thedrifter
03-05-07, 02:36 PM
The Deciders, Their Decisions
Monday, March 05, 2007
DEAN BAKER Columbian staff writer
Many Clark County teens are growing wary of military service since 10 soldiers and Marines with ties to Southwest Washington have died in five years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Five of those deaths happened since late September.
Yet interviews show other students in county high schools remain eager to serve. They see the uniform as both an educational opportunity and a way to express patriotism. Military service, after all, can bring a student some pride, $57,000 to $72,000 in paid college tuition, and a chance to learn a trade.
At Washougal High School, career and guidance specialist Marsha Spencer said military recruiters haven't found a lot of takers. She doesn't see as much student enthusiasm for military service as she saw earlier. "My suspicion is there are not too many who are interested," she said, although she isn't keeping statistics.
At Ridgefield High School, most students in the classes of journalism teacher Connie Bushnell oppose the war. She said she has many reservations about the war, even though her husband, Terry, is a master sergeant in the Air Force and makes many trips to Iraq, flying supplies in and wounded soldiers out, and her son-in-law, Marine Pfc. Nick Shafer, is due to ship out soon for the war zone. She supports the troops but is unsure of the mission, she said.
Still, a half-dozen recruits will leave Heritage High School for Army service -- and virtually certain eventual deployment to war zones -- right after graduation this summer. Two Heritage students have signed up for the Marines. Seven have enlisted in the Army at Fort Vancouver High. One is going into the Navy from Ridgefield. And other Clark County schools are providing willing recruits for the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force.
"Recruiting is going well at Heritage," said Marine Staff Sgt. Ivan Tejeda, who just completed three years' service, rounding up potential Marines at the east Vancouver school. With help from Sgt. Chad Oberhauser, he recruited two students this year, the same as in 2005 and 2004.
"Vancouver is a really patriotic area," said Army Sgt. Kasey Olson, 25, a recruiter at Fort Vancouver High. "Of course some students want nothing to do whatsoever with going into the Army. We offer it to them straight. We don't pull rabbits out of the hat. It's cut and dry. I graduated from Fort Vancouver myself in 2000, and so I was right there with them."
He said he doesn't shy away from telling students they're likely to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan. Even so, he's signed up more than he expected.
A military policeman, Olson said the Army is paying his way at Warner Pacific College, where he plans to get his bachelor's degree. He served in Uzbekistan, but not yet in Iraq.
One of his recruits, Ashley Callis, 17, a senior at Fort Vancouver and the editor of the school newspaper, enlisted for four years to do top-secret intelligence work. She said there haven't been any enlistments from her high school since 2000, the year that Olson graduated, but this year there are seven.
The burst of Army enthusiasm at Fort is due to a surge in patriotism, said Callis. "We've just grown up that way," she said. She wears dog tags bearing her friends' names. One tag says: "To keep them free is why I fight."
"It depends on how you talk to the students and staff," Olson said. "If some don't see themselves in uniform, that's great. The Army isn't for everyone. We just want them to do something with their life that is going to be great. As long as they put their feet on the ground and are running back to do something for the community, I'm all for it."
Peace, too
Many other students question U.S. involvement the Middle East, and say they have no intention of volunteering for military service.
They agree with Alex Catchings, 16, of Skyview High School, Garret Hollister and Amanda Duvall, both 17, of Heritage, and Theo Bickel, 14, a Ridgefield High freshman. The war doesn't make sense to them.
"I'm anti-military, and I'm anti this war," said Bickel. "The military is not at fault, but we've had so many lies come out with this government, with WMDs, and Saddam Hussein, saying he's a huge threat. Where did all that go?"
"I've talked to troops who have been there, and they feel that the war shouldn't be happening right now," said Catchings. "And these are troops who went to defend our country. And they questioned the motives of it all, and didn't want to be there."
"I think we are very wasteful with our money and our resources," said Hollister. "It is money that could go to help where it is needed. War consumes resources and consumes life. I don't really know why we went into Iraq, whether it was big business: Lockheed Martin or Halliburton, I don't know. I feel we never should have been in there, at all."
At Heritage High, Vice Principal Dave Morris said his school rolls out the red carpet for recruiters. At graduation and on Veterans Day, the school also honors each student who enlists and every person who has served. Morris arranges for recruiters' visits and gives them a prominent place in the school, even though he himself teaches a popular peace studies class, and he personally opposes the Iraq War.
Recruitment opportunities are ripe across the county. Many high school juniors take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery of tests to see how well they would fit military needs. Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, military recruiters have access to test results unless students sign a statement to "opt out" of recruitment efforts.
Recruiters use those results to help students find a good military job, but only if they want one, recruiters say.
Clark County has seen only a mild campaign by peace activists against high school recruitment, while in communities from California to Maryland, protest has been growing.
"Vancouver for Peace asked to come here on the same day as the recruiters and I told them no," said Morris, the Heritage administrator. He didn't want conflicting tables to be present together. "But I told the peace people they could come on another day if they wanted to." They haven't.
