aim to gain trust and are very persistent.
Junior William Do recounts his experience with recruiters: “They were persistent in trying to convince me that I should do it directly after high school.” When asked if they contacted him outside of the first interaction, he replied, “They would do occasional check-ins with me.” He said that it may have been an attempt to connect with him and try to further convince him to join the military.
Furthermore, PTSD, depression and other mental issues are very common among veterans. PTSD affects one’s life forever and isn’t a temporary stressor like being in the military is. There can be lifelong consequences and pitfalls of joining the military. It should not be allowed for people to persuade minors into making the decision to join the military, especially using some of the tactics used by recruiters.
In the future, schools may need to reconsider the ways in which recruiters are allowed to gain access to high school students.
