I had a recruiting event today. . . and I just HAPPENED to be sitting next to an Army Recruiter. I immediately started thinking about a Dateline NBC report about the aggressive tactics of US Army Recruiters. To be honest, this guy was so good that by the end of the day he had ME thinking, "Maybe I should join up. . ." But in all seriousness, he was a nice guy--about thirty something and he had the most Norman Rockwell looking young solider who couldn't have been more than 19 sitting next to him. The older guy did most of the talking while the younger guy second everything he was saying. He kept going on and on about how much money a person can earn by joining the Army. They could get 20,000 cash just for signing up, that didn't include the 150,000 they're guaranteed for college, and when they're finally ready to settle down and get a house, Uncle Sam would be their automatic co-signer.
"How'd you like to work in Germany, Korea, England, Italy, or Thailand???" Not once did he mention Iraq or Afghanistan.
"What about Iraq?"
"Iraq isn’t that dangerous. Hell, if you live in some parts of St. Louis it’s more dangerous than Iraq. Look at the news?"
I watched as the young people---men and women, some educated, most not, eyes light up when he mentioned the possibility of earning so much money. I wanted to scream, "Don't believe the hype... don't get sucked in," but I didn't. I sat there listening. . . thinking about the Rockwell Soldier, J. Kennedy. Where would he be in six months? What about his wife and stepchild? Would he be going to Germany, Korea, England. . or some other not so pleasant place???
No comments:
Post a Comment