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Educating and mobilizing for |
Committee for Countering Military Recruitment
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Counter Military Recruiting is Active in Lane County
Truth In Recruiting, (formerly the Committee for Countering Military Recruitment) a joint project of Community Alliance of Lane County (CALC) and the Eugene Chapter of Veterans for Peace aims to expose and oppose the militarization of youth by countering the mis-information that military recruiters share and to promoting alternatives to military service. We have a presence in every public high school in Lane County and most of the alternative high schools as well.
By "presence" we mean we are in each high school in a way similar to military recruiters. If they are in the cafeteria, we are; if they are confined to the career office, we are. We have our brochures in the career offices and talk with school staff to make sure they have some basic understandings about recruiting abuses & mis-information. In all school districts, we work to get policies and procedures about military recruiter access to students that conform with the law. The law only affords military recruiters access that is equal & similar to the access other recruiters have.
We have materials in Spanish & English. We make particular efforts to reach Latinos, immigrants, and those who are low-income or from rural areas, as they are especially targeted by military recruiters. Male immigrants, documented or undocumented, between the ages of 18 & 26 have an especially hard issue: if they do not register for Selective Service, they may forever be ineligible for citizenship.
Need more information? Contact Truth in Recruiting (formerly Committee for Countering Military Recruitment) at 541-485-1755 or ckvanhouten@comcast.net
QUICKLINKS
Key Facts | The DREAM Act | Options for
High School Students | Selective Service Information
Key Facts to Know About Military Recruitment
The Enlistment Contract What you sign is a contract on you, but not on the military. They can change it at any time for any reason. Check section 9(b) that states “changes (in laws and regulations) may affect my status, pay, allowances, benefits, and responsibilities as a member of the Armed Forces REGARDLESS of the provisions of this enlistment document.” If you do not get the job, training or location you expected — and that is listed on your contract — you cannot just leave the military; only the military decides if you can leave before the end of your enlistment contract.
Enlistment is for 8 years The period of time of active duty is generally less than 8 years, but you can be called back to duty or not released at the end of your active duty commitment if your unit is scheduled to be deployed. This is called “stop loss.”
Military Life Ask yourself if you are willing to kill people or blow things up when ordered to do so. These are the tasks of the military. If these don’t fit for you, you are not unpatriotic, you just don’t need to join the military.
Patriotism, Pride, Challenge and Travel Many enlist because of appeals to a sense of patriotism, pride and challenge. Ask yourself what is your definition of patriotism? Don’t just accept the images the military uses to sell youth on enlistment How else could you feel pride and challenge?
Money for College First, do yourself the favor of checking out other sources of money for college so that you can assess whether it is worth it to you to delay college until after being in the military. Would it be worth it if you lost your life, body parts or mental well-being? Is it worth it to you to delay getting started on your life? Have you considered completing college first and then assessing whether it is worth it to negotiate for the military to pay off any student loans in return for your enlistment? Starting in the summer of 2009, Congress greatly increased the amount of money for the college benefit available for those who complete at least 3 years of active duty in the military, receive an honorable discharge and then choose further education. Unlike civilian sources of money for college, the military benefit is only gained if you successfully meet all the military requirements.
Enlist in the Navy or Air Force to avoid Iraq/Afghanistan service. Navy and Air Force members are being deployed to serve in the infantry due to the shortage of Army, Marines and National Guard forces.
Command Rape. High numbers of women report being harassed, cornered and raped in the military, at least 2 to 3 times higher than the rate in civilian life. About 90% of women report being harassed. Often the perpetrator is one’s commander, which means a woman has no safe place to report or get help.
Immigrants and the Military Documented immigrants are a major target of military recruiters, armed with promises (sometimes hard to get fulfilled) of immediate citizenship—along with all the other types of mis-information that military recruiters use to sell youth on enlisting in the military. Both documented and undocumented immigrant males should register with Selective Service when they turn 18, as failure to do so is against the law and could be grounds to deny citizenship in the future. Leave the Social Security number space blank if you do not have a number.
Is enlistment in the military the best way to achieve my goals? It is wise to figure out your goals when thinking of enlisting, consider alternative avenues, and check what recruiters are promising with military veterans, especially ones who have served in combat.
Will I fit into the military life style? The military is a unique bureaucracy; it is all about following command. That means you give up control—of about everything.
You Can Change Your Mind About Military Service. Something or someone made you think that joining the military was a good idea. Now you are having second thoughts. Maybe the promises made by the recruiter don't sound so good anymore. Maybe you found out about some of the drawbacks to military service.
Here's the good news: you are still a civilian, as long as you have not sworn in at Basic Training. That means you can change your mind and not go. It really is as simple as that.
