To Combat the Recession, High School Students Turn to the Military as a Way Out

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:57:31 GMT

By Tammy Chan

Heber Brown III
Teenage boys at basic training.

Increasing college tuition. Rising unemployment. For students who are on the verge of going on to college and for their concerned parents, it all has an all-too-familiar ring. The instability in the world is rapidly affecting all, with no obvious end in sight. Because of economic factors, more teens are considering joining the military as they make decisions about their post-high school direction. Recruiters from nearby recruiting centers hold school assemblies on the topic. However,this makes some students feel pressure to enlist. “It’s uncomfortable,” Travis Clemington, 17, said. “They sort of hunt you down and suck you in a warp and ask you lots of question till you break down and begin to think about the military more and more. It was that or they asked more questions about our plans—which mine at the time weren’t looking too good.” With the country’s economy worsening, the number of young people considering a military career has significantly increased for the first time in about five years, buoyed by more positive news out of Iraq, according to Staff Sergeant Curtis Lancaster of the Air Force recruiting center in Jamaica, Queens. All branches of the military are experiencing an increase in recruitment. Military officials are predicting that interest will rise even further if the economy continues to suffer. The percentage of young people who said they would probably join the military increased from 9 percent to 11 percent in the first half of this year,according to a Pentagon-sponsored survey. The poll questioned 3,304 young people ages of 16 to 21. People join the military for a great variety of reasons: Some want to nobly defend their country against attack; some seek training and education otherwise unavailable to them; some want to follow a family tradition; some crave to be heroes; some want to take big risks to experience life at its limits; some are ambitious for high rank and power; some want a ticket out of ghetto life— to get a job that they hope will provide a credential and an employable skill for the future and some just plain want money during this time of economic struggle. Andrew Walters, 17, of Kew Gardens plans to be among those joining up. “It’s something I’ve waited for since I was 9; after seeing the commercials on TV, I knew it was my calling,” Walters said. “The money would be great [too].” Mandatory military service ended in 1973; since then, the United States has relied on a volunteer military. However, the term “volunteer” doesn’t accurately describe why teens have historically considered the option of the military. By the early 1980s, the term “poverty draft” had gained currency to indicate that the enlisted ranks of the military were made up of young people with limited economic opportunities. Patriotism and “duty to one’s country” motivates some enlistees, but many young people who join wind up in the military for different reasons, ranging from the promise of citizenship to economic pressure to the desire to escape a dead-end situation at home. People join “more because of the money,” said Lancaster, the Air Force staff sergeant. According to a 2007 Associated Press analysis, “nearly three-fourths of [the U.S. troops] killed in Iraq came from towns where the per capita income was below the national average. More than half came from towns where the percentage of people living in poverty topped the national average.” “I have no job,” said Walters. “I wanted to do something I was interested in. That’s why I wanted to be an Airman. That and the money.” As a rising senior at Thomas Edison High School, Walters views this as his best opportunity, even though he has an 87 grade point average. “I have no othe roptions beside this,” he said. “I want something to do after I graduate. Going to college isn’t for me, it just won’t feel right.” Financial hardships drive many like him to view the military’s promise of money for college as their only hope to study beyond high school. Referring to young people who stay home rather than attend college, Lancaster said, “They’re not going anywhere there. This place is a dead end. I can offer them more.” Whatever reason young people have for joining up, now is the time when they are making important decisions about the future, when summer is almost over and school starts once again in the fall. “I know this is what I want,” said Walters. “I can feel it.”

The Paw Print

To Combat the Recession, High School Students Turn to the Military as a Way Out