Recruiter, peace activist: Two views of national service | The Des
Moines Register
Sean Eckhardt is an easy guy to like.
Raised by a single mother, he joined the Navy to see the world and make
something of himself. He's the father of three, donates to community
causes, coaches football at Davenport West High School and is the top
recruiter for the Iowa National Guard. He's the type of person who prays
before lunch at a deli.Jeffrey Weiss is easy to like, too. He spent two
years in AmeriCorps working with at-risk youth. The father of three beat
cancer three years ago. He says the battle gave him a new appreciation
for the sanctity of life, so as a Christian, he must try to make the
world a better place.
But when Weiss visits high schools, it's for the opposite reason as
Eckhardt. Weiss offers students an alternative to military service with
opportunities for careers in peace and social justice.
As this divided America ponders whether to elect Barack Obama or John
McCain - two likable politicians who'd take the country in two very
different directions - perhaps it's a worthy exercise to examine two
well-meaning, likable people on opposite sides of another emotional
argument.
"What can make good people good people is that they're trying to do the
right thing, and only they can determine what their right thing is,"
said Richard Fumerton, a University of Iowa philosophy professor who
studies the nature of knowledge. "(But) we can't stop evaluating there.
... Two people can be very, very good people and can end up doing
radically different things.
"And if two things are in opposition, you can't escape the conclusion
that one must be wrong."In this exercise, Eckhardt represents the
reddest of the red states, Weiss the bluest of the blue. It would be
easy to take a sound bite and vilify one side. More difficult is
ignoring each side's personal motivations and confronting the bigger
question: One side must be right. The other must be wrong.But which?
The peacemaker
Jeffrey Weiss sits alone in the cavernous lunchroom at Des Moines East
High School. Propped on his table is a modest display. A handmade sign
with a white dove advertises the Iowa Peace Task Force.
"We don't have the free stuff, the DVDs, the PlayStation videos, the
billion-dollar advertising budget that's all over the television and
radio" like the military, Weiss says. "We can't compete."
On Weiss' table are a half-dozen pamphlets. "Careers in Peacemaking and
Social Change," one reads. Another is an opt-out form so the military
won't receive students' personal information. A postcard-sized handout
shows 17 questions to ask military recruiters: "What do I do if an
officer gives me a command that I believe is illegal?" "What is
post-traumatic stress disorder?" "Will I be deployed to the Middle
East?"
Students file through the line, buy their lunches, and walk toward
Weiss' table."How you doin'?" he asks. "These are alternatives for after
high school, peace and social justice careers."Most keep walking.
Weiss offers a free pen. A handful pause at the table.
The boyish-looking Weiss doesn't look far removed from high school
himself, but he is: 42, married, father of three girls, ages 7, 11 and
13. He discovered peace activism at Iowa State University after he
befriended a South African man. The man told of being tortured by the
apartheid regime, and Weiss soon began working in the campus
anti-apartheid movement.Now, Weiss works for the American Friends
Service Committee, a Quaker nonprofit organization dedicated to
nonviolence. He visits Des Moines high schools to make a statement.
About once a week, a military recruiter visits the schools as well.
Their recruiting visits, Weiss points out, are taxpayer-funded; Weiss
operates on a shoestring budget.
Still, Weiss feels it's worth his time, if only for the symbolism of
another adult encouraging students to "serve your country without
holding a gun," as he puts it. Most who stop at his table are anti-war
sympathizers. But sometimes Weiss chats with students on the other side.
Jay Deever, a strapping 17-year-old senior, strolls up to Weiss' table.
He pokes around the materials. Someone had told him the table was for
scholarships.Weiss tells him of the opt-out forms."You sign this," he
explains, "and people from the Pentagon are supposed to respect your
privacy."
"I'm actually going into the Marine Corps," Deever replies. "I didn't
know this was peace stuff."
Weiss shifts tracks. He hands Deever a pamphlet on military enlistment.
