counter-recruitment: September 2009

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Marine recruiter accused of sex with teen

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705327479/Marine-recruiter-accused-of-sex-with-teen.html

By Pat Reavy
Sept. 2, 2009

A U.S. Marine recruiter has been arrested after he was accused of
having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl he had met
during one of his high school recruitment sessions.

Trevor Adam Hooper, 26, of Centerville, was booked into the Salt Lake
County Jail for investigation of four counts of unlawful sexual
activity with a minor, all third-degree felonies, and sexual
exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.

Sgt. Damian McGee, who works at the Salt Lake City Marine recruiting
headquarters, said the Marine Corps takes allegations of misconduct
very seriously.

"It is the professional character of our recruiters, exhibiting our
core values of honor, courage and commitment, that continues to earn
the trust and respect of the community," McGee said. "When our
recruiters break this trust, it is inconsistent with these values. We
are dedicated to holding our Marines accountable for their actions,
and this case will be no exception."

All U.S. Marine recruiters are trained on ethics and proper conduct
before being selected for the job, he said.

Hooper, who is currently on active duty, went to various high schools
in the Salt Lake Valley as a recruiter, to encourage students to join
the Marine Corps. McGee said it is common practice to send recruiters alone.

Police say Hooper met the girl at a Salt Lake County high school in
April, according to Salt Lake County Jail records. Investigators were
called in May, after the girl's father discovered a computer memory
card in his daughter's backpack, jail records state.

The father had spotted his daughter trying to sneak inside the house
late one night. He checked her backpack and looked at what was on the
memory card. On it, he found both photos and videos of his daughter
engaged in sex acts with an unidentified man, according to jail reports.

Sheriff's deputies interviewed the girl, who told them the man in the
pictures was a military recruiter at school. She said "he picked her
up and drove her to a motel, where the sexual activity occurred. (The
girl) said the sexual activity was photographed and videoed on her
camera by Trevor," a jail report states.

The man in the pictures had identifiable marks, according to jail
records, such as moles and scars. A search warrant was executed on
Hooper, after which he was placed into custody.

It is unknown what action the Marine Corps will take on Hooper.
According to McGee, courts-martial have exclusive jurisdiction over
purely military offenses.

"In the case of an offense that violates the Uniform Code of Military
Justice and the criminal law of a state, other federal law or all
three, it must be determined which jurisdiction will prosecute," he
said, adding that a military lawyer and other prosecuting agencies
will make the decision of which agency will prosecute.

It is unknown whether standard operating procedures involving high
school recruitment will change in light of this arrest, and McGee
affirms that Marines are expected to follow "very stringent rules."

"Our recruiters are ambassadors of the Marine Corps in the
communities where they live and work," he said. "It is important not
only that all Marines know how to properly interact with their
community, but also with each other and their (recruits)."

All Marines are held to the same high standards of conduct, McGee
said. Mandatory monthly trainings and supervision are intended to
prevent such incidents from happening, he said.
--

e-mail: preavy@desnews.com

Army recruiters respond to new school policy

http://www.journalpatriot.com/fullstory.asp?id=1630

by Mark Gabriel
[September 2009]

The Wilkes County Board of Education heard from a team of Army
recruiters Monday over the board's new policy toward military recruitment.
"We just wanted to explain the benefits of coming on campus,"
said Capt. Reginald L. Foster, who commands the Army Recruiting
Company based in Winston-Salem. "There are many educational benefits
that we have for any young person who enrolls in the military. We are
a viable option, and that's the bottom line."
The school board Aug. 11 settled a lawsuit with the North
Carolina chapter of Peace Action, a nonprofit organization based in
Silver Spring, Md., over the issue of military recruitment on campus.
Under the court-mediated settlement approved by the school board,
no military recruiters will be able to visit a high school in Wilkes
County without already having an appointment with a student.
The agreement says recruiters will have two weeks per semester to
schedule on-campus appointments with students.
"We understand your position on that, but we want you to realize
that when we come into an area, we are basically coming in to provide
options to those students," said First Sgt. Tommy Clay, who is an
Army recruiter in Foster's company assigned to several counties in
northwest North Carolina, including Wilkes.
"These are things that our country is asking us to do. I have a
daughter in the Forsyth County schools, and if she wants the
opportunity to serve, it's not something that I would force on her,
even though it's something that I do as a profession. We do provide a
lot of information about those opportunities to students."
On-campus meetings between recruiters and students must be at
locations designated by principals. Follow-up visits between students
and recruiters will occur off campus.
"We don't come in and talk about what other people do, because we
don't know what they do," said Clay. "What we do is help young men
and woman, by providing them with an opportunity to have something in
addition to what they're doing now."
Sally Ferrell of Boomer initiated the legal action by seeking
access to the schools to challenge information provided by military recruiters.
"We understand not everybody is going to join the Army," Clay
told the board. "Everybody has the right to say yes or no to that.
"The thing we are most concerned about is our ability to interact
with kids at their school," Clay told the board. "You have your
viewpoint on what restrictions will be placed on recruiters who come
inside the school system. We're here to serve. That's the bottom
line. We just want the ability to show them what we have to offer."
School officials put the agreement forth during the mediation
process, which was conducted through mediator Dickson Phillips of Chapel Hill.
"I understand your position… I really do. We're just trying to
work within the restrictions we may have here," Clay said. "We want
to let you know that we are here to support this community and the
kids who are here."
The board did not discuss its policy with recruiters Monday, but
heard their statements during the regular meeting's public comment period.
"We appreciate what you do," said board member Peggy Martin
during the board comment section of the meeting. "What's important to
understand is that we did not change our policy. We changed the procedure."

More teens are considering a military career

Students Interested in the Military Cite Rising College Costs, Tough Economy

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/speakout/us/july-dec09/military_09-04.html

Tammy Chan, Age 16

According to military officials, the number of young people
interested in the military has increased for the first time in five
years, thanks in part to the tough economy. Tammy, 16, is from New
York City, and talks to students at her school who are thinking about
enlisting.

Why this Student Spoke Out
As the economy worsens, more teens are considering a military career.

Because of economic factors, more teens are considering joining the
military as they make decisions about their future after high school.

Military recruiters from nearby recruiting centers hold school
assemblies on the topic and many 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 planswhich mine at
the time weren't looking too good."

"After getting monthly mail and regular calls from the recruiter
checking up on me, I'm beginning to see his way. I'm still unsure
about enlisting, but it seems that it could actually be a good
experience, maybe see new things. I don't even know what I'm going to
do tomorrow, but I know I don't want to sign away my life…yet,"
Clemington said.

With difficult jobs market, military recruitment increases among youth

As country's economy worsens, the number of young people considering
the military has gone up for the first time in about five years,
noted Staff Sergeant Curtis Lancaster of the Air Force recruiting
center in Jamaica, Queens.

Today, the percentage of young people who said they would probably
join the military increased from 9 to 11 percent in the first half of
this year, according to a Pentagon survey of people aged 16 to 21.

Military officials told USA Today that all branches of the military
are experiencing an increase in recruitment and expect the trend to continue.
Andrew Walters, 17, plans to be among those joining up.

"It's something I've waited for since I was nine. After seeing the
commercials on TV, I knew it was my calling," Walters said.

"The money would be great [too]," Walters added.

Volunteer enlistment marked by racial and financial factors

Mandatory military service ended in 1973 and since then, the United
States has relied on a volunteer military.

But according to some critics, the term "volunteer," doesn't always
accurately describe why teens end up joining the military.

Patriotism and a genuine desire to serve motivates many enlistees,
but many other young people 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.

The term "poverty draft" is sometimes used to criticize that fact
enlistees are often young people with limited economic opportunities
who feel that the military is their only option.

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."

In the years before the creation of an all-volunteer force in 1973,
the military was predominately male and white. The Gates Commission
of 1970 – which reviewed the necessity of the draft – also addressed
concerns that an all-volunteer military would become "too black."

Critics have argued that the higher pay for an all-volunteer force
might appeal to low-income black men and women who might have fewer
opportunities than white graduates.

'This place is a dead end. I can offer them more'

As a senior, Andrew Walters sees the military as his best
opportunity, even though he has an 87 grade point average. "I have no
other options 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."

"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."

Patrick Gilles, 17, dreams of attending New York University's Leonard
N. Stern School of Business, but because of his family's financial
problems, he struggles to keep that dream alive.

"I've always dreamt of going to NYU, but I have no money,
especially for a school like this in the city. Damn the recession."

Gilles is now reverting to the military in an attempt to help his
financial situation and plans to use the money to finally pay his way
through college in the future.

"Through a friend was when I first took consideration about joining
the army. I'm athletic, so I guess it was an alternative. … And after
the contract is fulfilled, the recruiter said it's guaranteed to be
enough to put me through four years worth of college. I might finally
get there."

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.

"At least those like Gilles and Walters have some sort of plan, the
others; they're not going anywhere there. This place is a dead end. I
can offer them more," Lancaster said, referring to the young folks
who just stay at home rather than do anything.

Whatever reason young people have for joining up, now is the time
when they are making important decisions about the future, when
summer is over and school has just begun.

