From career fair booths to in-class presentations, military recruiters use campus visits to promote future enlistment. Their approach leads to mixed reactions among students – some appreciate the way recruiters introduce students to the benefits of service, and others question if the military is represented in a complete and ethical manner.
In junior Marcella Calfee’s construction class, military recruiters often have enlistment presentations. She has seen less promotion for other career opportunities, but the focus on military service does not concern her.
“It hasn’t seemed odd to me because a lot of people in that class do take that route (enlisting in the military),” Calfee said. “I don’t feel like it’s a horrible thing to have only them (military recruiters) come in because it is an option that covers healthcare, jobs, everything.”
While the benefits of service are unique, senior Danielle Raylene Cruz is skeptical of the emphasis recruiters place on financial aid. Her uncle passed away during his military service, and she believes that ethical recruitment tactics should warn students about the dangers of military service in addition to the benefits.
“Yes, you get college tuition and you get really good financial aid for everything in your life, but that’s why they give you all of this aid and benefit: you’re risking your whole life,” Cruz said. “I think that they should educate people more about the risks and benefits, to differentiate them and not view it (service) as one whole benefit.”
To Master Sergeant Ben Knight, the Air Force recruiter assigned to SCHS, warning students about student debt is not a fear tactic. Exposing them to life-changing military scholarships is not meant to be manipulative. Instead, Knight believes that he helps students by exposing them to advantageous opportunities.
“It (serving in the military) is definitely a smart financial decision. Part of every conversation that I have with high school students is just that. If you want to go to college, how are you going to pay for it?” Knight said. “Very few can pay for it themselves, or have wealthy family members or parents that can do it for them. That’s one huge benefit that we push out there.”
Military service may have multiple benefits in addition to drawbacks, and math teacher Paul Jacquard does not believe that recruiters are an unethical way to expose students to those factors. Instead, he believes high school seniors are old enough to weigh the pros and cons of service for themselves.
“When I was 19, my daughter was already one year old. I think I was more mature then than I am now at fifty-seven,” Jacquard said. “At some point, you need to gain your independence. There’s more than one way to gain your independence, but the military is definitely an easier option.”
Calfee also believes that students are capable of making their own choices about military service, and she believes that the U.S. military meets its ethical burden by giving students the opportunity to evaluate the value of service for themselves.
“In other countries, people are forced into the military, whereas in our country, it is a choice. It feels like our country is better than other countries because it is a choice and not like, ‘You have to do this,’” Calfee said.
In order to take advantage of the choice they are given, Knight believes students must be properly informed. Although the military does include some level of risk, he believes that students often overestimate the danger of military service.
“The stereotype is typically that you join the military if you can’t get into a college – it’s your Plan B or Plan C – then you get sent to war, get your limbs blown off, and have PTSD for the rest of your life,” Knight said. “Does that exist? Sure, in certain rare cases, but the vast majority of people that join the military do their service and they walk away with the benefits.”
As long as recruiters are honest in their portrayal of service, Cruz sees no problem with students enlisting into the military.
“I think it just depends on someone’s values,” Cruz said. “If they (students) really want to commit to that, I think they should. It’s good that they (military recruiters) are opening up their minds to that.”
Jacquard supports introducing students to the details of military service, just as he would introduce them to the pros and cons of other career paths. For students to understand what the military experience is like, he thinks personal interaction with military recruiters is important.
“I know students don’t think about it, but there is life after high school,” Jacquard said. “It (joining the military) is a wonderful option, so I encourage the recruiters to come here and say, ‘Here’s what the military has to offer.'”