This is not really a support issue, but rather a thread to vent and get some things off my chest without resultant flaming (in this forum at least). Those of you who post here regularly know who I am, but I am posting this anonymously to protect my identity from others who may surf in.
First off, I love the military. Work hard, play hard, earn excellent pay and benefits for what I do. Been there done that for a few different sides of the military and now I have been detailed as a Recruiter. This job should be easy, and it is in certain places. Hours are great (for the time being), I love interacting with the public and sharing experiences, not to mention trying to make a difference in people's lives. That said, I differ from many other Recruiters in that I do not consider myself a "salesman". The military is not for everyone and I do not believe I should have to "sell" anything to the public. Our record speaks for itself. I will gladly sit down and discuss options, benefits and share my own story. I will also help to mentor young men and women and guide them towards their goals. If someone decides to take another course, so be it. I still get paid the same regardless. I do not lie awake at night worrying about having a job in the morning if I don't make a quota or meet my boss' expectations.
That aside, let me talk about some of the trends I am noticing. Some sadden me while others damn near piss me off:
Drugs: I don't judge. Many people have smoked pot and more than a few have done more serious drugs. Be straightforward and honest about it. Don't lie and say you haven't smoked for months then turn up positive on a drug screen. It is a waste of my time and yours, not to mention taxpayer money. Similarly, don't suddenly recall you did cocaine back in 1988 at MEPS after you swore to me that you never did anything illegal. Of everyone I know both in and out of the military there are only a handful who have never tried anything illegal. All the holier than thou bullshit is just that. Fess up, don't be ashamed, but be smart. That's all there is to it.
Criminal charges: "I've never been arrested." Until the police records check comes back with three pages. Tell me out front. If you can't join, you can't join. If you might be able to join I will do what I can. Also, the questions we ask tell you to include charges that were dismissed, expunged, etc, etc, etc. Basically, if you have ever had any interaction with the police or justice system, I need to know. Background investigators are good at finding stuff you don't tell us and we don't find. Someone will eventually find out if you joined under false pretenses. If you make through an enlistment or career after lying about criminal history, count yourself lucky.
"Last resort": One of the things that sadden me. A kid comes in wanting to join. He is in his early twenties and says this is his last resort. There is always something to it. On probation and/or convicted of a felony, possession of narcotics, domestic abuse, a dropout without a GED, or just plain unable to score well on the ASVAB. Regardless, I feel sorry for these poor kids who told themselves for years that the military would always take them only to find out that we want nothing to do with them. The military is one of the harder "jobs" to get. Especially now, if you are not a high school grad with a clean record, it will be hard to get in. We do an extensive background check going back ten years, drug screening, physical, aptitude test, and other screening methods to ensure that today's military is smarter and fights harder than any previous iteration. It is a last resort only for those few who stay clean and smart long enough to realize they need to join.
Prior service Part I: I for one appreciate the fact that you volunteered one or more times in the past. I am also of the opinion that you should have stayed in. Many people get out and find that they really didn't have it too bad in uniform. Others get out and become quite successful but wish to re-enter for whatever reason. When people aren't joining, prior service might get a choice of jobs and even a bonus. Right now, they aren't. If you had a nice desk job during eight years in the military then got out to become a security guard, don't gripe when you are only offered Infantry to come back in. The military will commit to its best and brightest members. Those members that do not commit to the military break that trust. While I don't necessarily agree with it, I can't say I blame the powers that be for wanting to save the more technical and "better" jobs for young men and women straight out of high school or college. After all, if you took the money and ran once, why spend the money to retrain you in another skill? Note that this does not apply to those men and women who get out to go to college, then wish to rejoin as officers.
"Go to war or go to jail": Another misconception. This kind of goes hand in hand with the "last resort" and criminal charges, but we get more than a few people who seem to think that the military is a magic cure-all for outstanding warrants, pending cases, recent arrests, house arrest, and probation. It is not. Recruiters are prohibited from attempting to influence any judge, attorney or other member of the judicial process. Reap what you sow. If it turns out to be a big harvest, don't turn to me to get you off. Nine times out of ten you wouldn't qualify regardless.
College: Face it, not everyone will go to college. Not everyone that starts college will finish it. Lack of motivation or discipline, financial concerns and failure to maintain grades are just some of the factors. One of the more frustrating aspects of being a Recruiter is listening to kids who say the party line, "I'm going to college." They might be graduating in a week and have no idea which college they want to attend, never took the SAT or ACT, haven't thought about how to pay for it, and barely made it through high school with a C average. Yet they are all going to college. Every...last...one of them. A few years down the line they might fit into one of the categories I spoke about above.