"If the army's the only place that will give me a decent pay, then so
be it. It'll test my limits anyways; maybe I'll get lucky and finally
make a change for this country that it so desperately needs," Gilles said.
--

Tammy Chan is a junior at Talent Unlimited High School in New York
City. She is interested in pursuing Journalism as a career and writes
for her high school newspaper,The Rising Star. She has also attended
Baruch College's summer Journalism course, putting in her work in the
summer edition of The Paw Print. She hopes to accomplish her dream.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Some schools give military recruiters too much access

http://www.shorenewstoday.com/news.php?id=3804

Aug, 24-2009
By NORM COHEN
Political Columnist

The No Child Left Behind law has been criticized for many reasons,
including unfunded mandates and lack of flexibility in enforcing
rules. But there is one section of the law that everyone should be
aware of now that it is back to school time. Section 9528 of the law
gives military recruiters full access to all students' personal
information (names, addresses and telephone listings) for recruiting
purposes, as well as in-person access to students while they are in
school. If a school denies recruiters this information or access, the
federal government can cut federal funding to that school as
punishment. This information and what follows applies mostly to
public high schools.

This almost unlimited access for military recruiters has led to many
violations of privacy. In fact, my continuing concern about this
issue is primarily one of protecting privacy rights. The issue is
similar to the "do not call" list that stops telemarketers from
calling you at dinner time. However, giving military recruiters
complete access to your child's information could end up being much
more serious than telemarketing calls.

Another major concern continues to be that military recruiters enjoy
an unfair advantage at area high schools. Impressionable students, as
well as students who cannot afford college, can be convinced to join
the military without thinking through all of their options and all of
the dangers inherent in being in the military.

One way to even the playing field and to prevent recruiters from
getting your child's private information and then telemarketing your
family is to fill out an opt-out form. All students and their parents
are allowed to opt out to withhold the student's personal information
from recruiters. However, many students and parents are not aware of
this option. Be vigilant and follow up after you do send in the
opt-out form. There have been cases where students who have opted out
have unwillingly been opted out of everything from the honor roll to
playbills and recognition of sports as well as having their
information withheld from college recruiters. The opt-out form should
be on your high school website or in the welcoming packet for
incoming freshmen. The availability of the form should be part of any
orientation assembly. If you cannot locate the opt-out form call your
high school guidance office.

Another result of the No Child Left Behind act is that in some
schools, recruiters roam the halls and set up shop for days at a time
in the cafeteria. The amount of latitude and the number of times per
year that military recruiters are allowed in school varies and
depends on school or school board policies. Many schools do not have
a written policy on military recruiter access. This is an issue you
might want to bring up at the school board meeting.

Some schools limit military recruiters to visit the school twice a
year to do general recruiting. Students who wish to meet with a
recruiter at other times can either do that through the guidance
office or visit a local recruiting station after school. This way,
students opt in instead of having to fill out opt out forms. Some
schools allow almost unlimited access to the cafeteria and hallways.

The actual law states, "Each local educational agency receiving
assistance under this Act shall provide military recruiters the same
access to secondary school students as is provided generally to post
secondary educational institutions or to prospective employers of
those students." This means that the military should only get the
same access as colleges and job recruiters, not free access to the
students or special privileges.

Now, as I have written before, I respect our military, our brave men
and women who volunteer to serve this country. They have chosen to
put their lives on the line for us and be sent wherever their country
needs them. I am opposed to the policies that have needlessly killed
thousands of these brave soldiers. But I also feel that it is
important that students who are considering joining the armed forces
be able to make a decision armed with all the facts so that they and
their parents can make the choice that is best for all. The high
schools, by only offering the military recruiters' side of the issue,
tilt the playing field in favor of the recruiters. Those of us who
offer alternatives to the military, especially as a way to pay for
college, are effectively shut out of high schools. Thus it is
difficult for a student to get all the facts he or she needs to make
what is such an important decision for their future.
--

Norm Cohen is executive director of the Coalition for Peace and
Justice and a coordinator for the UNPLUG Salem Campaign. Learn more
at www.coalitionforpeaceandjustice.org and www.unplugsalem.org. He
can be reached at ncohen12@comcast.net.

Overseas recruiters find rewards despite obstacles

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64393

By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Sandra Laird often asks herself "What the heck am I doing?"

Usually, the question pops up when she's out for a run to get in
shape, struggling with push-ups, studying for a military entrance
exam or tending to the needs of her four children.

At 34, Laird is joining the growing group of military recruits
seeking a better future amid the downturn in the global job market.

Until recently, Laird, an American citizen married to an Italian,
worked at an Italian pastry bar. Her wages were almost embarrassing, she said.

With little or no prospect of finding a decent-paying job in Naples,
Italy either on the economy or at the U.S. Navy base there, Laird
said she sauntered into the recruiting station several weeks ago,
ready and willing to sign up.

"I was dumb. I wished I had done this many, many years ago," said
Laird, who just made the Navy's age cutoff.

Candidates such as Laird are a welcome sight for military recruiters
stationed overseas.

Here, recruiters can't just walk into any off-base shopping center
and start talking up the military to the mall rats. They can't man a
booth at a county fair or camp out at unemployment offices to woo the
unemployed. The recruiting pool overseas is pretty much limited to
graduating high school seniors.

While those teens are equipped with firsthand knowledge of the
stresses of military life and the deployments that have taken their
parents to war, recruiters can counter with perks such as bonuses,
guaranteed medical care, steady paychecks, retirement plans, housing
and the revamped GI Bill with increased education benefits.

Federal law authorizes the defense secretary to collect student
directory information for military recruiting purposes from any
secondary school that receives federal money through the No Child
Left Behind Act, including schools operated by the DOD, said Maggie
Menzies, spokeswoman for Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Europe.

In addition to the limited recruiting pool, overseas recruiters must
endure the long hours and the stress of meeting monthly quotas that
all recruiters deal with.

The overseas recruiters said they must often moonlight as chauffeurs.

Overseas offices don't have centralized Military Entrance Processing
Stations, a one-stop station for recruit testing and medical
screening. Overseas recruiters often ferry recruits to one doctor's
office for eye exams, possibly another location for blood work, and
yet another site to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude
Battery, the standard military entrance exam.

It's a harder job than most people think, said 1st Sgt. Jeffrey
Martin, an Army recruiter based in Heidelberg, Germany.

The Army recruiting company in Europe is divided into stations at
Grafenwöhr, Wiesbaden and Kaiserslautern, all in Germany, and each is
staffed with three recruiters. The company's overall monthly goals
range from 10 to 15 active-duty recruits and two to six Reserve recruits.

The main factor that determines Army recruiting goals is the number
of recruiters in an area, Martin said. The nine recruiters cover all
of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

By contrast, the Navy's average goal in Europe is one active-duty and
one Reserve recruit per month. But, the two recruiters in southern
Italy cover Spain, Italy, Turkey and Bahrain. Several factors drive
the goals, such as the number of recruits in an area, the number and
experience of assigned recruiters, and historical recruiting trends,
said Petty Officer Cathy Sund, a Navy recruiter based in Naples, Italy.

Despite the stresses, the job has its perks, recruiters said.

"I've done rural we're talking cornfield rural and I've done
metro, and this [overseas job] is so much more rewarding," said Sund,
a 23-year veteran finishing her last tour in Naples before retiring.

For servicemembers who take on a recruiting post, especially an
overseas one, it often translates to a quicker promotion if they work
hard, Sund said, as promotion boards note that members volunteered
for a difficult job.

"You can spend a couple of years recruiting and then rejoin the fleet
one pay grade higher," said Sund, who spent six years as a reservist
before coming on active duty.

During a robust economy, military services have to offer more
incentives, such as cash bonuses and college funds with more job
specialties, to attract recruits, Martin said. But because of today's
sagging economy, recruiting is easier.

Current active-duty members are reluctant to leave the security of a
guaranteed paycheck and go out into an unstable economy, driving down
the number of new recruits the services need each month.

During these tough economic times, each of the services has
consistently reported meeting or exceeding recruiting and retention
goals. In June, for example, the Marine Corps' accessions were at 114
percent of its monthly goal, followed by the Army at 103 percent and
the Navy and Air Force each at 100 percent, according to the most
recent data released by the Pentagon.

When the job market is in bad shape, the military benefits and can be
much more selective in whom commands admit, said Senior Chief Petty
Officer Tom Jones, spokesman with Navy Recruiting Command.

For Laird, a mother of four, the Navy is providing the opportunity
she was looking for. While she is concerned about having to serve sea
duty away from her family for months at a time or being deployed to a
combat zone, she thinks the risk is worth taking if it gets her out
of the unemployment line and into a steady-paying job with health
care benefits for her family.

"There are no guarantees I'll get shore duty, but there's a chance
for giving my kids a better life," she said.

Patriot Academy: New School for a New Start

http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php&id=38001

Indiana National Guard

by Spc. Austen Hurt
Date: 08.26.2009

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - For years, a high school diploma has been a
required achievement for a successful life, a pass to higher wages,
better jobs and untold other opportunities. Every year, millions of
high school students find themselves in situations that they can't
overcome and need to leave school. The National Guard wants to give
some of those youths a chance to do something better with themselves
and serve their country at the same time.

