the recruiter

[frankieG]

its on HBO as a special.  staff Sgt ugie or Uzie something like that.  Louisiana army recruiter.  man what a load of shaZam! this guy is spilling to HS students.  he is doing a chest thumping speech at a high school assembly in full dress.   the guy is like a used car salesman.  ya ya i know i was a recruiter my last couple of years in but i ....hrm..well i never...hrm...well...hrm...shaZam!.   OK so i did dress up in my fulls and pound my chest.  damn I'm gonna shut up.  watch the special if u get a chance.   all those he is recruiting are the poorest of the poor in America.  one candidate is shown at home with her mother and brother.  her teen brother is looking in the fridge for food, u know with the door wide open and lookin in.  the mother pipes up and says "i told you there ain't nothing but grapes"  " i don't know what you are having for supper" I'm taking care of me"  they are joining to escape poverty.  for the majority it will be the best move they have made.  for some it will be not so good and for some more it will be the end.  in a country as great as ours no one should be going hungry, without health care and without hope.

the recruiters help take people out of their poverty and give them direction in life and ultimately(depending on the recruit) a college education.   i like to think that i did some good as a recruiter but then i remember jimmy.   jimmy is the son of Jim pentland.  Sgt Jim pentland was my driver in Bosnia.  he was shot in the chest sitting right beside me and i got it in the forearm.  as it turned out Jim and i were both OK and made it out.  when jimmy at 17 was graduating HS Jim sent him to see me.  i recruited him and gave him his oath of allegiance.  last year jimmy was killed in a  terrorist ambush over there.  i saw Jim after jimmy was killed and told him i was sorry.  Jim does not put any of the blame on me but in the dark of night when i am alone in bed i can't help but think...what if.....

[ohgood]

the father allowed his son to serve, you were the recruiter, not the terrorist.

would i let my son ?  i think not.

would i recruit my own son ? i think not.

your job was to recruit, to help the ones you could, give them all the benefits and leg-ups they could recieve. you did your job frankie, let it go.

[bikejunkie223]

I put a lot of people in the Marines when I was a recruiter, admittedly there wasn't a war on (a pointless goddamn war but that's another topic) but for a lot of people the military is a great way to get out of dodge, get some education, make some money, or just get straightened out. Public funds pay for education in this country, and recruiters should have the right to offer what they have to kids. Kids have the right to tell them to bugger off. Teens should have as many choices as possible available to them so they can make the best decision for themselves what to do with their life. If the way this country is run upsets you so go back to Canada. Here we are free to make our own choices and free to tell a recruiter to suck it if you aren't interested. I can tell you what- when you roll into a dying logging town with a bunch of opportunity for kids- a lot of them are really grateful for the chance to make something of themselves.