Public School Army Recruiting

[Ian Boothby]

Quick question for those with kids in school in the U.S.

I found this link on Michael Moore's site.

http://www.militaryfreezone.org/opt_out

It's apparently a form that you fill out so that the government can't get your teen (if they're a student in public school)'s phone number.

The form says...

Federal public law 107-110, section 9528 of the ESEA, "No Child Left Behind Act" requires school districts to release student names, addresses, and phone numbers to military recruiters upon their request. Students are then called at home by recruiters and pressured to join the military. The law also requires the school district to notify you of your right to Opt-Out from this by requesting that the district not release your information to military recruiters. The completion and return of this form serves as your request to withhold your private information.

My question is, have you heard of this and if so, can they request your child's grades? I know the military recruits in poorer areas where they use the college education carrot on a stick. If they knew which kids would be unlikely to go to college with poor marks that would help in their marketing.

Or is this form just made up bullshit? Anyone on this board with a teen or soon to be teen in a U.S. public school know anything?

[Spike-X]

Anyone on this board with a teen or soon to be teen in a U.S. public school know anything?

Come on, Ian. Everybody knows that parents of teenagers don't know anything!

I hate you! You're ruining my life!!

*slams door*

[Crowley]

well that sound good... as GI Joe taught many a teenager... wars never involve death.

*parachutes*

[matterconsumer]

Many years ago, somehow the military got ahold of my phone number and called me at home.

They offered me a four year scholarship.

The military life was not for me. They called a few times and I let them know that I was not interested.

I still live to talk about it...

It would not surprise me if this practice has been going on for years and years.

I can understand that some would be offended by the military asking folk to join but I didn't consider it an imposition.

Hollywood on the other hand never called to offer a career opportunity:)

[PatrickG]

I can always count on a prolonged silence out of any recruiter when I tell them I'm a theatre major.

[anthony!]

I remember getting a few calls. I think they even were still calling after I had started my first year.

At the time, I was convinced the military life was never for me. Now I'm not so sure, maybe there was something I could have done. Of course, thats the same way I feel about the priesthood. :rolleyes:

[Ian Boothby]

I hear that in the Army the food is mighty fine.

[the4thpip]

With straight chefs? Please.

[Rabid Trekkie]

With straight chefs? Please.

Well at least the army is using food made from this decade. When my grandpa was in WW2 he was eating rations from WW1 and during the Korean War he got rations from WW2. He hated (I think they were called) K Rations.

[tymac]

I don't know that any of this is really new, although I'm not sure what method the recruiters used to use to get personal info. When I was high school age, I had a recruiter who called constantly. He was like an indignant telemarketer. You could not get rid of the guy.

A couple years later he was calling my brother, 5 years after that, my sister. All of us were called during of senior year of HS, so they must have had info with at least the ages and phone numbers. Maybe that's what those inane "aptitude" tests were for.

[Deathstroke]

George Carlin said it best:

Republicans want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers.

[the4thpip]

My main problem with this is something that I find more common with American politics than with German ones: "Tacking on" stuff to government initiatives what has no place being there. "No Child Left Behind" was supposed to improve academic standing, not help the army find new recruits. There is a reason they did not introduce the "Army School Recruitment Act" separately - it's pork for the Pentagon.

[matterconsumer]

It seems to me that the military has already had this information and been using it for recruiting purposes.

The new item appears to be the ability to opt out and not be contacted.

Unfortunately the legislature doesn't work this way --- instead all kinds of things get tacked on and on to legislation which will always allow your political opponent the ability to campaign using your votes against you...

But it would be nice if it were...

[lonewolf23k]

George Carlin said it best:

Republicans want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers.

...And people thought he made a better "Mr Conductor" then Ringo Starr?

[sk716]

I hear that in the Army the food is mighty fine.

Bah! Propaganda!

I was in the Army, right out of high school. The food was awful, horrid, tasteless, slop. And that was just the Mess Hall food.

And then there are the MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat). I can't believe the U.S. Government drops those vile things in starving countries. That's the real reason the rest of the world hates us. You'd hate us to if you were given a packet with an unidentifiable (and disgusting) Main Course, a packet with two pieces of cardboard labeled 'Crackers', another little packet of snot labeled 'Apple Jelly', and that tiny bottle of Tabasco sauce is not enough to drown out the flavor of any of it.
There's also a packet of kool-aid type stuff that tastes like powder, even in water. And a single use amount of "John Wayne" toilet paper.

What miserable food memories.

[Samurai]

The military called and wrote me numerous times, asking me to join. It was mostly because I chose to take the ASVAB test on a lark and scored in the 99% range. I told them my terrible eyesight disqualifies me, which always disappointed them. But heck, it was nice to feel wanted. I'd rather have them call than AT&T asking me to switch long distance carriers...

[PatrickG]

I scored an 80 after TRYING to fail.

On the engineering section, I identified all moving parts as widgets and identified a sledgehammer as the appropriate tool for any job.

[Cam63]

well that sound good... as GI Joe taught many a teenager... wars never involve death.

*parachutes*

You never saw the behind the scenes stuff on the show.

Shattered and melted plastic arms and legs all over the place.

[Buzz Maverik]

Quick question for those with kids in school in the U.S.

I found this link on Michael Moore's site.

http://www.militaryfreezone.org/opt_out

It's apparently a form that you fill out so that the government can't get your teen (if they're a student in public school)'s phone number.

The form says...