To further that goal, the National Guard has established a
revolutionary new facility at Muscatatuck Urban Training Facility in
Butlerville, Ind. Dubbed the Patriot Academy, the facility grants
newly enlisted Soldiers the chance to get their high school diplomas,
not a GED certificate, while in a military environment and receiving
full-time military pay and benefits.

The concept of now-retired Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn, former director of
the Army National Guard and the creator of the Guard Recruiting
Assistance Progam, the Patriot Academy held its official dedication
ceremony Aug. 26. The dedication was attended by dozens of
dignitaries from all across the country as well as Ind. Rep. Barron
Hill and Ind. Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman. The first class started in
July with 47 students from 16 different states.

"Our mission is, quite simply, to educate these young men... to
become the best citizen-Soldiers in the National Guard," said Col.
Perry Sarver, commandant of the Patriot Academy. "The Patriot Academy
can be described in two words; second chance."

Students at the school enlist in the National Guard and attend basic
training before coming to the Academy and all have 10 or fewer high
school credit hours to complete. The school also offers several
dual-enrollment college courses that will result in college credits
for the students.

"I've been here three weeks, going on four, and I've already finished
two classes," said Pvt. Derrick Morris, a native of Detroit.

"For the military to offer a second chance, I think it's wonderful,"
Morris said.

In addition to completing high school and college classes, the
students have regular military skills training and a strenuous
physical fitness regimen six days a week. According to 1st Sgt. James
Duncan, the training is intensive and gives the students a better
grasp on Soldier skills while they receive their education.

"It creates a higher echelon of private, which in turn will result in
better [non-commissioned officers]," said Duncan. "When a Soldier
leaves here, they'll have an experience level that would take two to
three years to accomplish as a traditional Soldier."

Despite the tough training regimen, Duncan stressed that Patriot
Academy wasn't basic training all over again. The students are
self-sustaining, with their own leadership structure and
coordination. The students live in a modern, college-style dormitory
with spacious rooms, computer labs and internet connections in every
living space.

Duncan said they actually patterned the training after Army NCO
schools like Warrior Leader Course and Basic Non-Commissioned Officer Course.

Another focus of the program is the students' activities within the
local community around Muscatatuck. Students are required to complete
at least eight hours in a community service program of their choice,
but they're encouraged to do more.

"The end result benefits everyone: the state, the unit and the
individual," said Sarver. He spoke about how he hoped that students –
upon arriving at their advanced individual training sites – would be
far ahead of the Soldiers just out of basic training. He said he's
certain this will benefit the Guard as a whole.

The Patriot Academy is a pilot program, but the National Guard Bureau
is confident in the potential of the school. The program is expected
to grow each year, to a maximum of 500 students by 2011. Vaughn said
the program is very selective and that recruiters from across the
country select candidates for the program.

"These guys are some of the best and brightest," said Vaughn.

Most importantly, though, is the long term effect on the individual,
the Army and the country. The National Guard, through the Patriot
Academy, strives to take individuals who have made a mistake, who are
down on their luck and who need help, and give them a chance to be
something, to better themselves and to serve their nation.

"You can't quit at 17," said Maj. Gen. Raymond W. Carpenter, acting
director of the Army National Guard, during a speech at the
ribbon-cutting ceremony. "There's so much more to the story."
Carpenter stressed how he had so many great things in his life after
that point and couldn't fathom giving up at such a young age and how
great it was to give students another chance at success.

"[This program] is an investment in our most precious resource," said
Vaughn. He said it was a great opportunity to help the youth of
America while defending American's freedoms.
Skillman, the lieutenant governor of Indiana, spoke about the
importance of Muscatatuck to the local community and the state of
Indiana as well as her high hopes for the graduates of the Patriot Academy.

"This is a robust program that gives attention to every aspect of a
Soldier's training," Skillman said. "I certainly look forward to
hearing all the success stories that come from our distinguished graduates."

The school is located in a former school house recently renovated by
local contractors. Muscatatuck, formerly known as the Muscatatuck
State Developmental Center, was opened by the National Guard in July
of 2005 and has since become the premiere urban training facility for
civilian and military forces alike. The Patriot Academy is one more
addition to an already invaluable training facility.

Speaker to discuss student privacy

Fremont library speaker to discuss student privacy

http://www.thenews-messenger.com/article/20090828/NEWS01/908280317

August 28, 2009

Student and Family Privacy: Military Recruitment and Our Children
will be the topic when Peggy Daly-Masternak speaks at 7 p.m. Thursday
at Birchard Public Library in Fremont.

Daly-Masternak is the chair of Learning Not Recruiting, a
Toledo-based advocacy group. The group draws attention to student
privacy issues surrounding military recruitment practices in schools.
They also address parental rights to informed consent for recruitment
of minor children.

Her group's work was instrumental in securing a new policy recently
approved by the Toledo School Board. The policy makes it easier for
parents to learn how to exercise their right to opt-out of the
release of student information to military recruiters or other organizations.

The policy also discontinues the practice of administering the
military entrance test known as ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational
Aptitude Battery) during school hours because the test releases
student information without informed parental consent.

The talk, sponsored by People for Peace and Justice Sandusky County,
is free and open to the public. For information, call Josie Setzler
at 419-332-2318.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Air Force dangles bonuses to keep contracting officers

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=43482&dcn=todays_most_popular

By Katherine McIntire Peters
kpeters@govexec.com
August 27, 2009

In an effort to keep experienced contracting officers in uniform
during a critical period, the Air Force recently approved funding for
a sizable bonus program aimed at keeping them from leaving service
for more lucrative jobs in the private sector.

The $20,000 bonuses, paid annually for four years, are being offered
to commissioned officers with six to 14 years of experience as
contracting officers, most of whom have been working what the service
calls a 1-to-1 dwell ratio -- they alternate six-month deployments
overseas, many to Iraq or Afghanistan, with six months at home.

"We've stressed them out considerably, so we're losing a lot of
them," said Lt. Gen. Mark Shackelford, the military deputy to the Air
Force's assistant secretary for acquisition.

Earlier this year the service offered retention bonuses to enlisted
personnel with critical acquisition skills, he said.

The Air Force, like the Army and Navy, is under pressure to
significantly increase the size of its acquisition workforce. At its
peak in the late 1980s, the service had more than 43,000 acquisition
officials, both civilian and in uniform. In the post-Cold War
military drawdown, that number shrank to about 25,000. Under current
Defense Department proposals, the Air Force expects to add several
thousand acquisition specialists -- contract managers, cost
estimators, auditors, program managers, engineers and others --
during the next several years.

To boost the size and competency of the acquisition workforce, the
Air Force is pursuing three main tracks: filling existing vacancies,
hiring new people, and improving training and education.

Officials at Air Force Materiel Command have worked aggressively to
fill vacancies in the organization -- positions that are approved and
funded but remain unfilled. In May, the vacancy rate for acquisition
positions was 15 percent, far higher than the goal of 5 percent,
which takes into account retirements and other normal personnel turnover.

"I don't have specific numbers, but we're making progress in terms of
what we call net gain," meaning the service is bringing on more
people to fill vacancies than it is losing to attrition, Shackelford said.

In terms of increasing the size of the workforce, the Air Force has
requested authority to add 2,062 positions, more than 1,800 of which
would be filled by civilian personnel. "We're now hiring interns and
journeymen, mid-level positions if you will," he said. "We're
[starting] that now, ramping up to fill those positions between 2010 and 2013."

Using expedited hiring authority granted by Congress, the Air Force
already has hired about 300 people, he said.

In addition, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced last spring his
intention to increase the department's acquisition workforce by
20,000 people. The Air Force's share would be 4,865 new people,
Shackelford said.

Service leaders are working with officials at the Defense Department
to figure out how to meet that goal. "Obviously, you've got to put in
your budget sufficient funds to pay the people you hire," Shackelford said.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Activists Protest War Simulator

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/09/18-4

by Jen DiMascio
Published on Friday, September 18, 2009 by Politico.com

PHILADELPHIA - Located across from an indoor skateboarding park in a
Northeast Philadelphia outlet mall, the Army Experience Center
includes a computer lab that showcases careers as well as the kind of
interactive simulators that are irresistible to its target market:
the teenage boys recruiters hope will fuel the Army of the future.

One simulator is a model Humvee in which a handful of people can pick
up model M-16 rifles and play an interactive video game that
simulates a real battle in Iraq or rounding up illegal immigrants who
have just crossed the border from Mexico. There's also a model Apache
helicopter.

To 300 anti-war protesters who showed up here last weekend, shouting,
"Shut it down, shut it down!" the games and the theme park are simply
tools in marketing death to children - with taxpayer dollars - in
service of wars the activists oppose in Iraq and Afghanistan. To
members of a veterans group called Gathering of Eagles, who
confronted the protesters, it's not possible to support the troops
without supporting the wars they fight.

[See URL for video]

During the election, President Barack Obama soothed voters who
demanded national security by promising to continue fighting
terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan while bringing the troops home
from Iraq. But now Obama and his advisers are weighing whether to
commit more troops to Afghanistan, and the military has a more
practical concern about the strain that fighting two wars will have
on the troops.

Recruiting is one way to ease the strain, and that's why places like
the Army Experience Center are likely to become new flash points in
what could be an increasingly vocal debate.