You can just not go to Basic Training or you can write a letter to the commander of the recruiting office stating that you changed your mind and want to separate from military service. Include in your letter that no one is to contact you about your decision. People changing their minds after signing enlistment papers, but before going to Basic Training, happens so frequently that the military has forms just for this purpose.
Here are some tips about writing a letter of refusal:
-Find the address of the recruiting office on your enlistment papers. You do not need to know the name of the commander, just address him (probably a him) by title.
-You do not have to state a reason for declining to enlist; any reason will do.
-Definitely state that you do not want anyone to contact you to try to change your mind. If you don't state that, you can count on pressure. Some recruiters try to pressure you to go to Basic Training with misinformation that you have already sworn in or that something else negative will happen to you such as prison or some other threat. These are not true and recruiting regulations prohibit this behavior on the part of recruiters.
Whatever you do, if you change your mind, don't go to the recruiting office or to MEPS (military entrance processing station). This will make yourself available to be talked out of your decision.
Nothing negative will happen to you if you don't go; except being hassled by the recruiter. However, once you have sworn in at Basic Training, it is very difficult to get out. Only the military decides that you can leave before your contract is up—and they will try first to make you fit in. THAT is a very unpleasant experience.
Need this confirmed in bureaucratic writing? Google USAREC 601-56, Sec 3-3.
Some people believe regulations are different for the National Guard. Often the National Guard tries to persuade you that you can't get out, especially if you have gone the so-called "split training" route or if you have been paid to attend some training. Split Basic Training can mean that between junior & senior years of high school, you do half the basic training. You can still get out before Phase II of Basic Training or the second summer of Basic Training if you go the "split" route. Check AR 963.10 Sec 5-2.
Need more information? Contact Truth in Recruiting (formerly the Committee for Countering Military Recruitment) at 541- 485-1755 or ckvanhouten@comcast.net
QUICKLINKS
Key Facts | The DREAM Act | Options for
High School Students | Selective Service Information
The Dream Act
It’s a long time dream: a path to citizenship, but there are some problems with it
Comprehensive immigration reform is what is needed. Until that happens the DREAM Act could be one step in that direction—and it may come for a vote in Congress soon.
So inform yourself. Learn about the positives and negatives of this Act.
What is the DREAM Act:
The DREAM Act would provide a path to documentation and citizenship for those students whose parents brought them to the United States some years earlier, who earn a high school diploma and then complete at least 2 years of college or military service and meet some other criteria.
Positives:
This Act is what many are dreaming of. Unless it passes undocumented youth will continue to not be able to get driver’s licenses, receive financial aid, even to safely hold a job. Their situation is desperate; passing this Act gives talented Latino youth a future as productive members of the community.
Negatives:
Undocumented youth will become vulnerable targets of military recruiters who have a long history of telling only part of the facts about military life to prospective enlistees. Latinos, underrepresented in the military traditionally, are already a targeted group by military recruiters. The DREAM Act gives the recruiters easy access to exactly the population they are most interested in: high school graduates who believe they have no other avenue to a financially secure and full life and who may often be most vulnerable to the belief that military enlistment is the only or best way to show patriotism.
Further, the Act does not include any sources of financial aid for college.
Suggested Action:
Inform yourself and Latino youth about all the facts about military enlistment. For some youth joining the military is a good option, but only if they are fully informed so that they can make an informed choice, having explored all their options, between college or other education and military enlistment.
Need more information? Contact Jorge or Carol at 541-485-1755 or ckvanhouten@comcast.net
QUICKLINKS
Key Facts | The DREAM Act | Options for
High School Students | Selective Service Information
Career Options for High School Students
You have many choices: college is one, military enlistment is another. Maybe neither of these appeals to you. If so, check below for other ideas.
Lane Workforce Partnership Youth Program for youth ages 14 - 21
Follow the link to Youth Services. This program offers many services & opportunities for job training, skill building and guidance. Contact: Laneworkforcepartnership.org
Northwest Youth Corps for youth ages 14-19
This program offers education and job skill training with outdoor adventure.
Contact: 541-349-5055 or email: outdoorschool@northwestyouthcorps.org
Jobs Corps for youth ages 16 to 24
Provides career training, on-the-job training, skill training and education for a high school diploma or GED. Contact: 800-733-JOBS or 541-342-1868
Apprenticeships, age 18 and up
Connects you to registered apprenticeship opportunities throughout Oregon. Apprenticeships are paid on-the-job training and classroom instruction in many trades. Completing an apprenticeship is one of the best forms of job security.
Contact: Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, 971-673-0760
Americorps, for ages 17 and up
Americorps members gain skills and experience by working in local organizations to solve community problems. They earn a stipend while in the program and a lump sum award at completion.
Contact: 800-942-2677
QUICKLINKS
Key Facts | The DREAM Act | Options for
High School Students | Selective Service Information