Federal public law 107-110, section 9528 of the ESEA, "No Child Left Behind Act" requires school districts to release student names, addresses, and phone numbers to military recruiters upon their request. Students are then called at home by recruiters and pressured to join the military. The law also requires the school district to notify you of your right to Opt-Out from this by requesting that the district not release your information to military recruiters. The completion and return of this form serves as your request to withhold your private information.

My question is, have you heard of this and if so, can they request your child's grades? I know the military recruits in poorer areas where they use the college education carrot on a stick. If they knew which kids would be unlikely to go to college with poor marks that would help in their marketing.

Or is this form just made up bullshit? Anyone on this board with a teen or soon to be teen in a U.S. public school know anything?

This sorta thing has been going on for years. When I was a senior in high school, all the boys had to take a test in November. Fill in the bubbles sorta crap. In January, this idiot friend of mine gets a letter from a military junior college recruiting him. He goes around telling everyone that it was because he did "really good" on the test. This guy never did "really good" on anything except a drug test in his life. Soon, it dawns on me that he's the first dude in our class to turn 18. Soon, we're all getting these letters. Come to think of it, that's probably the closest to college most of those guys got.

[Briareos]

So are you guys finally willing to admit then when you say you support our troops your lying?

[matterconsumer]

Nope!!!!!!

[Michael P]

So are you guys finally willing to admit then when you say you support our troops your lying?
Just as soon as you tell us when you stopped beating your wife.

[the4thpip]

Well!
This thread is going well!
Who here sodomizes their spouses?
:p

[Forsaken_One]

Well!
This thread is going well!
:p
It's a response to a no-win question, not a serious question in and of itself. On the troop question if you answer "yes" then you're admitting you're not supporting the troops. If you answer "no" then you're admitting that you're not yet admitting to not supporting the troops.

And yes, I know you were probably joking, but I felt it was inapropriate and possibly took the above question out of context.

[Spike-X]

So are you guys finally willing to admit then when you say you support our troops your lying?
Yes, not wanting the army to recruit high school kids means that people want US troops overseas to be killed.

Put down the crack pipe.

[DarkOra]

I was in the Army, right out of high school. The food was awful, horrid, tasteless, slop. And that was just the Mess Hall food.
Must be something with the Army then... I was in the Air Force and the mess hall food was pretty good. I was able to get omlettes cooked on the spot for breakfast; had options like baked potatoes, salad bar, made-to-order sandwiches, or the regular menu for lunch; and for dinner, I could get the regular menu or something from the grill (cheeseburgers, grilled ham & cheese, and the like).

As for recruiting... if a recruiter wants contact information, they can easily get it. The DOD (which inludes all those military recruiters) receive information via Selective Service registrations (which is required for males that turn 18 to register unless they're already signed up for a military academy or enlistment program). Penalties for not registering can be fines up to $250K or up to 5 years in jail, so they generally get a good response. You can see who the Selective Service information is shared with here (http://www.sss.gov/PRIVACY.HTM#07).

Also, many small town schools will work with recruiters to administer the ASVAB test (part of which involves you filling out your contact information). And it only really takes one person to talk to a recruiter to get contact information spreading. The recruiter can usually get phone numbers for that kid's friends... and then get info for a couple of those kids friends. Recruiters will also work with businesses to leave out boxes for people to fill out contact sheets for getting information about college education programs. They'll also gather up contact info during career day school functions and through junior ROTC programs. These and tons of other techniques will get them more focused contact information anyways, and having all the phone numbers for an entire school, won't do them that much good because calling every 18-year old in every school in their recruiting service area (including high schools and colleges) would take up way too much time and effort. And how do I know this?

Anyways, just some thoughts to throw out there from a former programmer for Headquarters Air Force Recruiting Service.

[Max]

George Carlin said it best:

Republicans want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers.

Count Democrats in that too. JFK and LBJ gave us 10 years of hell in Vietnam.

[Cam63]

So are you guys finally willing to admit then when you say you support our troops your lying?

I like our troops. It's the politicians I'm not crazy about.

[PatrickG]

I think some people's perspective might be that the best way to support our troops is to avoid sending them to war unless absolutely necessary.

Me, I oppose war altogether. I know that eliminates a few industries and it may be something that would take serious time, consideration and discussion but...

Look at it this way: The best favor you can do a (good) cop is to obey the law. If our system makes it so that cops WANT people to break the law, something's wrong. (And, yes, there are cops who WANT people to break the law so they can bust them which is backwards, IMO.)

Likewise, I think the best thing we can do for our troops is to oppose war. If troops want war (and I know many do) then our society is failing somewhere crucial.

[the4thpip]

I love a man in uniform.

http://americablog.blogspot.com/allphotosx.jpg

Well, except him. But he lied about having been in the army, anyway.

[PatrickG]

Is that Micah Wright or did Vin Diesel and Grant Morrison conceive?

[the4thpip]

Is that Micah Wright or did Vin Diesel and Grant Morrison conceive?
That's gay Conservative Republican Christian Homosexual Military Prostitute Commentator and White House Press Reporter James Guckert/Jeff Gannon.

(more evidence the mainstream media did not cover that story enough)

[PatrickG]

Oy maybe it's a sign that I'm in the middle of finals, I've only watched the news three times in the last year and that I read the Onion with far more frequency that real news because I don't have time to get irrate with the world and become a political activist.

[the4thpip]

And I actually should have called him gay Conservative Republican Christian Homosexual pretend-Military Prostitute Commentator and White House Press Reporter James Guckert/Jeff Gannon.