Even if the economic crisis has eased recruiting concerns somewhat by
making the Army more attractive to unemployed youths, the Army
competes with businesses and colleges for about 25 percent of
17-to-24-year-olds. The remaining 75 percent aren't the kind of
people the Army wants: They're usually not recruitable because they
lack a diploma, weigh too much or have a criminal past, according to
Saif Khan, the deputy director of Mission: Readiness, an organization
that promotes early childhood education to expand the future recruiting base.

The Army Experience Center was conceived in 2007, when the Army was
under such pressure to increase its ranks for surge forces into Iraq
that it was granting waivers for recruits who lacked a diploma or
who'd committed crimes, even felonies.

To capture the highly competitive demographic, the Army contracted
with the "marketing innovations" firm IgnitedUSA, which touts the
Experience Center's success in capturing national media coverage.

The center, which cost $12 million to design and build and has an
annual budget of $5 million, is a sort of marketing lab to test
techniques for recruiting teenagers for service. It has no official
recruiting mission but stands ready to sign up people who want to
join, according to the Army. IgnitedUSA spokeswoman Amy Lindstrom
said the center has signed up 141 recruits since opening a year ago.

"In a time of unpopular wars, negative press and falling recruitment
rates, the U.S. Army needed an unconventional, dynamic and
results-oriented way to engage a new generation in a conversation,"
IgnitedUSA's promotional materials said. "The AEC is where that
conversation takes place."

Although other services may have considered replicating the
recruitment tool in other malls, Maj. Larry Dillard, the Army
Experience Center program manager, said it's more likely that
individual elements that succeed here at Franklin Mills will be
exported to recruiting sites around the nation.

Activists are horrified by the simulator.

They say they've seen teenagers taking part in the Iraq simulation as
well as another that represents the U.S.-Mexico border. The soldiers
in that scenario take up arms against illegal immigrants crossing the desert.

The protest Saturday pitted veterans against veterans.

Dillard would not allow some veterans who oppose the war to enter the center.

Kevin Quigley, who served in the 101st Airborne Division, was wearing
an anti-war T-shirt under his fatigues. Jesse Hamilton, another 101st
veteran, pinned military medals to a suit jacket. They've experienced
the war and its aftermath and think it's time to leave Afghanistan.

Phil Aliff saw Iraq during a tour with the 10th Mountain Division.
Some people argue that the Army's games are similar to games children
are already playing at Dave and Buster's, he said, "but Dave and
Buster's doesn't spend our tax dollars."

Joseph Henwood, an Eagle and a Vietnam veteran who was allowed into
the center for a ceremony commemorating the Sept. 11 attacks, said
his love for the troops brought him to help the Army counter the protest.

"We were there to protect the center," said Henwood. "We weren't
going to allow them to shut it down."
A group calling itself Shut Down the AEC was formed to focus solely
on closing the center, and it will continue to schedule monthly
protests on this single issue, organizers said, even as the anti-war
sentiment is picking up steam more broadly.

"We will see an escalation in protests," said Elaine Brower, one of
the organizers.

Seizing on a recent CNN poll showing 57 percent of Americans now
oppose the war in Afghanistan, CodePink, United for Justice and Peace
Action West are planning massive protests on Oct. 7, the day force
was first authorized in Afghanistan.

"The tide has turned on the war in Afghanistan," said CodePink
co-founder Jodie Evans. "We need to raise our voices over the din of
distraction so that turning the tide can bring our troops home and
much-needed peace and development to the people of Afghanistan."

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Military Friendly Schools

[2 articles]

SUNY Ulster Recognized as "Military Friendly School"

http://www.hvpress.net/news/129/ARTICLE/7636/2009-08-22.html

August 22nd, 2009

SUNY Ulster has been recognized for its policies and outreach to
recruit military veterans and facilitating access to new Post 9/11 GI
bill benefits by G.I. Jobs magazine with the "Military Friendly
School" designation in 2010.

The local college was ranked among the top 15 percent of all
colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide for embracing
America's veterans as students based on a survey that reviewed
policies, efforts and results of military recruitment. SUNY Ulster
will be listed in the magazine's "Guide to Military Friendly Schools"
that publishes in September 2009.
The college has been actively promoting the available higher
education opportunities and benefits to military veterans and active
duty personnel; taking efforts to make the application and financial
aid process easy for them; providing various campus support services;
and working with Ulster County agencies on referrals.

SUNY Ulster has been conducting informational sessions on
the Post 9/11 GI Bill that went into effect Aug. 1 and provides
financial support for education and housing to eligible veterans. The
bill expands benefits and provides tuition, housing and book
stipends, and tutoring.

"We respect and want to serve the men and woman who served
our country," said Jennifer Murray, Admissions Counselor. "These
students, who range in age from their 20s to 50s, are very
appreciative that the administrative process is not difficult for
them. Students who have military experience are motivated and have a
great work ethic, and we welcome having them as our students so we
are proud to receive this designation."

Murray noted that the housing stipend is available for local
students residing at home and not just students living in a dormitory
and that the bill also authorizes the Defense Department to approve
transferring education benefits to veteran's family members.

"The new benefits and housing stipend make it easier for
veterans to attend college full-time without juggling several jobs to
make ends meet," she said. "As a result, we are seeing greater
interest from veterans in our programs."

The list was compiled through exhaustive research starting
last May during which G.I. Jobs polled more than 7,000 schools
nationwide. Methodology, criteria and weighting for the list were
developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Committee
(AAC). Criteria for making the Military Friendly Schools list
included efforts to recruit and retain military and veteran students,
results in recruiting military and veteran students and academic
accreditations.

A full story and detailed list of Military Friendly Schools
will be highlighted in the annual Guide to Military Friendly Schools
and on a poster, both of which will be distributed to hundreds of
thousands of active and former military personnel in September. A new
Web site, found at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com, will launch in
September with interactive tools and search functionality to assist
military veterans in choosing schools that best meet their educational needs.

SUNY Ulster will conduct additional workshops on the Post
9/11 GI Bill on Sept. 14 and Oct. 19, both starting at 10 a.m. at the
Dewitt Library on the Stone Ridge campus; and Nov. 16 at 5 p.m. at
the Business Resource Center in Kingston. College representatives
will be available to discuss programs of study, transfer credits, VA
tuition benefits and campus support services. These events are free
and open to the public.

--------

Arizona University Ranked in Top 15% for Military Friendliness

http://www.mmdnewswire.com/military-friendliness-5606.html

Phoenix, AZ (MMD Newswire) August 20, 2009 - The G.I Jobs magazine
announced that Phoenix-based International Import-Export Institute
(IIEI) at Dunlap-Stone University (DSU) has been named as one of the
most Military Friendly Schools for 2010. IIEI ranks in the top 15% of
all colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide for
military-friendliness. All the schools earning this designation make
recruiting and retaining students with military experience a high priority.

G.I. Jobs magazine conducts extensive research and uses detailed
surveys of over 7,000 educational providers throughout the United
States to develop their rankings. The magazine noted IIEI's "stellar
efforts in policy, recruitment and retention efforts" have made the
university among the most military friendly schools. The criteria for
selecting IIEI for this elite group included programs and policies
deemed crucial to military member success. Important considerations
for this distinction included the fact that DSU provides military
service members credit for military service, and that DSU also
provides service members and their dependents the DSU Military
Scholarship, equivalent to 25% of course tuition, which means
generally no out-of-pocket cost to service members to attend DSU. The
Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts program is also supported by DSU.

"It is a great honor to gain recognition for our staff's exemplarily
efforts and our learning model that makes education attainable for
military members," said Dr. Donald Burton, President of Dunlap-Stone
University. "We are proud to support our troops in any way we can. We
know that quality continuing education is very important to each of
them and to our nation's future as our military members transition to
civilian life or as they build their military careers." "Of course,"
he continued, "our staff is excited to assist all students, not just
the military, as they pursue their educational goals."

With all of DSU's courses and programs offered in a convenient, 24/7
online class format, it makes it easy for students to fit their
studies around their busy lives, whether they are in the military or
not. "Our online programs gained popularity with U.S. military and
veterans," notes Dr. Burton, "because of this flexibility and because
of the unmatched quality of our international trade-focused
curriculum, providing on-target, practical knowledge that is in high
demand across industries."

With good reason, military veterans are highly valued by American
businesses for the skills that the services promote. By adding a
quality DSU education that is attainable from everywhere in the
world, regardless of deployments, TDY or PCS, adds even more value
for those considering career their options upon separation from the
armed forces. DSU's Bachelor of Science in International Trade
Management is ideal for such a transition. It provides practical
skills that are in high demand in the global marketplace, across many
industries such as aerospace & defense, supply chain management,
manufacturing, international sales and marketing, among others that
face the complex regulatory environment required to facilitate
international trade. While many colleges offer degrees in
international business, DSU is the only university to offer an
accredited bachelor degree focusing specifically on international trade.

G.I. Jobs magazine is published by Victory Media, a veteran-owned
business based in Pittsburgh, PA.