Overprotective parents/stuck-up kids: Most of these automatically fall into the College category. The parent's "baby" WILL be going to college and will NOT be joining the military. I am not here to lead a teenager down the wrong path. My motto is that knowledge is free and that even the most fervently anti-military families should at least sit down and talk with me. It is a big decision. My leaders may not like it, but I will not hesitate to sit down with someone I know will not be joining. The thing is, it seems the most open-minded kids who agree to sit down despite having solid plans have the most overprotective parents. Having a father or mother get hostile because their seventeen or eighteen year old son made a mature decision to learn about the military seems to be setting that kid up for failure. Children learn from everything, and sheltering a soon-to-be adult isn't healthy in my lowly opinion. As a father myself, the last thing I will do is limit my child's opportunities due to some petty impression I have. As a parent, if you are concerned that I am a silver-tongued devil, sit down with us. In fact I always ask highschoolers to include their parents during the appointment. If you have no intention to join, at least you will walk away with a better idea of what the military is and isn't. While you may not join yourself, my theory is that you might have a decent enough impression to refer a friend who doesn't have a good plan in life.
Prior service Part II: The bad 'uns. Some people leave the military with a bad taste in their mouths (some quite literally). No one's experience is all-encompassing. Very few of us who complete our enlistments honorably will bad mouth our service. We will share both the good and the bad. Even as a Recruiter I do this. My good times have far eclipsed my bad ones, but I will not glaze over going a week without food or hearing the crack of rounds inches from my head. Young men and women are impressionable. They will listen to everyone, and I have seen a few people who were convinced not to join by "friends" who were in the military at one time or another. Almost without exception, digging deeper into these "friends" service they were either discharged early or skidded by in the National Guard or Reserves. In other words, they had no idea what completing a few years of active service is like.
INTERMISSION :potty:
Now for part two, this will be a lot shorter but will elaborate on why some of the above topics frustrate me.
Prior service (both parts): The military is one of the easiest jobs to keep and perform. Be where you need to be at the right time and in the right uniform. If you are not the best at your job someone will help you. If you still can't perform you will do another job. You are guaranteed a pay raise every year for your first four years and every two years after that, not to mention typically getting a cost of living raise every January. Promotions are relatively quick (in some branches faster than others, but almost always faster than comparable civilian jobs), leading to higher pay. Everyone gets the same benefits, from the newest Private to the oldest General. Sometimes it gets hard to stay in (particularly during downsizing), but for the most part doing the right thing will ensure that you have to chance to keep your job, get trained in another job, and even get a large bonus for deciding to stay in. Maintain good work ethic, strive for promotion and you can guarantee that you will have a career for at least twenty years. You can't get fired, most things that would get you discharged would net you jail time in the civilian world. If you decided to get out after one or two enlistments you have job experience, vocational training and valuable management experience that few of your non-veteran peers would have. Make the most of it whatever you do and don't go crying about getting kicked out or whining because you can only come back in as a grunt.
College: The GI Bill is about to get much better. Even the most college-oriented families should open their eyes to this. If you don't have scholarships and are planning to work or get loans, consider the military. In August the post-9/11 GI Bill goes into effect, paying three years tuition (ie: a four-year degree) up to the maximum in-state tuition at a public university in that state. Private universities have the option of covering half of any additional tuition under the Yellow Ribbon program, with the VA paying the other half; even Yale has decided to join this program. For three years of paid active service in the military, a person so inclined could go to Yale without cost for four years, actually getting paid $2225 a month (E-5 w/dependent BAH for New Haven) for the nine months a year he/she was in school, effectively getting paid over $80,000 to earn a degree at Yale. I have a feeling more than a few future politicians will be taking advantage of this.
Before even considering the GI Bill, there is the $4500 a year tuition assistance. I took advantage of this last year, and honestly need to do so more often. It is entirely possible for a motivated person to sign up for three years and leave with an associate's degree and a few extra credits, making it possible for the GI Bill to cover a Master's degree or beyond.
Before this turns from a rant into a full-blown "I Want You" commercial, allow me to close with this. The military is truly not for everyone, and the US military in particular often has to fight in unpopular wars for various political reasons. I realize that I am a part of the institution now more than ever but it is still hard to believe that more young men and women and their parents don't look at the military as a means to an end as opposed to an end itself. Though I will make a career of this and have never agreed with joining the military solely to go to college, I honestly believe that using it as a stepping stone is a better choice now than ever. There are many obstacles in the path for a majority of Americans, yet seeking to better yourself should help to surpass those obstacles. Everyone has their own definition of success, and mine is nowhere near as ambitious as most. Do what it takes to be successful and live life to its fullest.
The End whew...
