thedrifter
11-22-05, 06:58 AM
Posted on Tue, Nov. 22, 2005
Calls to serve hit a nerve
BY COLLEEN MCCAIN NELSON
The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS - When military recruiters first contacted her teenaged son, Rosemary Galdiano was confused.
Michael Galdiano is college-bound and has never expressed an interest in enlisting. Yet military brochures filled the Galdianos' mailbox. Recruiters called the house. They even contacted the high school senior on his cellphone.
Galdiano said she was shocked to learn that the military received her family's address and phone number as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act.
The 2002 education legislation included a clause requiring schools to provide student contact information to military recruiters unless parents "opt out" through their school district. But many parents, including Galdiano, said they didn't know about the provision until it was too late to stop the phone calls and mailings.
Earlier this month, grassroots groups across the country protested the federal law with the "Not Your Soldier Day of Action."
At a time when the military is struggling to meet recruiting goals, officials have said that the current law helps maintain strong volunteer armed forces. Amid the lingering conflict in Iraq, the military has failed to meet some of its recruiting objectives. The Army missed its recruiting goal for the 2005 budget year by 8 percent - the largest shortfall in more than two decades.
"Everybody in this (recruiting) process has the right to say, `Look, I'm not interested,'" said Chief Master Sgt. Gonda Moncada, media and community relations manager for the Texas Army and Air National Guard.
But many opponents said rejecting recruiters isn't that simple.
"A lot of parents out there have had terrible experiences with being relentlessly telephoned," said Felicity Crush, spokeswoman for the national group Leave My Child Alone. "Military recruiting is getting much more aggressive in its approach."
Some said they've been overwhelmed with calls from multiple branches of the military. So, even if they tell the Army "No thanks," the Marines, the Air Force, the Navy and the National Guard continue calling.
"I just tell them all, `No, I'm not interested. I'm going to college,'" said Galdiano, who hopes to attend Texas Christian University or the University of North Texas next year. "But somebody new from a different branch still gets a hold of me. ... If they don't take `No' for an answer, I just hang up."
Moncada said the law has made the recruiting process easier and families can choose not to be contacted.
"It is not like we are some big bully coming in and saying, `You will release the information,'" she said. "Maybe there needs to be some information given to the parents from the school board to make that clear."
Galdiano said she had no idea until a few months ago that No Child Left Behind had anything to do with the military. Had parents known about the provision when Congress considered it, she said, many would have protested its inclusion in the law, which is better known for its goal of improving student achievement.
"I knew about the No Child Left Behind Act, but I didn't know that our government had allowed the military to have carte blanche access to our youth," Galdiano said. "This has flown under the radar screen of most parents."
But a number of grassroots groups across the country are trying to get the word out, explaining the law to parents and even providing ready-made "opt out" letters to send to their school districts.
In Dallas this month, members of Grandmothers for Peace and Dallas Women in Black staged a small protest. Holding signs saying, "Stop lying to our children," they distributed information about the law to passersby.
Protester Patty Sherman said that if teenagers want to join the military, they could go to a recruitment center and enlist. Students should not be pressured to sign up by recruiters, she said.
"Really young kids are signing away possibly their lives," Sherman said. "A lot of parents are totally unaware that this is happening."
Moncada said that teenagers might not take the initiative to contact a recruiter. But the new law allows them to learn about life in the military.
"I'm a little surprised about the uproar about this new law," she said. "We need to give our young people the chance to talk to a recruiter and at least discuss the possibility of serving his or her country."
The law allows students to learn about military life and to make an informed decision, Moncada said.
School districts generally offer parents the chance to opt out from military contact at the beginning of each school year. In some cities, the issue has sparked outrage, with a majority of parents opting out in some districts.
Crush, spokeswoman for Leave My Child Alone, said recruiters use "hard sell" techniques, developing friendly relationships with students and offering appealing incentives while leaving some parents and students feeling harassed. Families need to make an informed decision about the military without feeling pressured, she said.
"This is not an anti-military thing," Crush said. "This is pro-privacy."
ARGUMENTS FOR, AGAINST
Federal law requiring schools to provide student contact information to military recruiters has prompted complaints from parents and peace groups.
What the sides say:
PARENTS
_Many say the law has not been publicized. They argue that they did not know how to "opt out" from recruiter contact.
_Families complain about frequent and abundant phone calls and mailings from multiple branches of the military, saying that they feel harassed.
_Parents argue that recruiters use slick sales techniques, portraying military life as glamorous while playing down combat dangers.
THE MILITARY
_The release of students' contact information has made recruiting easier and has helped maintain strong volunteer armed forces, military officials said.
_They emphasize that parents can "opt out" of being contacted by alerting their school district. Also, students can always tell recruiters that they're not interested in enlisting.
_Military officials say that many teenagers might not otherwise take the initiative to contact the military. When a recruiter calls them, students have the opportunity to learn about military life and make an informed decision.