Dunlap-Stone University is a premiere online university that is
approved for military tuition assistance and for veterans educational
benefits through the G.I. Bill. DSU is nationally accredited by the
Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council
(DETC). DETC is recognized by the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation and by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally
recognized accrediting agency. Dunlap-Stone University is an Arizona
private for-profit corporation. DSU is licensed by the Arizona State
Board for Private Postsecondary Education as an online bachelor
degree granting university. DSU offers an accredited Bachelor of
Science degree in International Trade Management with three potential
emphasis areas: Trade Compliance Management; Global Supply Chain
Management, and Management. IIEI is an institutional member of the
American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
(AACRAO), the Career College Association (CCA) and DSU is a member of
the U.S. Military's Servicemember Opportunity Colleges (SOC).

Contact
Tyra Andrews
Registrars Office
Dunlap-Stone University
(800) 474-8013 or (602) 648-5750
www.dunlap-stone.edu
tandrews@dunlap-stone.edu

Army Experience Center shut down

http://www.workers.org/2009/philadelphia_0924/

By Audrey Hoak
Philadelphia
Published Sep 16, 2009

Around 70 protesters from dozens of groups on the East Coast took on
the Army Experience Center at the Franklin Mills Mall on Sept. 12,
with determination to shut it down. For a few hours, at least, they
did. The center closed during the action and several arrests were made.

Some of the signs and banners read: "War is not a game!" "Stop
teaching children to kill!" and "More U.S. soldiers committed suicide
than were killed in combat January-July 2009." This was the second
significant protest against the Army's latest recruitment scheme
aimed at youth. Local media were made aware of the actions, but no
coverage was forthcoming.

In August 2008 the Army went retail at the giant Franklin Mills
Outlet Mall in northeast Philadelphia. The $12 million,
14,500-square-foot Army Experience Center is a pilot program to test
a new marketing strategy targeting children as young as 13. The AEC
is nestled across from an indoor skateboard park and next to a music store.

The AEC houses a tactical operations center and is equipped with
interactive displays, including a real "Apache" helicopter, M-16
rifles, automatic machine guns, an armored Humvee and a tank used to
train soldiers. In the back room of the AEC, children touch and feel
weapons created for killing.

While the games of violence and combat draw in the young public, a
staff of more than 20 soldiersactive military recruiterslooking
like friendly, civilian salespeople dressed not in uniforms but in
khaki pants and white polo shirts, pitch military career specialties and perks.

It comes as no surprise that the U.S. government fails to protect
youth from these aggressive and abusive military recruiting
practices. A provision of the "No Child Left Behind" Act forces
schools to allow military recruitment without parental consent. The
personal information of hundreds of thousands of youth is stored in
databases allowing the military to profile and cherry-pick future
soldiers, while the Pentagon produces video games to attract young teens.

The expanding military budget, which grows at the expense of social
programs, along with the lack of jobs and inability to afford college
produces a wider audience of young people vulnerable to military
recruitment. Jobs with living wages, decent, affordable homes,
quality education and comprehensive health care are basic human
rights and nobody should have to join the military to have them.
Children should have the right to be protected from harm.

There is a private criminal complaint pending against the AEC,
Franklin Mills Mall and its owner, Simon Properties Inc. Among the
charges are operating a storefront inducing minors to witness and
participate in acts of violence, through simulators constructed with
actual weapons and armored vehicles initially built and meant for
combat in a war zone; endangering the welfare of a child; criminal
solicitation of a minor; and corruption of minors.

The demonstration was endorsed by the Northwest Greens; World Can't
Wait; Code Pink; American Friends Service Committee, Youth and
Militarism Program; Gray Panthers NYC Network; Granny Peace Brigade,
New York City and Philadelphia; Brandywine Peace Community;
Philadelphia International Action Center; War Resisters League,
Delaware and Philadelphia; After Downing Street.org; Women's
International League for Peace and Freedom, Philadelphia; Delaware
Valley Veterans for America; Lehigh-Pocono Committee of Concern;
Chester County Peace Movement; Veterans for Peace chapters 31 and 96;
and other organizations.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Fight Like a Girl (in Iraq and Afghanistan)

[See URL for numerous embedded links.]

Fight Like a Girl (in Iraq and Afghanistan)

http://www.feministing.com/archives/017301.html

by Ariel
August 19, 2009

The recession is driving up recruitment rates for the U.S. Armed
Forces. When men and women are laid off, they frequently turn to the
one agency that is always hiring: the Army. But women, increasingly
seeking out the Army for employment, are being turned away because of
the struggles of the Army to accommodate their mentally and
physically wounded. One woman I know who enlisted in January had her
basic training canceled, while 2009 ROTC graduates in America's
colleges have to wait until well into 2010 to take Officer Basic
Courses, their first step towards deployment after graduation. This
is not unique to women who attempt to enlist, but disproportionately
affects women because of the recession.

Back in July, a U.S. fighter plane called the F-22 was essentially
discontinued by the Senate, because Secretary of Defense Gates
deduced that the U.S. owns enough. He proposed using the saved money
to expand the Army by 22,000 troops. This was approved.

My knee-jerk reaction was "No more troops." The Army is requesting
additional troops because, on paper only, it has bumped up against
its Congressionally-mandated end strength (maximum size) of 547,000
soldiers. The Army is "full."

Active duty soldiers sustaining mental or physical injuries are
classified as Wounded Warriors. There are 55-60,000 Wounded Warriors
in the lengthy process of medical evaluation under the Department of
Defense, but not yet discharged into the Department of Veterans
Affairs. In limbo, these 55-60,000 are unable to deploy, while their
numbers count against the Army's limit. The Army is 10% smaller than
we think it is.

For now, Secretary Gates justified the 22,000-troop replacement force
as a stopgap until the VA can process the backlog. While not a
permanent solution, the recommended troop replacement will prevent
women from being turned away from the Army with such frequency while
the VA gets its processes back on track. Moreover, it shows that the
administration is acutely aware of the weaknesses in the treatment
process of Wounded Warriors.

And while the increased entry of women into the workforce during the
recession necessitates this job creation, it overshadows the
problematic recruiting practices in communities of color and
lower-income schools. No Child Left Behind required that high schools
give military recruiters access to students and student information.
In my plurality-white high school in 2004, a signature-gathering
campaign drove recruiters off campus, while nearby campuses with
greater populations of students of color devoted entire buildings to
the Army. Enlisting is presented to students as young as 11 as an
alternative to college in a time when tuition and state deficits
decimate financial aid, driving women and communities of color
towards instant employment and away from higher education.

It's known that the U.S. Armed forces are trans-unfriendly, and can
be a dangerous work environment for women. There is an unofficial
Military Sex Offender Registry, and the Army launched its own Sexual
Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program. A task force was
created in 2004 that found that between 1999 and 2004, 67% of all
reported assaults occurred on-post. Ann mentions that this NY Times
article profiling women in Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan)
and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) glossed over the problems faced by
women in the military. Congresswoman Jane Harman recounted that 41%
of women at an Los Angeles VA hospital reported being raped by a
fellow soldier in 2008.

For women who enter the military knowing the risks of sexual assault,
or who are not offered the choice of a different career path,
Secretary Gates' troop increase means a paycheck. The base pay for
ROTC graduates (2nd Lieutenants) is $26,204.40 regardless of sex. At
the very least, this represents entry level pay equity and an
assurance of continued employment. Veronica at Girl With Pen showed
how starting salaries straight out of college differ for graduates.
Entry-level army positions can be financially equitable.

Women still cannot serve in the Infantry or Army Rangers. Since 2001,
the floodgates have opened for women facing military threats-- the
Army reports that 95% of positions are open to women. Women are
allowed in combat theater, meaning the geographic region in which
combat occurs. Because of the high operational tempo (exhausting pace
of military operations), close proximity to Improvised Explosive
Devices, and high exposure to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, women
are, for the first time, being diagnosed at record rates with Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Fortunately, as of June, Congress has the chance to take the
tremendous step extending PTSD resources to all service members "in
combat theater," instead of just those in "combat with the enemy."
This expands those eligible for PTSD benefits to those on active duty
who are not necessarily in the infantry: that means women. Every
Monday, the VA publishes statistics about its unresolved benefit
claims. That's how the VA's progress is monitored.

Post-Vietnam, 30% of servicemen and 27% of servicewomen were
estimated to have PTSD. In today's wars, where women are increasingly
exposed to trauma, a doctor at the VA's Puget Sound healthcare system
estimates that servicewomen exposed to a trauma develop PTSD at twice
the rate of servicemen exposed to the same. The expanded resources
for servicewomen, both in benefits after combat and in mental
resiliency training beforehand, should help. But knowing the VA's
overwhelming workload, it is doubtful that they are able to cope with
this new benefit eligibility.

More servicewomen are being diagnosed with PTSD, often with severe
symptoms. Some encounter sexualized violence by other soldiers. They
are unable to sustain employment or personal relationships, and are
undeployable. The backlog before they are discharged causes a false
estimate of Army numbers. Then, additional women seeking to enlist
are denied entry. This pernicious cycle affects women at every stage.

Thoughts?
--

Veterans start over as colleges ignore experience

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jWq3s4vJZj5ZNBOXZHJVMzAN7MzwD9A6RQGG0

By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER
Aug 20, 2009

COLUMBIA, Mo. Twelve years of military service left Donald
Spradling highly trained in satellite imagery, nuclear engineering
and foreign intelligence analysis. None of that made a difference to
the University of Missouri.

