Recruiter RANT
A poor unwitting soul on a friend's journal hath sparked a fury within me.
I can no longer sit back and condone people whining about military recruiters and their tactics. They claim that military recruiters prey on the poor and helpless, forcing or tricking them into dying uselessly.
I'm a suburban white kid who grew up in a good situation, we had recruiters come to our school as well. The military is a damn good job, especially in business world where competition is huge and company loyalty to their employees is fading. The military gives people a sense of pride and belonging to something greater than themselves, and even greater than just this point in time. The retirement benefits are some of the best in the country right now, there is a great chance for education, and some of the most unbiased chance for regular promotion in any job anywhere. In the military you may be seen as a number, but at least all of the nameless numbers are judged by their job performance rather than their skin color or belief.
As far as the "oh, but what if you die?!" argument, I'd rather risk my life doing something that made a difference than live safe in a grey cube farm my whole life.
The problem is that people watch manipulated movies like "Farenheit 9/11" and allow Michael Moore to give them their opinion. I'm tired of the edited fictions being laid out, so here's some truth borne of sweat, time, and experience.
So tell me what is wrong with pursuring kids in desperate situations? The military is a good chance. The current Sgt Maj of the Marine Corps had NOTHING in his future, and now he's the second highest man in the Marines, and he'll retire before he's 50. Seems like a damned fine problem to have, if you ask me. I know that the military has it's problems, and it is far from a perfect world. But I've been in corporate America, and I've been in the military. I'm happy where I'm at now, and I believe that it's one of the best jobs available today.
So again, I ask. Where is the problem in offering a solid job and a good chance at a future to people who have little to look forward to? Instead of thinking that recruiters are merely shopping at a recruit meat market, maybe we should support them for giving other kids a chance. Oftentimes, recruiters request to return to the place they came from because they came from that exact situation themselves. What's wrong with believing in the system enough that you want to offer it to someone else?
I may be 27, unmarried, and just finishing my degree. Perhaps I'm behind the trend in those things, and I accept that as my choice. But in exchange for those lags in my "normalcy curve", I have had experiences already that most of my peers will NEVER experience. I have stood on the footprints at Parris Island. I have fired every machine gun between the M-16 and the M19. I can shoot a 12" target from 500 yards. I hang out around helicopters everyday. I have gained invaluable and marketable leadership training and experience. I know what it is like to truly be at risk for your life, which makes my life more valuable everyday. I have sweated in labor to help the children of Honduras. I have tasted the dust of the Middle East. I have been applauded as the new Veteran by men who've lost friends and limbs in wars more brutal than ours. I have been given a sense of self that I'd gain nowhere else, and it's not based on job position, false security, or money. It's based on my own personal accomplishment. I have pushed myself to the limits, and then taken those limits further. I am part of a unique brotherhood that requires nothing other than being called Marine. I earn the respect of those who know me and those who don't simply because of the assured nature of my being. That assured nature and the promise of a secured future is the result of my time in the Marine Corps.
So again I ask... instead of complaining that recruiters use biased or brutal tactics to find recruits, why aren't you looking into the job yourself? One should be so lucky, if they are even able to find the mental strength to complete the training. Don't belittle those who are willing to put forth the effort to better themselves and get out of their impoverished life situations.
I can no longer sit back and condone people whining about military recruiters and their tactics. They claim that military recruiters prey on the poor and helpless, forcing or tricking them into dying uselessly.
I'm a suburban white kid who grew up in a good situation, we had recruiters come to our school as well. The military is a damn good job, especially in business world where competition is huge and company loyalty to their employees is fading. The military gives people a sense of pride and belonging to something greater than themselves, and even greater than just this point in time. The retirement benefits are some of the best in the country right now, there is a great chance for education, and some of the most unbiased chance for regular promotion in any job anywhere. In the military you may be seen as a number, but at least all of the nameless numbers are judged by their job performance rather than their skin color or belief.
As far as the "oh, but what if you die?!" argument, I'd rather risk my life doing something that made a difference than live safe in a grey cube farm my whole life.
The problem is that people watch manipulated movies like "Farenheit 9/11" and allow Michael Moore to give them their opinion. I'm tired of the edited fictions being laid out, so here's some truth borne of sweat, time, and experience.
So tell me what is wrong with pursuring kids in desperate situations? The military is a good chance. The current Sgt Maj of the Marine Corps had NOTHING in his future, and now he's the second highest man in the Marines, and he'll retire before he's 50. Seems like a damned fine problem to have, if you ask me. I know that the military has it's problems, and it is far from a perfect world. But I've been in corporate America, and I've been in the military. I'm happy where I'm at now, and I believe that it's one of the best jobs available today.
So again, I ask. Where is the problem in offering a solid job and a good chance at a future to people who have little to look forward to? Instead of thinking that recruiters are merely shopping at a recruit meat market, maybe we should support them for giving other kids a chance. Oftentimes, recruiters request to return to the place they came from because they came from that exact situation themselves. What's wrong with believing in the system enough that you want to offer it to someone else?
I may be 27, unmarried, and just finishing my degree. Perhaps I'm behind the trend in those things, and I accept that as my choice. But in exchange for those lags in my "normalcy curve", I have had experiences already that most of my peers will NEVER experience. I have stood on the footprints at Parris Island. I have fired every machine gun between the M-16 and the M19. I can shoot a 12" target from 500 yards. I hang out around helicopters everyday. I have gained invaluable and marketable leadership training and experience. I know what it is like to truly be at risk for your life, which makes my life more valuable everyday. I have sweated in labor to help the children of Honduras. I have tasted the dust of the Middle East. I have been applauded as the new Veteran by men who've lost friends and limbs in wars more brutal than ours. I have been given a sense of self that I'd gain nowhere else, and it's not based on job position, false security, or money. It's based on my own personal accomplishment. I have pushed myself to the limits, and then taken those limits further. I am part of a unique brotherhood that requires nothing other than being called Marine. I earn the respect of those who know me and those who don't simply because of the assured nature of my being. That assured nature and the promise of a secured future is the result of my time in the Marine Corps.
So again I ask... instead of complaining that recruiters use biased or brutal tactics to find recruits, why aren't you looking into the job yourself? One should be so lucky, if they are even able to find the mental strength to complete the training. Don't belittle those who are willing to put forth the effort to better themselves and get out of their impoverished life situations.