thedrifter
05-27-07, 04:57 AM
Sunday MAY 27, 2007
Despite worries, they sign on
BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
NORTON
When Ashley Haley said she wanted to enlist in the Marines after graduating from Norton High School, her mother said no way.
"We had a long talk about it. I thought we had a plan, and the plan included college," Wendy Murch said.
When Ashley changed her mind and said she wanted to join the Army, where she could become a medic, preparing her for a career after the service, her mother finally relented, despite concerns about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I thought this was not the perfect time for it," she said. "But, she was really determined, and the Army has all the scholarship benefits."
Ashley said she had always wanted to be a doctor.
The medic training and the bonus money she gets from the Army will come in handy if she pursues medical school after her six-year hitch, she said.
But, Ashley concedes, being a medic means she most likely will be headed to Iraq.
Although women are not on the frontlines of combat, they can still be in harm's way. Ashley said she thought long and hard about the risks, but decided the Army is something she wanted to do.
Her classmate at Norton High, senior Dan Champagne, said he had less trouble convincing his parents to allow him to enlist.
He will be going into the Air Force after graduation, and hopes to become an instructor in survival techniques.
Dan's father is a Vietnam veteran and his brother is in the Air Force, so there was little opposition to him joining.
With U.S. causalities rising in Iraq, both teens said they try not to think about the potential dangers, and instead focus on the benefits of military service.
"I try to take it one step at a time," Dan said. "I'm willing to go. That's the responsibility you have when you raise your hand and take the oath."
While some recruits say they try not to dwell on the dangers, many parents cannot help it.
Pam Chin of Plainville has a son who just graduated from Norwich Academy, and who is joining the Marines, and another son who is a cadet at West Point.
Chin said she and her husband are proud of their sons for wanting to defend their country, but are obviously worried.
"You have so much pride, you can't explain it. But, you are also afraid for them," she said.
Area high school guidance counselors said they have noticed a drop in the number of graduates enlisting this year, but the Army said it is still meeting its quotas.
Besides, the Army says, it gets the majority of its recruits among young adults who have already graduated, not from high school seniors about to complete school.
Capt. Scott Sturtevant, commander of the Army's South Shore recruiting company, said he has not noticed any drop off in recruiting.
Some high schools have become more reluctant to allow recruiters on campus, but young men and woman are still signing up, he said.
Sturtevant said recruiters are careful to involve the parents in a young person's decision to enlist.
Recruiters are honest about the potential dangers, he said.
"We're up front about it," he said. "Our nation is at war. We don't downplay at all the possibilities."
There have been national reports that the military has to spend more money to recruit because of the wars. There are also reports more young people with criminal records and without high school diplomas are being accepted.
Sturtevant said he sometimes accepts recruits who have had minor brushes with the law, but they must prove that they have turned their lives around and are now responsible.
High school dropouts must return to school or get an equivalency diploma before they can enlist, he said.
"I'm proud of all the kids I put in the Army. I don't see a decline in quality at all," he said.
JIM HAND can be reached at 508-236-0399 or at jhand@thesunchronicle.com.
Ellie
Despite worries, they sign on
BY JIM HAND SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
NORTON
When Ashley Haley said she wanted to enlist in the Marines after graduating from Norton High School, her mother said no way.
"We had a long talk about it. I thought we had a plan, and the plan included college," Wendy Murch said.
When Ashley changed her mind and said she wanted to join the Army, where she could become a medic, preparing her for a career after the service, her mother finally relented, despite concerns about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I thought this was not the perfect time for it," she said. "But, she was really determined, and the Army has all the scholarship benefits."
Ashley said she had always wanted to be a doctor.
The medic training and the bonus money she gets from the Army will come in handy if she pursues medical school after her six-year hitch, she said.
But, Ashley concedes, being a medic means she most likely will be headed to Iraq.
Although women are not on the frontlines of combat, they can still be in harm's way. Ashley said she thought long and hard about the risks, but decided the Army is something she wanted to do.
Her classmate at Norton High, senior Dan Champagne, said he had less trouble convincing his parents to allow him to enlist.
He will be going into the Air Force after graduation, and hopes to become an instructor in survival techniques.
Dan's father is a Vietnam veteran and his brother is in the Air Force, so there was little opposition to him joining.
With U.S. causalities rising in Iraq, both teens said they try not to think about the potential dangers, and instead focus on the benefits of military service.
"I try to take it one step at a time," Dan said. "I'm willing to go. That's the responsibility you have when you raise your hand and take the oath."
While some recruits say they try not to dwell on the dangers, many parents cannot help it.
Pam Chin of Plainville has a son who just graduated from Norwich Academy, and who is joining the Marines, and another son who is a cadet at West Point.
Chin said she and her husband are proud of their sons for wanting to defend their country, but are obviously worried.
"You have so much pride, you can't explain it. But, you are also afraid for them," she said.
Area high school guidance counselors said they have noticed a drop in the number of graduates enlisting this year, but the Army said it is still meeting its quotas.
Besides, the Army says, it gets the majority of its recruits among young adults who have already graduated, not from high school seniors about to complete school.
Capt. Scott Sturtevant, commander of the Army's South Shore recruiting company, said he has not noticed any drop off in recruiting.
Some high schools have become more reluctant to allow recruiters on campus, but young men and woman are still signing up, he said.
Sturtevant said recruiters are careful to involve the parents in a young person's decision to enlist.
Recruiters are honest about the potential dangers, he said.
"We're up front about it," he said. "Our nation is at war. We don't downplay at all the possibilities."
There have been national reports that the military has to spend more money to recruit because of the wars. There are also reports more young people with criminal records and without high school diplomas are being accepted.
Sturtevant said he sometimes accepts recruits who have had minor brushes with the law, but they must prove that they have turned their lives around and are now responsible.
High school dropouts must return to school or get an equivalency diploma before they can enlist, he said.
"I'm proud of all the kids I put in the Army. I don't see a decline in quality at all," he said.
JIM HAND can be reached at 508-236-0399 or at jhand@thesunchronicle.com.
Ellie