When the fall semester begins next week, the 33-year-old father of
five will be taking largely introductory courses with the rest of the
school's freshmen.

"I'm going to be studying things I already learned all over again,"
the Navy veteran said.

Nearly half a million veterans are expected on college campuses this
year as part of the new GI Bill. The surge is leading to a call for
schools to re-examine their policies of declining to grant college
credit for military training and service.

An estimated one in five colleges and universities do not give
academic credit for military education, according to a recent survey
of 723 schools by the American Council on Education that is believed
to be the first systematic measure. Even more of the schools, 36
percent, said they don't award credit for military occupational training.

For Spradling and others, that can mean spending more on tuition,
stretching financial aid or GI Bill scholarships and delaying their
entry into the work force.

"In most cases, it's simply an academic decision that they're not
going to award any credit for learning acquired outside a traditional
classroom," said James Selbe, a former Marine and the council's
assistant vice president for lifelong learning.

Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton said the school considers most
military preparation "experiential learning." He noted that
individual academic departments can choose to award credit on their own.

"It may be very practical skills acquisition, but that may not be
what university education sets out to do," he said. "We're looking to
build on a framework, a foundation of knowledge."

At Boston College, a private school, the standard has always been to
accept credit only for institutions of higher education, said school
spokesman Jack Dunn.

"That holds true for members of the armed forces as well," he said.

Many college-bound veterans said military recruiters often offer an
unrealistic portrayal of what awaits in academia, suggesting their
military coursework and training will count for college credit.

Some advocates also fault a campus climate where military training is
poorly understood. They say many schools underestimate the quality of
their education, and unlike community college credit or Advanced
Placement classes, it's not easy to measure.

"Because of their lack of knowledge of the military, they don't
equate it as the same as being in the classroom," said Kathy Snead,
president of Servicemembers Opportunities Colleges. The
Washington-based group is a consortium of more than 1,800 schools
whose members are required to recognize military coursework and
training. Among the participants: the California State University
system, George Washington, the State University of New York schools
and Ohio State.

Snead described one student at a Midwest research university who had
worked as a Naval nuclear engineer but didn't receive credit for his
experience.

"He had much more current knowledge than most of his professors," she
said. "He ended up helping teach the class."

Derek Blumke, a six-year Air Force veteran, helped found Student
Veterans of America, a group that plans to push for a greater
acceptance of military credit. At the University of Michigan, which
he attends, some military coursework such as foreign language study
is accepted for credit. Other work is not.

"There needs to be a standard format set up," said Blumke. "There are
tens of thousands of vets coming home who aren't receiving the credit
they deserve because the proper protocol isn't in place."

"It's insulting," he added. "They were teaching leadership in a way
most colleges will never be able to."

Army veteran Michael McIntosh noted that Missouri's policy meant he
could not use his experience jumping from planes as part of an
airborne unit to fulfill a physical education requirement even as
other students could enroll in scuba diving or similar pursuits.

"I would have liked for them to at least acknowledge it," he said.
"It might have been a military education, but it was still a lot of
work and a lot of training."

He now attends Columbia (Mo.) College, a liberal arts school with 18
satellite campuses on military bases including Guantanamo Bay. The
school accepts military training for credit, and some occupational training.

And some colleges are even promoting their credits for military work
as a way to recruit veterans.

At Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C., that led to more
than 300 veterans enrolled in the fall semester, said Pat Brown, the
school's educational outreach dean. That's more than six times the
number enrolled just a few years ago.

The school has established two degree programs geared specifically
for service members: an emergency medical care degree for Special
Forces medics and an emergency and disaster management degree for
civil affairs personnel. Both accept military training and transfer
military training for credit for other degrees.

"People need to recognize that the quality of education going on in
the military is at a very high level," Brown said.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Latest recruiter sex case prompts Corps review

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/09/marine_sexcharges_091109/

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Sep 11, 2009

A Marine recruiter in Utah is accused of having sex with a
15-year-old girl, becoming the fourth in 13 months to face similar charges.

The cases have prompted the Corps to review its screening process for
recruiters and to increase the amount of ethics training at
Recruiters School, said Maj. Chris Devine, a spokesman for Marine
Corps Recruiting Command.

Staff Sgt. Trevor Hooper, 26, was arraigned Tuesday in Salt Lake
City, said Alicia Cook, a spokeswoman with the Salt Lake County
Prosecutor's Office. He faces one count of first-degree rape, one
count of forcible sodomy and 12 counts of sexual exploitation of a
minor, according to charging documents. He has been suspended from
recruiting duty and will not serve in that capacity again, said Maj.
Christopher Logan, a spokesman for the Corps' Western recruiting region.

Police began investigating Hooper, who worked at the recruiting
substation in East Salt Lake City, in April after the girl's father
found a digital memory card containing images of her having sex, said
Lt. Don Hutson, a spokesman for the Salt Lake County Sherriff's
Office. Authorities say Hooper and the girl met at a high school
where he was recruiting. He befriended her, and they eventually
decided to rent a hotel room, where the two allegedly had sex, police said.

Initially, police charged Hooper with four counts of sexual activity
with a minor and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. After
prosecutors reviewed the evidence, however, they filed more serious charges.

"When we looked at it, we realized it was more than police initially
thought they were looking at," Cook said.

An affidavit filed by police does not accuse Hooper of forcing
himself on the girl, but says that because of her age, she cannot
legally consent to sex. Hooper videotaped and photographed their
encounter, the affidavit says.

Authorities worked on the case for months, but waited to charge
Hooper until forensics conclusively showed it was him in the photos,
Hutson said. Police interviewed him Sept. 1 and arrested him
immediately afterward.

"These are very serious allegations, so we wanted to make sure that
we were positive about the identity of the people in the images," Hutson said.

Cracking down

The case marks a continuing trend in the Corps. Since August 2008,
four recruiters in three states have been accused of inappropriate
relationships with teenage girls. Two of the Marines were sentenced
to jail time. The other two cases are pending.

In three of the cases, the Marines allegedly met the girls while
seeking recruits in high schools.

Devine called the incidents "intolerable and not reflective of the
moral fabric of our Marine ambassadors recruiting across America."

"The public indiscretions of a few affect all who wear our uniform
professionally and personally," Devine said. "Ours is not a perfect
organization, and these recent incidents have given measure for all
our leaders within the command to re-emphasize to their Marines the
importance of our core values and ethics training."

Sgt. Maj. Fenton Reese, Marine Corps Recruiting Command's top
enlisted adviser, said anyone proven to have an inappropriate
relationship while on recruiting duty will be punished.

"The bottom line is these are isolated incidents, but you do have
some idiots out there," said Reese, based at Marine Corps Base
Quantico, Va. "There are some morons out there, and they will pay the price."

Reese declined to comment on the specifics of Hooper's case, but said
if the accusations are true, his conduct is "totally unbecoming of a
U.S. Marine."

A series of problems

In August 2008, former Sgt. Victor Sanchez-Millan, then 24, was
charged with two felony counts of sexual intercourse with a minor and
two misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
He was separated from the Corps and sentenced in December to one year
in prison and five years' probation after pleading no contest to the charges.

Authorities said he struck up a two-month long sexual relationship
with a 17-year-old girl whom he met as a recruiter at a high school
job fair in Roseville, Calif. He took her on several dates in a
government-issued vehicle, police said.

Also in December, former Sgt. Arthur Pledger Jr., then 27, was
charged in Louisville, Ky., with two counts of third-degree rape for
allegedly having sex twice with a 15-year-old girl, police said. He
met the teen while working at a high school and later began
corresponding with her through MySpace.

He arranged two meetings with the girl, picking her up once at a
friend's house and another time in a church parking lot, according to
court documents. He was separated from the Corps and eventually
sentenced to five years of supervised probation after pleading guilty
March 30, a spokesman with the Commonwealth Attorney's Office said.

In May, another recruiter, Staff Sgt. Bryan Damone Cunningham, 33,
was charged with six felonies, including attempted pimping and
kidnapping to commit robbery or rape, after police in Orange, Calif.,
discovered a 14-year-old girl in a car with Cunningham and two
potential recruits, police said.

The girl told authorities that she met Cunningham online when she was
13 and that she eventually had sex with all three men. She also told
police that Cunningham, based at nearby RSS Long Beach, wanted her to
work as a prostitute and had tried to take her to Los Angeles County
against her will. At the time, police also said they were trying to
determine if Cunningham was using the girl to entice the men to enlist.

Cunningham and the two recruits, Justin Willard, 18, of Los Angeles
and Homer Daskalakis, 19, of Long Beach, were scheduled to return to
court for a preliminary hearing Sept. 11, said John Hall, a spokesman
with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

Hundreds protest US Army arcade

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer/the_intelligencer_news_details/article/27/2009/september/13/hundreds-protest-us-army-arcade.html

By: JAMES MCGINNIS
Bucks County Courier Times
September 13, 2009

There were about a dozen arrests as protesters, counter protesters
and cops descended on Franklin Mills.

As many as 300 protesters marched into Franklin Mills on Saturday to
demand the shutdown of an Army recruitment center that doubles as an
arcade with games that simulate warfare.