Ellie
Calls to serve hit a nerve
BY COLLEEN MCCAIN NELSON
The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS - When military recruiters first contacted her teenaged son, Rosemary Galdiano was confused.
Michael Galdiano is college-bound and has never expressed an interest in enlisting. Yet military brochures filled the Galdianos' mailbox. Recruiters called the house. They even contacted the high school senior on his cellphone.
Galdiano said she was shocked to learn that the military received her family's address and phone number as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act.
The 2002 education legislation included a clause requiring schools to provide student contact information to military recruiters unless parents "opt out" through their school district. But many parents, including Galdiano, said they didn't know about the provision until it was too late to stop the phone calls and mailings.
Earlier this month, grassroots groups across the country protested the federal law with the "Not Your Soldier Day of Action."
At a time when the military is struggling to meet recruiting goals, officials have said that the current law helps maintain strong volunteer armed forces. Amid the lingering conflict in Iraq, the military has failed to meet some of its recruiting objectives. The Army missed its recruiting goal for the 2005 budget year by 8 percent - the largest shortfall in more than two decades.
"Everybody in this (recruiting) process has the right to say, `Look, I'm not interested,'" said Chief Master Sgt. Gonda Moncada, media and community relations manager for the Texas Army and Air National Guard.
But many opponents said rejecting recruiters isn't that simple.
"A lot of parents out there have had terrible experiences with being relentlessly telephoned," said Felicity Crush, spokeswoman for the national group Leave My Child Alone. "Military recruiting is getting much more aggressive in its approach."
Some said they've been overwhelmed with calls from multiple branches of the military. So, even if they tell the Army "No thanks," the Marines, the Air Force, the Navy and the National Guard continue calling.
"I just tell them all, `No, I'm not interested. I'm going to college,'" said Galdiano, who hopes to attend Texas Christian University or the University of North Texas next year. "But somebody new from a different branch still gets a hold of me. ... If they don't take `No' for an answer, I just hang up."
Moncada said the law has made the recruiting process easier and families can choose not to be contacted.
"It is not like we are some big bully coming in and saying, `You will release the information,'" she said. "Maybe there needs to be some information given to the parents from the school board to make that clear."
Galdiano said she had no idea until a few months ago that No Child Left Behind had anything to do with the military. Had parents known about the provision when Congress considered it, she said, many would have protested its inclusion in the law, which is better known for its goal of improving student achievement.
"I knew about the No Child Left Behind Act, but I didn't know that our government had allowed the military to have carte blanche access to our youth," Galdiano said. "This has flown under the radar screen of most parents."
But a number of grassroots groups across the country are trying to get the word out, explaining the law to parents and even providing ready-made "opt out" letters to send to their school districts.
In Dallas this month, members of Grandmothers for Peace and Dallas Women in Black staged a small protest. Holding signs saying, "Stop lying to our children," they distributed information about the law to passersby.
Protester Patty Sherman said that if teenagers want to join the military, they could go to a recruitment center and enlist. Students should not be pressured to sign up by recruiters, she said.
"Really young kids are signing away possibly their lives," Sherman said. "A lot of parents are totally unaware that this is happening."
Moncada said that teenagers might not take the initiative to contact a recruiter. But the new law allows them to learn about life in the military.
"I'm a little surprised about the uproar about this new law," she said. "We need to give our young people the chance to talk to a recruiter and at least discuss the possibility of serving his or her country."
The law allows students to learn about military life and to make an informed decision, Moncada said.
School districts generally offer parents the chance to opt out from military contact at the beginning of each school year. In some cities, the issue has sparked outrage, with a majority of parents opting out in some districts.
Crush, spokeswoman for Leave My Child Alone, said recruiters use "hard sell" techniques, developing friendly relationships with students and offering appealing incentives while leaving some parents and students feeling harassed. Families need to make an informed decision about the military without feeling pressured, she said.
"This is not an anti-military thing," Crush said. "This is pro-privacy."
ARGUMENTS FOR, AGAINST
Federal law requiring schools to provide student contact information to military recruiters has prompted complaints from parents and peace groups.
What the sides say:
PARENTS
_Many say the law has not been publicized. They argue that they did not know how to "opt out" from recruiter contact.
_Families complain about frequent and abundant phone calls and mailings from multiple branches of the military, saying that they feel harassed.
_Parents argue that recruiters use slick sales techniques, portraying military life as glamorous while playing down combat dangers.
THE MILITARY
_The release of students' contact information has made recruiting easier and has helped maintain strong volunteer armed forces, military officials said.
_They emphasize that parents can "opt out" of being contacted by alerting their school district. Also, students can always tell recruiters that they're not interested in enlisting.
_Military officials say that many teenagers might not otherwise take the initiative to contact the military. When a recruiter calls them, students have the opportunity to learn about military life and make an informed decision.
Ellie