Recruitment ruse: Tricking teens into enlistment

As spring draws nearer, many seniors are occupied with college admissions, including academics, location and tuition. With this in mind, some students enlist in the military as they seek alternative options for a future more suited to them. By enlisting in the military, one can gain respect, receive free healthcare, cultivate industrial skills and, critically, obtain financial aid for college. Any military recruiter one meets on campus will tout the same benefits, hoping to high schoolers in need of financial aid.

“Schools receive federal funding, so they should allow federal employees on campus, including military recruiters. Enlisting in the military is an excellent option for students looking to escape their current situation and gain practical skills that will aid them later in life,” David Hilger, Social Science Department, said.

However, recruiters often fail to mention that service members are 15% more likely to have PTSD than civilians or that depression rates are five times higher, as reported by CNN. It was also found that the percentage of suicides among veterans is twice as high—in fact, nearly 20% of all suicides in the U.S. are committed by veterans, despite making up only 10% of the population. Recruiters bury the fact that these mental illnesses can interfere with reintegration into society: In January 2020, 37,252 veterans were homeless. In

Reagan Liu addition, the constitutional right to free speech is suspended—individuals in

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removed from campus. Additionally, military recruiters disproportionately target low-income schools. According to Education Week, a low-income school in Connecticut was visited by recruiters ten times more often than a nearby school with more affluent students.

The Army’s School Recruiting Program Handbook teaches predatory behavior, encouraging recruiters to “be so helpful and so much a part of the school scene that [they] are in constant demand.” It offers examples such as offering to be a timekeeper at football games while wearing dress blues and participating in school events to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, helping recruiters build rapport with staff and students.

Antara Gangwal

Staff Writer students who do not yet know what direction they want to take in life to convince them to join the military. I used to want to enlist as well; however, after doing my own research, I have realized that military recruiters exploit people in need of assistance,” Senior Jack Stone about going to extreme lengths. Stone recounted a time when Navy recruiters came to the school and were only permitted to station themselves outside the office. However, the recruiters proceeded to visit classrooms individually without permission and were subsequently

Military recruiters have been employing these manipulative techniques since 2001, when the No Child Left Behind Act was passed. This legislation granted the military access to the same student information as college recruiters, including academic history, address and contact details. As enticing as the benefits of enlisting in the military are, recruiters’ tactics are manipulative and understate potential dangers. Until military recruiters can be trusted to be transparent with students, a high school campus is no place for them.