It reads, "Military recruiters and advertisements promise job training,
money for college, adventure, leadership skills ... and more. Before you
join, take a good look into what you're getting into."Deever will
graduate in May. On June 6, he'll head to Camp Pendleton. He'll likely
be deployed and says he's scared of heading to war. But defending his
country, Deever says, is his obligation. And the military gives him a
shot at college."We're not here to tell you what to do or what not to
do," Weiss says. "For some people, it would be a good career. Just know
your rights."
The protector
Sgt. 1st Class Sean Eckhardt walks out of his office, where his 2008
Recruiter Achievement Award is prominently displayed, and down the
stairs at the Army National Guard Armory in Davenport.
The 41-year-old, one of the Iowa National Guard's 71 full-time
recruiters, is headed to Davenport's West High School for a lunchtime
visit. West is a diverse school with a mix of ethnicity and income
levels. It's also fertile ground for military recruiting. Last year, 23
of the school's 395 graduates enlisted.Eckhardt pulls into the parking
lot. He talks about graduating from this school more than two decades
ago, a poor kid unsure of what to do in life. He signed up for the Navy.
The military changed his life. He spent 15 years in the Navy and after a
spell in civilian life signed up for the Guard.
Eckhardt walks into the cafeteria, where the smell of fried food hangs
in the air.
An assistant sets up in the cafeteria next to a table selling homecoming
tickets. Out comes a treasure trove of National Guard goodies. National
Guard T-shirts in pink or blue reading "American Heroes." Dale Earnhardt
T-shirts. National Guard iPod speakers. National Guard hats, CD holders,
beanbags, pens, stopwatches, DVDs.Lunch hour starts, and high school
students swarm."What do you need to do to get a T-shirt?" one asks.
"Give me 40 push-ups," Eckhardt responds.
Lexi Seikola, a 15-year-old sophomore, does her push-ups and says she's
thinking about the Army."I want to do something good in my life," she
says. "And I don't know if I'll be able to afford where I want to go to
college."Mike Ehrecke does his push-ups and says he's not interested in
the military."But it's a cool T-shirt," the 16-year-old sophomore says.
Eckhardt smiles. He sees himself in these youngsters. They need
self-esteem, and they need something to work toward. What Eckhardt is
selling these teenagers is a shot at college and a chance to serve a
cause bigger than themselves. He's quick to point out that deployment is
inevitable.
Toward the end of the lunch hour, a 16-year-old boy walks up to
Eckhardt. Even though Eckhardt's in his camouflage Army Combat Uniform,
the boy stills calls him "Coach."
"Mr. Mayo," Eckhardt says. "How are your grades?"
"A, B, D and A," Paul Mayo says.Mayo played football last year, and
Coach Eckhardt got on him about grades. This year, Mayo's getting an A
in the language class he flunked the year before."You know," Eckhardt
says, "we got linguists in the military. Keep that in mind."
Right and wrong
So which side is right?
Start with their motivations.Eckhardt looks at his Bible and reads about
protecting the innocent. He sees the military as the protector of the
innocent.Weiss looks at his Bible and reads about Jesus preaching
nonviolence. "Love your enemy," Jesus said.
Like Eckhardt and Weiss, the presidential candidates have similar
personal motivations that bring them to vastly different conclusions.
McCain and Obama both claim moral high ground. Both base their morals in
Christianity. Both sincerely believe their path is the right one for
this country.But their motivations don't matter. It doesn't matter if
they're both good guys, and it doesn't matter if their hearts are in the
right place. In their solutions to make our country better, both men
cannot be correct.
"One of those two people are going to be right, and one of those two
people are going to be wrong," said Fumerton, the philosophy professor.
"It doesn't matter whether they're well-meaning or not."
The same matrix can be applied to Weiss and Eckhardt."I love people like
him," Eckhardt says of Weiss. "But I can't be people like him. As a
Christian ... I wish in a perfect world that everyone got along and
there was no war. But I'm also a realist and know there are evil people
in the world. And to turn your head and say there aren't is like being
an ostrich and sticking your head in the sand."