Instead, peace activist Bob Goss said the group has handed out information by standing outside at Heritage, Hudson's Bay, Columbia River, Skyview and Fort Vancouver high schools.
"We've just been trying to get the war stopped in Iraq, and that's been diluting our efforts, so we haven't been so active in recruiting this year," said Marion Ward, a member of Vancouver for Peace.
More troops
The military services say they've nearly met or exceeded their national recruitment quotas, signing up 286,936 recruits during 2006. Recruiters aim to meet President Bush's new objective of adding 90,000 members to the armed forces.
In Vancouver, Derek Valentine, 18, a senior at Heritage High School, signed up in August for a "delayed entry program" and will serve five years in the Army as a military policeman. He joined so he can get a job as a member of a civilian police SWAT team when he gets out of the service. He'll be eligible for $69,000 in college tuition.
He's willing to fight in Iraq in support of America's freedom, he said, "But I'm scared about it."
Ridgefield High School senior Raymond Jefferies, 17, followed the example of his parents, Jon and Lynn Jefferies, who both retired from the U.S. Air Force. He joined the Navy because it seemed the best way for him to learn nuclear technology and pick up $57,000 in tuition at the end of his tour.
"I don't have a problem with Iranians or Iraqis," he said. "Because if you look it, Islam, Christianity and Judaism, they all interconnect somehow, so why fight about it? It all sort of melts in together. Why can't we all see that?"
Jefferies said he hopes he'll be on a ship, more removed from the action than Marines and soldiers, if he is deployed to Iraq.
None of the students interviewed agreed with President Bush's idea that America's mission is to spread democracy in the Middle East.
Dean Baker writes about military affairs. Reach him at 360-759-8009 or dean.baker@columbian.com.
Did you know?
* The U.S. military met most of its quotas for recruitment in 2006, signing up 286,936 new soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. Department of Defense figures for 2006 show the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Marine Corps Reserve, Coast Guard and Air Force met or exceeded quotas. The Coast Guard Reserve made 66 percent of its goal; the Navy Reserve, 87 percent; Army Reserve, 95 percent; the Air National Guard, 97 percent; and the Army National Guard, 99 percent.
* President Bush wants the military to increase its numbers by 90,000 by 2012. The Army plans a multiyear program to increase its strength from the current 512,000 to 547,000, and the Marines from the current 180,000 to 202,000 by 2010. Other services are increasing their quotas.
Ellie
Monday, March 05, 2007
DEAN BAKER Columbian staff writer
Many Clark County teens are growing wary of military service since 10 soldiers and Marines with ties to Southwest Washington have died in five years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Five of those deaths happened since late September.
Yet interviews show other students in county high schools remain eager to serve. They see the uniform as both an educational opportunity and a way to express patriotism. Military service, after all, can bring a student some pride, $57,000 to $72,000 in paid college tuition, and a chance to learn a trade.
At Washougal High School, career and guidance specialist Marsha Spencer said military recruiters haven't found a lot of takers. She doesn't see as much student enthusiasm for military service as she saw earlier. "My suspicion is there are not too many who are interested," she said, although she isn't keeping statistics.
At Ridgefield High School, most students in the classes of journalism teacher Connie Bushnell oppose the war. She said she has many reservations about the war, even though her husband, Terry, is a master sergeant in the Air Force and makes many trips to Iraq, flying supplies in and wounded soldiers out, and her son-in-law, Marine Pfc. Nick Shafer, is due to ship out soon for the war zone. She supports the troops but is unsure of the mission, she said.
Still, a half-dozen recruits will leave Heritage High School for Army service -- and virtually certain eventual deployment to war zones -- right after graduation this summer. Two Heritage students have signed up for the Marines. Seven have enlisted in the Army at Fort Vancouver High. One is going into the Navy from Ridgefield. And other Clark County schools are providing willing recruits for the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force.
"Recruiting is going well at Heritage," said Marine Staff Sgt. Ivan Tejeda, who just completed three years' service, rounding up potential Marines at the east Vancouver school. With help from Sgt. Chad Oberhauser, he recruited two students this year, the same as in 2005 and 2004.
"Vancouver is a really patriotic area," said Army Sgt. Kasey Olson, 25, a recruiter at Fort Vancouver High. "Of course some students want nothing to do whatsoever with going into the Army. We offer it to them straight. We don't pull rabbits out of the hat. It's cut and dry. I graduated from Fort Vancouver myself in 2000, and so I was right there with them."
He said he doesn't shy away from telling students they're likely to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan. Even so, he's signed up more than he expected.
A military policeman, Olson said the Army is paying his way at Warner Pacific College, where he plans to get his bachelor's degree. He served in Uzbekistan, but not yet in Iraq.