Hundreds of counter protesters - many of them Vietnam veterans - and
about 90 Philadelphia Police officers also filled the courtyard
outside the Army Experience Center, a pilot program launched in
Philadelphia by the military.

There were about a dozen arrests Saturday afternoon as police forced
protesters to leave the mall. The names of those arrested were not
immediately released by the city.

At times, the rally seemed likely to escalate into a brawl as the
protesters and counter protesters shouted and pointed at each other.

"War is not a game" the protesters hollered. In turn, supporters of
the center waved flags and chanted "USA!"

All that stood between them was a line of police.

The army center itself was not open - at least to the public or press
- on Saturday.

The arcade area, visible through a series of glass windows, appeared
less like a game room and more like a military command center. Posh
computer workstations were aligned to face a wall of flat screen
televisions, each tuned to either a military recruitment video or a
live feed from Fox News.

Recruiters traded in army fatigues for khakis and polo shirts. Staff
refused to let reporters into the recruitment center, although
counter protesters were gathering inside the arcade as early as 10 a.m.

Vietnam veteran Bill Perry of Middletown wants the center shut down.

"I just don't think 13 year olds and 17 year olds can really handle
something like this and understand that war is not a game," Perry said.

"War is not sanitary as it seems in there," Perry added. "It's not
going to be like an arcade when you're in Iraq or Afghanistan."

Bill Deckhart helped organize the protest as coordinator for the
BuxMont Coalition for Peace Action. Deckhart, of Falls, said he
doesn't want his tax money used to expose teens to violence.

"I understand that kids can play these games at home. But that's up
to the parents to watch their children," Deckhart said. "This is my
government spending my money to expose children to violent games."

Iraq War veteran Kyle Quigley traveled from Harrisburg to take part
in the protest. After one tour in Baghdad, Quigley said he opposes
the war in Iraq as well as operations in Afghanistan.

"These video games don't show you what it's really like over there,"
Quigley said. "It's dishonest. It's not representative of what it's
really like in the army."

The 14,500-square-foot Army Experience Center is a pilot program and
the only one in the country, according to Capt. Jared Auchey, who is
commander at the Franklin Mills site.

The mall was chosen for its urban location and blend of retail and
entertainment facilities. So far, it's been working, said Douglas
Smith, a public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command.

Since October 2008, 140 people have committed to the Army based on a
trip to the center, said Smith. That's 18 more than last year, when
the center opened. Of those, 17 were "quality" enlistments, Auchey
said, meaning they scored 50 or above on the enlistment test. A score
of 31 is needed to pass the test, he said.

Army's Shopping Mall Game Center Shut Down By Protests

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig10/swanson-d1.html

by David Swanson
September 15, 2009

The Army Experience Center, an amusement hall built in a Philadelphia
area shopping mall to make killing and dying look like fun to kids,
has been the focus of repeated protests and criticism. This past
weekend hundreds again protested at the AEC, and police arrested six
protesters and one journalist. The journalist was not with the
protesters, and was picked out of a crowd, apparently because of her
professional camera.

Days prior to this long-planned and publicly announced protest, the
Army announced that it would probably be closing the AEC and not
opening others in other shopping malls, as had been planned. The
reason? Are you ready to hear this? Wait for it ...

The Army doesn't need any more recruits, because the bad economy has
driven up recruitment significantly.

Now, the grain of truth in there is that the economy has driven up
recruitment. The whopper of a lie is that the Army could ever be
satisfied with its recruitment numbers and not want more. And the
glaring omission is the protests. Protesters should not fall for
this. The Army will not announce our victories for us. We have to
claim them. We drove Alberto Gonzales out of town, we made the Iraq
War illegal by turning the United Nations against it, we have held
back military recruitment, we have prevented an attack on Iran by
exposing the lies about Iraq, we scared Bush away from pardoning his
subordinates' crimes, we have turned the American people against wars
of empire, and we have made the Army Experience Center a bad
experience for the Army.

Seven were arrested, six of whom were risking arrest: Debra Sweet,
Elaine Brower, Sarah Wellington, Joan Plune, Beverly Rice, and a
young man whose permission I haven't obtained to use his name. The
seventh, Cheryl Biren, was covering the event as a journalist for
OpEdNews. The police came away from those risking arrest, and picked
Biren out of a crowd of onlookers to arrest her, possibly because she
had a professional camera. She did not have a shirt or sign or
anything associated with the activists. She made clear that she was a
journalist. Then she and the other five women spent the night in the
Roundhouse, the central jail in Philadelphia.

Here are the photos the police did not want you to see.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/restoredemocracy/sets/72157622237199443/detail/

Biren told me: "The images that are most critical to me as a
photographer and reporter are those at the end of protesters being
arrested. Trying to prevent me from (or punishing me for) taking them
reminds me of Bush not allowing photos of the caskets of dead bodies
coming home from war. The way in which they try to prevent us from
recording this kind of news in the making is shameful. It's
anti-democracy. I stand by what I did."

Rightly so, and all who participated, and the six who risked arrest
are heroes as well.

"The action against me was violent and vengeful," Biren told me. "A
police officer rushed me from the side suddenly where I couldn't see
him approaching and pulled me forcefully into the line of protesters.
Later, another officer had to physically pull this officer off of me
because he was so incredibly aggressive and enraged. I'm convinced it
was because I was taking pictures of the arrests."

The picture above was taken at 5 a.m. Sunday after these six women
had been in custody since about 3 p.m. the day before. It was still
pitch black when the police tossed them out onto the streets of
Philadelphia and locked the door behind them, not allowing them to
turn on their cell phones before they left the building. The young
man arrested was released later at 9 a.m.

The arraignment for the charges of criminal conspiracy and failure to
disperse is being held on September 23 at 11:30 a.m., at least for
the six women. Supporters of civil liberties are encouraged to show up at:

Philadelphia Municipal Court
506 CJC
1301 Filbert Street, Philadelphia.
Map: http://bit.ly/Arraignment

Monday, September 14, 2009

Here's your chance to keep military recruiters away

http://www.news-press.com/article/20090819/OPINION/908190368/1015

Protect child from pressure to enlist

Nancy Howell
August 19, 2009

It is time for school again, and parents and public high school
students have their annual one-and-only opportunity to express their
opinions on military recruitment.

The Code of Conduct form, which students will be bringing home during
the first days of school, gives parents the chance to check a box on
the first page of the form stating that they do not want military
recruiters to be given their child's name, home address, and phone
number. The form has been simplified, and now it is available to
parents in English, Spanish or Creole. To stop military recruiters
from contacting your child at home, it is only necessary to check one
box, the 5th of the 6 boxes on the form.

The right to deny military recruiters access to the student
information was given to parents and students by the Congress as part
of the No Child Left Behind law. It is an important right to
exercise, as it protects your child from pressure to enlist
prematurely, while they are still in high school, and it protects
your family's privacy from phone calls and home visits from military
recruiters for the school year. Few students or even parents
understand how a military contract works. The length of the first
term of active service is spelled out on the first page of the
contract, and you have to read the small print to learn that the
contract is for a minimum of eight years! We believe that high school
students are too young to make such a commitment.

Parents in Lee County have reason to feel good about our local
protections for youth in the schools. Last year the majority of
families in all the large academic high schools in Lee County opted
out. And two years ago the school district made a single policy on
military recruiting for all schools, one which allows recruiters
access to students at school only in the Career Counseling office,
and only when the student requests an appointment.

But increasingly, the Department of Defense seems to be giving up on
getting information about our children from the school system. To get
around the opt-out provision, they have invested millions of our
taxpayer dollars in a data collection system focused on youth, called
JAMRS (Joint Advertising Market Research & Studies), a Department of
Defense "data mining" organization.

The JAMRS database includes all the young people of America 16-24,
with all kinds of data (not just address and phone numbers, but also
their courses, grades, hobbies, sports, music preferences, church
attendance) for the use of military recruiters. There is no option to
opt-out on the JAMRS Web site.

Similarly, recruiters use social network Web sites, like Facebook and
MySpace, as a way to learn about and contact kids without supervision
from parents and counselors. Kids put all kinds of personal
information about themselves on their pages, and make it easy for
military recruiters to start conversations with them.

So by all means check the box on the Code of Conduct form, and
opt-out your kids. But you also need to be aware of other ways that
the military may try to recruit your children. Warn your kids not to
give their names and addresses to strangers, even if the stranger is
a military recruiter. There will be plenty of time for that after graduation.
--

Nancy Howell is co-chairwoman of the Wage Peace Project,
Environmental and Peace Education Center, Fort Myers.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Army Leads Services in August Recruiting

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=55788

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2009 – August was another successful month for
armed forces recruiting with all active duty components meeting or
exceeding their monthly goals, Pentagon officials said here today.

The Army blasted beyond its recruiting goal of 6,100 with 8,285 young
men and women enlisting. The service reached 136 percent of goal for
the month.

The Marine Corps also exceeded their goal reaching 110 percent. The
Marines had 3,393 enlistees with an August goal of 3,073.

Navy and Air Force hit 100 percent of their recruiting goals with
3,289 young men and women enlisting to be sailors and 2,681 to be airmen.

The reserve components also did well, officials said, with all on
track to make their fiscal 2009 numbers.

