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thedrifter
02-01-07, 06:42 AM
Different factors motivate recruits
Jamie Mayes
Posted: 2/1/07
Their slogans are catchy. "Be all that you can be," "The few, the proud, the Marines," and "It's not just a job, it's an adventure." For ROTC members, the adventure plus their college education is paid for by the U.S. government.

However, Major Ronald Mackay, an associate professor of military science in the College of Liberal Arts, said he isn't interested in anyone who is only in ROTC for the money.

"I don't want anyone serving the Army who doesn't really want to be there," Mackay said.

Nonetheless, the Army still needs qualified Americans to join in times of war. Last year, the Army reduced its standards for enlistment and allowed 4 percent of candidates who would usually be deemed unqualified to enter the military. Of that 4 percent, a majority of the individuals came in with bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees.

Some skeptics believe that the Army is doing more than just recruiting voluntary members into the military.

We are family

Member of Campus Anti-War Movement to End the Occupation Robert McDonald believes that through the use of media and high school Army recruiters, the military is able to convince lower-class Americans that one of the ways out of poverty is by entering the military.

"The military has historically targeted specific socioeconomic demographics that would be favorable to military service, such as the poor and minorities. With over 3,000 American troops dead and no end in sight, the government can only use underhanded tactics to feed the war machine with fresh recruits" said McDonald.

Three UT ROTC members believe that this notion could not be further from the truth.

"The cadets around here are proud to be in uniform. They love doing what they do. It's definitely not for the money," said Carolyn Lemm, a senior nutrition major and ROTC cadet.

Sean Zerger, a senior Middle Eastern studies major and ROTC cadet, agrees that being in ROTC is not necessary to receive funds for college.

"There are other ways to get your college paid for than the military," Zerger said. "There's no pressure. You know exactly what you're signing up for."

The ROTC program available at universities across the nation offers an opportunity for American citizens to join the military, have their college education paid for and receive a monthly stipend. There's no degree requirement. All you need to join the program is a high school diploma.

Zerger believes that much of the information Americans receive about military life comes from watching the news and seeing Hollywood films, and it is rare that the media shows a well-rounded view of what military life is truly all about.

"There are a lot of misconceptions that come from the media," Zerger said. "I don't think people understand the family aspect of being in the Army."

Conoly Sullivan, a junior nursing major whose husband is deployed in Iraq, believes the money is a perk, but the family you gain as an ROTC member is much more substantial.

"Yeah, the money is good, but you stay for the camaraderie," Sullivan said.

All three cadets admit that they would have chosen to stay in the military even if there was no scholarship money involved.

"I think that it's an attachment to culture," explains Zerger. "You don't want to leave that feeling of having a sense of duty to the people in your unit and to the nation."

Mackay believes that the military is more than money. It's a lifestyle.

"There are people who join the Army as a means to an end - whether it's to pay for college or do something, so they can get a leg up on the outside world - those people don't stick around," Mackay said. "It's hard to stay, if you don't fit the lifestyle."

Leaving no child behind

Embedded within the nearly 650-page legislation of the No Child Left Behind Act is a clause - Section 9528 - that states all schools funded by the U.S. government must release the names, telephone numbers and addresses of all students to the military in order to continue to receive government funds.

"The military is a business," said U.S. Air Force recruiting officer Marvin Watters. "We're only trying to inform the students of their possibilities. Other agencies are able to get access to that sort of information for recruiting. Why shouldn't we?"

The No Child Left Behind Act was passed in January 2002 to improve the performance of schools across the nation by raising the standards of academic performance in the secondary and primary school systems. What many students don't know is that all of their contact information is provided to the government for military recruiting.

However, the act does state that the secondary school student or parent can request that the student's name, telephone number and address not be released to the military.

McDonald disagrees with the military justifying the act by passing off this piece of legislation as only a business technique for informing students about their career and education opportunities.

"Defenders of the provision note that the military now only has as much access as a university or business, which is true, but disguises the difference between their functions. Businesses do not hold the recruited under a binding contract for years, and they do not [often] place their recruits in severe mortal danger," McDonald said.

Second Lieutenant David Sutton, a U.S. Army ROTC recruiter, said that he was completely unaware of the act.

"That's just not how we recruit. All information given to me as far as names and phone numbers go are all voluntary," he said.

McDonald believes that the government has crossed the line of privacy with this act. "This slipped-in provision only allows for the military-industrial complex to come even closer to our schools and our homes. It's the very height of hypocrisy," said McDonald.

Members of the U.S. military continue to stand behind the No Child Left Behind Act regardless of the criticism that it receives.

"This is an all volunteer force," said Watters. "Anyone who doesn't want to join doesn't have to. We're just trying to create a fair playing field."

Ellie