The U.S. Army is going all out with TV ads: “U.S. Army. Help Them Find Their Strength.”
Then there’s the spiffy Web site that features drum beat audio that I swear mimics the human heartbeat.
But, if I had a high school grad thinking about the military, I know what I’d suggest. From The Seattle Weekly:
Compare that with another vocation open to high-school graduates: military service. An entry-level Army soldier earns $14,321 a year, although that doesn’t account for the free room and board. A sergeant with six years experience makes $25,567, exclusive of room and board. No wonder the Army is having trouble meeting recruiting targets.
Dare I mention that Seattle offers a more temperate climate than Fallujah and Mosul? And that there are no landmines (except for the dog poo around Green Lake) or suicide bombers (except the Mariners)?
Susan, see if there’s an age limit on the Seattle Police Department hiring. :^)
Oh okay! I KNOW! Can you believe it? I had no clue that the police got such decent salaries. And, really, in Seattle they need to make that kind of money just to live there.
There’s no age limit on the Web site section for sworn jobs … they probably can’t?
Basic Requirements:
U.S. Citizenship
20.5 years of age at the time of hire
Possess a High School diploma or General Education Degree (GED)
Possess a Washington Drivers’ license at the time of hire
Be discharged under honorable circumstances (Fair Employee Laws apply)
overview page
Salary for “police recruits”:
$20.48 hr $3,563 monthly
Salary for a Step 1 sworn officer:
(sworn officer) $22.12 $3,849 $46,188
That is so tempting
Oh do it! At the very least, you can diary about your experience!
(It’s actually a very nice police force. I’ve always had good experiences. WTO was something else, but that really came from the feds ordering the local cops around.)
…Seattle can make more money as a cop by the time s/he is 25 than a teacher with a master’s degree and 20 years experience on the job?
With all due respect to the tough job cops have, that is one screwed-up set of priorities.
As for the Army, well, I’m expecting the draft that we were never going to see return returning any minute. As long as we have this imperialist foreign policy, they’ll be putting my kids into uniform over my dead body.
Did you catch Amy Goodman’s interviews yesterday, including the guest who talked about the “underground railroad” to Canada for those who want to escape the military?
…but I think getting into Canada fleeing the draft is going to be a lot harder than in the ’60s when I drove a couple of dozen people to border-hopping spots. Becoming an ex-pat is no simple matter, psychologically or otherwise. And, taking the route I took, refusing induction and going to prison, is not one most people feel willing or able to do.
Perhaps we will be able to stop the draft simply by demanding that it include every able-bodied American from 18-25 – male or female, straight or gay, Senator’s daughter or welfare mom’s son. I don’t see Congress going along on any of those.
You went to prison, MB? Oh my god. I didn’t know that.
In college, I got to know David Harris pretty well, and he too ended up in prison, at Leavenworth. Do you know him?
Last year, I got the book by Harris and his then-wife Joan Baez about his experiences in prison, and it was horrific to read.
I’m so sorry you went through that hell. You did choose an extraordinarily difficult path.
…a prison camp in southern Arizona cutting brush and trails for 12 hours a day. Hard work, but outdoors, and with non-violent offenders. About 1100 people went to prison during the Vietnam War era for openly refusing to be drafted.
I met David Harris a few times long ago, and he showed up to speak a year ago April at the funeral of a long-time activist friend of mine.
They wouldn’t go along, but at least of couple of them had the right idea:
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 89
To provide for the common defense by requiring that all young persons in the United States, including women, perform a period of military service or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 7, 2003
Mr. HOLLINGS introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services
Charlie Rangel introduced a companion bill in the house [H.R. 163]. Hollings had zero co-sponsors; Rangel managed 16. (Vote in the House was 2 – 402).
I agree with you, and like I’ve said before, we used to talk about this type of national service when I was in the military 35 years ago. Even my “counter-culture” friends would have served in a non-military job.
Funny. Combining all those categorical programs (AmeriCorps/PeaceCorps) into a universal service could vastly increase participation and cut costs at the same time. Nah. That would involve common sense.
of a right wing takeover. The Liberals with barely a majority have lost a member of parliament. He claims that “religious freedom” is in danger because the Liberal Party is considering policies to legalize same-sex marriage. (?) He quit to become an Independent and his vote could bring down the government. With the right-wingers in control, we could even face a draft in Canada. The wingers are gung ho for sending our troops to Iraq.
Officially it will be much different than it was in the 1960’s. However an “underground railroad” may succeed because the majority of Canadians were against the invasion and there would be sympathy among the population for US citizens trying to avoid service.
I think my profession should pay more too.
This story has obvious connections to the one you posted right below it, Susan.
I’d be interested in seeing a chart that shows the historical disparities between military and civilian incomes. Was it this wide during the VN war? Has it gotten suddenly much more dramatic? I can’t remember. Does anybody know?
(Meteor Blades, your sig line very funny is.)
Well, that “one” is not going to be my son!!
Kudos on coming forward a line I’ve had in the back of my head for a while. grins
Maybe it’s time for the army to go back to “Be all that you can be”.
a reply postcard for the Army National Guard tucked inside the Blockbuster DVD case I opened up last night. I imagine the next step in recruiting teens now is to sneak up on them like this, when they’re home for summer vacation and renting games/movies. The postcard exhorted them to “Make sure to ask for your FREE T-shirt and Army DVD!” when the recruiter contacts them, too.
Clever, insidious, and desperate, no? And Blockbuster’s (I assume) in on it.
THAT ad campaign was particularly offensive. It’s as if parents, who’re looking out for their children, have a duty to Murka to get their kids killed.
Help your kids find the strength to tell Bush to send Jenna™ and Tonic™ to war first, and we’ll think about it.