The Air Force Reserve enlisted 827 airmen and a goal of 167, making
495 percent.

The Army Reserve had 1,478 accessions with a goal of 1,208 for 122
percent, while the Navy Reserve enlisted 636 sailors for 100 percent
of its goal.

The Army National Guard made 55 percent of its goal of 4,277,
enlisting 2,337 soldiers. The Marine Corps Reserve has 433 accessions
with a goal of 565 for 77 percent.

Finally, the Air National Guard enlisted 688 airmen and with a goal
of 840 for 82 percent.

Reserve components balance enlistments with attrition. Generally, the
retention rate in the reserve components has been high.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

The rise of foreign citizens in the US military

Irregular Army:
The rise of foreign citizens in the US military

http://www.thecommentfactory.com/irregular-army-the-rise-of-foreign-citizens-in-the-us-military-2307

By Matt Kennard
July 28, 2009

While the 'war on terror' has been underway, the U.S. military has
granted citizenship to 32,500 foreigners, a reward for serving in the
armed forces. This has included Mexicans, Venezuelans, Germans,
Spaniards, amongst many others.

The stage was set in July 2002 when President Bush signed an
executive order that allowed for those who agreed to fight for the
U.S. to become naturalized as a reward. Since then, 8,000
non-citizens have enlisted every year, mostly from Latino and
Caribbean countries. As of February 2008, there were 20,326
immigrants in active duty in all branches of the military.Another
13,151 were in the Reserves.

This issue hit the headlines immediately in Iraq when the first
soldier killed in the Iraq war turned out to be Guatemalan. Lance
Cpl. Jose Antonio Gutierrez, 22, was an orphan in Guatemala and had
entered the foster care system in Los Angeles. He received a green
card just before joining the Marines. He died on March 21st 2003
after coming under enemy fire as American troops tried to secure Umm
Qasr and he has since been the subject of a movie, The Short Life of
Jose Antonio Gutierrez.

The issue of foreign-born soldiers fighting for the U.S. military to
get citizenship has drawn praise and ire.

Some immigrant rights groups claim it's a blackmail that many are too
desperate to turn down. "It would be another example of the
exploitation of cheap labor," says Jorge Mariscal, a professor of
Latino studies at the University of California, San Diego.

Most prominently Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution and
Max Boot, from the Council on Foreign Relation, contend that the War
on Terror opens a "new chapter in the annals of American immigration."

They write in the Washington Post in 2006, "The idea of offering
citizenship to foreigners who first join the armed force should be a
winner for everyone. It is good for immigrants… [and]… It is good for
a beleaguered American military that is simply too small for the
tasks it has been handed."

Although this is a new departure for the U.S. military in fact there
are a number of other nations who recruit foreign citizens: In
France, for example, the Foreign Legion relies on about 8,000
non-citizens. But how it will affect the U.S. armed forces is still
being played out.

The rise of low-IQ in the US military

Irregular Army:
The rise of low-IQ in the US military

http://www.thecommentfactory.com/irregular-army-the-rise-of-low-iq-in-the-us-military-2308

By Matt Kennard
July 31, 2009

Maybe the constant media abuse about his meager intellect made George
W. Bush soft in the heart as well as the head. During the 'war on
terror' the U.S. military have opened their hearts to high-school
dropouts and the intellectually challenged.

From the mid-1980s, the military has barred anyone without a high
school diploma. They have also required recruits to go through an
Armed Forces Aptitude Test, which shut out anyone who scored in the
lowest two percentiles.

The cognitive revolution in the military started in 2005 when the
Pentagon decided that in order to meet its goal of recruiting 80,000
new soldiers it would have to allow 10 percent of those new recruits
to be young men and women who had never graduated high school nor
earned a General Equivalency Diploma.

When this wasn't enough to meet their quotas, the Pentagon started
recruiting more soldiers who scored in the lowest 10th percentile in
the military aptitude test, also known as Category IV. They allowed 4
percent of new recruits to be from Category IV, up from 2 percent the
year before. Now the military accept it that the percentage of
Category IV recruits has gone into the double figures.

The dumbing-down of the armed forces has a very real effect on the
military's efficacy, according to a report by the RAND Corp. For
example, a tank gunner in Category IV was 34 percent less likely to
hit their target than a Category III.

"The overall quality of the force today is lower than it was a year
ago," said David R. Segal, of the Center for Research on Military
Organization at the University of Maryland. "It means they can
anticipate more problem situations with recruits in the training cycle."

The flip side is the re-enfranchisement of a whole swathe of society;
statistically an ethnic minority is much less likely to have a high
school diploma. "I'm not totally naïve, but I have faith in
recruiters," said Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC). "There may be higher
dropout rates. But a lot of times they're extending opportunities to
minorities who wouldn't have opportunities otherwise."

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Army program gives citizenship for duty

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20359029&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574908&rfi=6

by Lisa Fogarty, Assistant Editor
08/13/2009

At the United States Army Recruiting Station in Richmond Hill,
three soldiers Sgt. Darnell Smith, 29, Sgt. Junior Mezilus, 27, and
Sgt. 1st Class Tiffany Finkley, 35 are eager to dispel some of the
common myths associated with the military. But they'll settle for
tackling two major fallacies, to start.
Not everyone who joins the Army is forced to enlist in field
combat, they said, and basic training is as difficult as your mind
allows it to be although that last sentiment drew knowing smirks
from at least one other soldier in the room.
"I knew a young lady who couldn't do half a push-up when she
enlisted," Mezilus said. "She's now at the top of her class."
And, contrary to what some may think, the non-commissioned
officers, who serve under Capt. Hany Noureddine, said they don't
harrass potential recruits to sign up for combat. In fact, Smith said
the center receives more than its share of combat requests from
interested candidates.
What the military now needs, he said, are non-citizens with valid
work or student visas who are skilled in healthcare surgeons,
dentists and nurses as well as those who speak one of several
strategic languages. In exchange, the Army offers what some might
consider a fair trade eligibility for expedited citizenship.
The program, entitled the Military Accessions Vital to the
National Interest, or MAVNI, began in February in New York City, more
than a year after U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates signed a
memorandum authorizing the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air
Force to implement the program. The recruitment of non-citizens in
the U.S. military stretches as far back as the Revolutionary War. The
Lodge-Philbin Act of 1950 allowed 2,500 and later, up to 12,500
non-citizens to enlist in the armed forces and, prior to that, the
Military Bases Agreement opened the gates for Filipino nationals to
serve in the U.S. Navy.
Although the pilot program was slated to end after the
recruitment of 333 health care professionals and 557 language
specialists, the soldiers said both their center and one in Flushing,
the only other station in Queens that offers the program, have been
inundated with requests about MAVNI.
"It has been extremely successful, but we're still looking for
more people and trying to reach out to people from different backgrounds."
The Army seeks to fill positions with people who are fluent in
languages such as Arabic, Urdu, Albanian and Swahili. Applicants,
some of whom might otherwise wait years to qualify for citizenship,
are required to be fingerprinted and pass a pre-screening assessment
of their immigration status. They are then expected to score well on
a math, reading and writing aptitude exam that can be taken in their
own language.
Language enlistees select a job within the Army that suits their
interests and vocational skills. Although male candidates can opt for
infantry training women are barred from serving in combat and
infrantry roles and jobs the Army's list of occupations is
extensive, ranging from dental specialist and public affairs
broadcast journalist to cornet player and electrician.
"Most employers give preferential treatment to soldiers because
of the leadership and job skills you acquire," Mezilus said.
Before basic training takes place, MAVNI applicants apply for
citzenship. It generally takes between one day and one week to
process the paperwork, Smith said. Healthcare professionals can go on
active duty or join the reserve, while language specialists must sign
a four-year active-duty enlistment contract. Citizenship can be
revoked if a MAVNI enlistee fails to complete his or her obligation.
In addition to acquiring job skills, soldiers and their families
are given free or low-cost healthcare, dental care and life
insurance. They are also given a housing allowance and can enroll in
free college undergraduate or graduate courses the day they finish
basic training, Smith said.
The MAVNI pilot program is expected to end on Dec. 31, 2010. To
learn more about it, visit goarmy.com or stop in at either of the
borough's participating recruitment stations at 103-47 Lefferts
Blvd., Richmond Hill or 3640 Main St., Flushing.

counter-recruitment

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Marine recruiter accused of sex with teen

Army recruiters respond to new school policy

More teens are considering a military career

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Some schools give military recruiters too much access

Overseas recruiters find rewards despite obstacles

Patriot Academy: New School for a New Start

Speaker to discuss student privacy

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Air Force dangles bonuses to keep contracting officers

Friday, September 18, 2009

Activists Protest War Simulator

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Military Friendly Schools

Army Experience Center shut down

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Fight Like a Girl (in Iraq and Afghanistan)

Veterans start over as colleges ignore experience

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Latest recruiter sex case prompts Corps review

Hundreds protest US Army arcade

Army's Shopping Mall Game Center Shut Down By Protests

Monday, September 14, 2009

Here's your chance to keep military recruiters away

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Army Leads Services in August Recruiting

Sunday, September 6, 2009

The rise of foreign citizens in the US military

The rise of low-IQ in the US military

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Army program gives citizenship for duty

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