Growing Problem for Military Recruiters: Parents

Rachel Rogers, a single mother of four in upstate New York, did not worry about the presence of National Guard recruiters at her son’s high school until she learned that they taught students how to throw hand grenades, using baseballs as stand-ins. For the last month she has been insisting that administrators limit recruiters’ access to children.

Orlando Terrazas, a former truck driver in Southern California, said he was struck when his son told him that recruiters were promising students jobs as musicians. Mr. Terrazas has been trying since September to hang posters at his son’s public school to counter the military’s message.

Meanwhile, Amy Hagopian, co-chairwoman of the Parent-Teacher-Student Association at Garfield High School in Seattle, has been fighting against a four-year-old federal law that requires public schools to give military recruiters the same access to students as college recruiters get, or lose federal funding. She also recently took a few hours off work to stand beside recruiters at Garfield High and display pictures of injured American soldiers from Iraq.

“We want to show the military that they are not welcome by the P.T.S.A. in this building,” she said. “We hope other P.T.S.A.’s will follow.”

Two years into the war in Iraq, as the Army and Marines struggle to refill their ranks, parents have become boulders of opposition that recruiters cannot move. (source)

I understand how they feel. But I see the whole thing of military recruiting a bit differently. For years now, since Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell went into effect, I always thought that it was unfair that military recruiters were allowed onto college campuses despite the objections of the college or university involved. Many colleges and universities have policies that prevent discrimination against their students. Well, that doesn’t apply to military recruiters who abide by the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

And if the school tries to enforce their policy and prevent recruiters from recruiting on their campus, they will sooner rather than later face the very real possibility that they will loose not only their state funding, but federal funding as well. This is all because of the Solomon Act *.

So, many of these institutions quickly cave in to the government for fear of loosing their funding. I can’t honestly say I blame them, but, a principle is a principle, is it not? It either means something, or it doesn’t. If it means something, then you push it until it gives and you stand by your convictions. Most schools don’t honestly feel that their gay students are worth it. Some schools are challenging the Solomon Act - cases are pending and the Supreme Court will be hearing the case.

In the meantime, we have this issue with the parents suddenly not wanting military recruiters in their school. They don’t want their sons and daughters recruited into the military, especially when the military recruiters are lying to them about the benefits of being in the military. For the record, none of this is new. Military recruiters will tell you everything you want to hear to get you to sign up. They are on a quota system.

I have read that the Army now has a “special” going on where you can sign up for 15 months. That’s all, just 15 months, and you are out. Bull! What they don’t tell you (small little point), is that there is an executive “stop loss” order in effect. That basically means that at the end of that 15 month period, the military has the ability to override what your enlistment contract says because a stop-loss order has been issued because of the war in Iraq.

There’s even talk now of relaxing or doing away with Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Not because we suddenly want to be fair, but because the military desperately needs people - better the gays go to war to die for a country who really doesn’t want them to begin with (judging by the way our country treats us), than your precious sons.

And after this war is over, I’m sure there will be talks of “reinstating” Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. This is what we are dealing with here - an entity, our military, who will tell anyone anything they want to hear just to get bodies in their ranks.

So, how does it feel parents? My community has fought for years to have dignity and equality in the armed forces. The only thing we have asked is to be able to not violate the Military Code of Conduct by lying about what we are. It’s ironic. The second a gay man or woman takes that oath, they are in violation of that oath because they are not telling the whole truth. The military knows this. The individuals know this. All of you know this. But I guess it’s ok to lie, in some circumstances.

But when it comes time that your sons and daughters are looking at joining the military, suddenly, you want the military to actually tell you the truth?

Why should you have the privilege of living by a higher standard than any queer in the military today? The homosexuals lie to stay in the military. You seem to be OK with that. The military recruiters lie to your kids to get them in. You seem to have a problem with that.

People are so damn self-serving. I suppose people will say that about me - bitching about people in my community being kicked out just for trying to be honest. Hell, all I want is fairness. That’s all. Am I asking too much from our military and you, the parents reading this?

If honesty is good enough for you, it is surely good enough for homosexuals who want only to serve their country openly and honestly. And who knows... if you call your congressman and ask them to let the homosexuals openly serve so they can go and die in this war, it may just save the life of your son.

* Solomon Act references
March 26, 2005 - Yale Law School Stands Up Against Discrimination
December 7, 2004 - A Less Intrusive Government
November 30, 2004 - Appeals court overturns the Solomon Act