Predatory military recruitment practices have turned a profession once viewed as a high honor into a field of gimmicks and recruiters trying to meet quotas.
The No Child Left Behind Act allowed military professionals access to high school students. This invites predatory recruitment methods into schools. Considering that teenagers are likely to make quick, impulsive decisions, preying on their innocence is unethical.
“I see two trends with people wanting to join the military. One, free school and two, a way out of a previous life,” said Kenneth Johnson, a retired Air Force aerospace jet mechanic.
Impoverished and inner-city youth have targets on their backs when it comes to the recruitment process. Many jump at the promise of free education, signing bonuses and healthcare.
Targeting the financial insecurities of minors is an easy way to get them to sign the dotted line.
Not only is this done via recruitment but also through Reserve Officers’ Training Corps programs. As recently as 2017, there were over 500,000 adolescents in ROTC nationwide. Of those youth, 56% of them qualify for free or reduced lunch according to a study done by the RAND Corporation.
ROTC programs don’t market themselves as recruitment. Regardless, having children as young as 14 dress in military uniforms, present the nation’s colors, do physical training and more is a way to push youth into the military.
The topic of military recruiters has reached social media. There are thousands of TikTok videos mocking the great lengths that recruiters go for their job. In these videos, the person behind the camera says, “[last name], why did you join the military?” The response is usually, ‘for the money, my recruiter lied to me,’ or ‘I wasn’t smart enough for college.’” This highlights both the several reasons people join, but it also shows the similar backgrounds military personnel come from.
The negative recruitment stories beg the question: Why are recruiters going to such great lengths? It could be that every branch of the military is facing a recruiting shortage, according to CNBC.
Recruiters are running into some common problems that prevent young people from enlisting, including poor physical or mental health and mistrust of the government. The Reagan National Defense Survey reports that American trust in the military has dropped from 70% to 56% from 2018 to 2021.
To combat their reluctance, different compensation incentives have been added to enlistment contracts. But upon entering the service, the reality often doesn’t match the dreams sold. Recruiters shouldn’t make false promises to potential recruits. They especially shouldn’t target impoverished youth.
While the recruitment process is calculated, there are benefits to joining the military.
“The military helped me in a lot of ways with discipline, focusing on the task at hand and the willingness to speak up,” Johnson said. “Without the training, I would not have the depth of knowledge in my civilian career if I had not been in the military. It’s hard to say where I would be without the military, but one thing is for certain I don’t believe I would be able to handle hard situations with the ease I do now.”
The military can offer great benefits, but that doesn’t negate the devious ways it acquires its employees. Improving recruitment methods can lead to more positive testimonies like Johnson’s.
America’s need to be the strongest military in the world shouldn’t supersede the well-being of the youth in this country.
Resolving the current issues within each branch and doing honest recruiting may bring a sense of morality back to the process.
Jemiah Clemons is an 18-year-old kinesiology freshman from Miami, Florida.
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