One of his recruits, Ashley Callis, 17, a senior at Fort Vancouver and the editor of the school newspaper, enlisted for four years to do top-secret intelligence work. She said there haven't been any enlistments from her high school since 2000, the year that Olson graduated, but this year there are seven.
The burst of Army enthusiasm at Fort is due to a surge in patriotism, said Callis. "We've just grown up that way," she said. She wears dog tags bearing her friends' names. One tag says: "To keep them free is why I fight."
"It depends on how you talk to the students and staff," Olson said. "If some don't see themselves in uniform, that's great. The Army isn't for everyone. We just want them to do something with their life that is going to be great. As long as they put their feet on the ground and are running back to do something for the community, I'm all for it."
Peace, too
Many other students question U.S. involvement the Middle East, and say they have no intention of volunteering for military service.
They agree with Alex Catchings, 16, of Skyview High School, Garret Hollister and Amanda Duvall, both 17, of Heritage, and Theo Bickel, 14, a Ridgefield High freshman. The war doesn't make sense to them.
"I'm anti-military, and I'm anti this war," said Bickel. "The military is not at fault, but we've had so many lies come out with this government, with WMDs, and Saddam Hussein, saying he's a huge threat. Where did all that go?"
"I've talked to troops who have been there, and they feel that the war shouldn't be happening right now," said Catchings. "And these are troops who went to defend our country. And they questioned the motives of it all, and didn't want to be there."
"I think we are very wasteful with our money and our resources," said Hollister. "It is money that could go to help where it is needed. War consumes resources and consumes life. I don't really know why we went into Iraq, whether it was big business: Lockheed Martin or Halliburton, I don't know. I feel we never should have been in there, at all."
At Heritage High, Vice Principal Dave Morris said his school rolls out the red carpet for recruiters. At graduation and on Veterans Day, the school also honors each student who enlists and every person who has served. Morris arranges for recruiters' visits and gives them a prominent place in the school, even though he himself teaches a popular peace studies class, and he personally opposes the Iraq War.
Recruitment opportunities are ripe across the county. Many high school juniors take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery of tests to see how well they would fit military needs. Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, military recruiters have access to test results unless students sign a statement to "opt out" of recruitment efforts.
Recruiters use those results to help students find a good military job, but only if they want one, recruiters say.
Clark County has seen only a mild campaign by peace activists against high school recruitment, while in communities from California to Maryland, protest has been growing.
"Vancouver for Peace asked to come here on the same day as the recruiters and I told them no," said Morris, the Heritage administrator. He didn't want conflicting tables to be present together. "But I told the peace people they could come on another day if they wanted to." They haven't.
Instead, peace activist Bob Goss said the group has handed out information by standing outside at Heritage, Hudson's Bay, Columbia River, Skyview and Fort Vancouver high schools.
"We've just been trying to get the war stopped in Iraq, and that's been diluting our efforts, so we haven't been so active in recruiting this year," said Marion Ward, a member of Vancouver for Peace.
More troops
The military services say they've nearly met or exceeded their national recruitment quotas, signing up 286,936 recruits during 2006. Recruiters aim to meet President Bush's new objective of adding 90,000 members to the armed forces.
In Vancouver, Derek Valentine, 18, a senior at Heritage High School, signed up in August for a "delayed entry program" and will serve five years in the Army as a military policeman. He joined so he can get a job as a member of a civilian police SWAT team when he gets out of the service. He'll be eligible for $69,000 in college tuition.
He's willing to fight in Iraq in support of America's freedom, he said, "But I'm scared about it."
Ridgefield High School senior Raymond Jefferies, 17, followed the example of his parents, Jon and Lynn Jefferies, who both retired from the U.S. Air Force. He joined the Navy because it seemed the best way for him to learn nuclear technology and pick up $57,000 in tuition at the end of his tour.
"I don't have a problem with Iranians or Iraqis," he said. "Because if you look it, Islam, Christianity and Judaism, they all interconnect somehow, so why fight about it? It all sort of melts in together. Why can't we all see that?"
Jefferies said he hopes he'll be on a ship, more removed from the action than Marines and soldiers, if he is deployed to Iraq.
None of the students interviewed agreed with President Bush's idea that America's mission is to spread democracy in the Middle East.
Dean Baker writes about military affairs. Reach him at 360-759-8009 or dean.baker@columbian.com.
Did you know?
* The U.S. military met most of its quotas for recruitment in 2006, signing up 286,936 new soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. Department of Defense figures for 2006 show the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Marine Corps Reserve, Coast Guard and Air Force met or exceeded quotas. The Coast Guard Reserve made 66 percent of its goal; the Navy Reserve, 87 percent; Army Reserve, 95 percent; the Air National Guard, 97 percent; and the Army National Guard, 99 percent.
* President Bush wants the military to increase its numbers by 90,000 by 2012. The Army plans a multiyear program to increase its strength from the current 512,000 to 547,000, and the Marines from the current 180,000 to 202,000 by 2010. Other services are increasing their quotas.
Ellie