Weiss points toward Dwight D. Eisenhower. In his farewell address, the
president and former Army general spoke of the dangers of the
military-industrial complex. America's worldwide empire of military
bases, Weiss says, is more the problem than the solution.
"A dangerous idea for the idea of democracy is that, in our country,
patriotism and militarism have become synonymous," Weiss says. "There's
going to be problems. The question is, do we resolve our problems by
killing one another? Or do we resolve our problems with what we've been
taught by Jesus?"
So who is right - between Sean Eckhardt and Jeffrey Weiss, between
Barack Obama and John McCain, between a red vision of America and a blue
vision of America?
It's up to you to decide.
--
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20081010/NEWS/810100393/0/BUSINESS/?odyssey=nav%7Chead
Via InstaFetch
Moines Register
Sean Eckhardt is an easy guy to like.
Raised by a single mother, he joined the Navy to see the world and make
something of himself. He's the father of three, donates to community
causes, coaches football at Davenport West High School and is the top
recruiter for the Iowa National Guard. He's the type of person who prays
before lunch at a deli.Jeffrey Weiss is easy to like, too. He spent two
years in AmeriCorps working with at-risk youth. The father of three beat
cancer three years ago. He says the battle gave him a new appreciation
for the sanctity of life, so as a Christian, he must try to make the
world a better place.
But when Weiss visits high schools, it's for the opposite reason as
Eckhardt. Weiss offers students an alternative to military service with
opportunities for careers in peace and social justice.
As this divided America ponders whether to elect Barack Obama or John
McCain - two likable politicians who'd take the country in two very
different directions - perhaps it's a worthy exercise to examine two
well-meaning, likable people on opposite sides of another emotional
argument.
"What can make good people good people is that they're trying to do the
right thing, and only they can determine what their right thing is,"
said Richard Fumerton, a University of Iowa philosophy professor who
studies the nature of knowledge. "(But) we can't stop evaluating there.
... Two people can be very, very good people and can end up doing
radically different things.
"And if two things are in opposition, you can't escape the conclusion
that one must be wrong."In this exercise, Eckhardt represents the
reddest of the red states, Weiss the bluest of the blue. It would be
easy to take a sound bite and vilify one side. More difficult is
ignoring each side's personal motivations and confronting the bigger
question: One side must be right. The other must be wrong.But which?
The peacemaker
Jeffrey Weiss sits alone in the cavernous lunchroom at Des Moines East
High School. Propped on his table is a modest display. A handmade sign
with a white dove advertises the Iowa Peace Task Force.
"We don't have the free stuff, the DVDs, the PlayStation videos, the
billion-dollar advertising budget that's all over the television and
radio" like the military, Weiss says. "We can't compete."
On Weiss' table are a half-dozen pamphlets. "Careers in Peacemaking and
Social Change," one reads. Another is an opt-out form so the military
won't receive students' personal information. A postcard-sized handout
shows 17 questions to ask military recruiters: "What do I do if an
officer gives me a command that I believe is illegal?" "What is
post-traumatic stress disorder?" "Will I be deployed to the Middle
East?"
Students file through the line, buy their lunches, and walk toward
Weiss' table."How you doin'?" he asks. "These are alternatives for after
high school, peace and social justice careers."Most keep walking.
Weiss offers a free pen. A handful pause at the table.
The boyish-looking Weiss doesn't look far removed from high school
himself, but he is: 42, married, father of three girls, ages 7, 11 and
13. He discovered peace activism at Iowa State University after he
befriended a South African man. The man told of being tortured by the
apartheid regime, and Weiss soon began working in the campus
anti-apartheid movement.Now, Weiss works for the American Friends
Service Committee, a Quaker nonprofit organization dedicated to
nonviolence. He visits Des Moines high schools to make a statement.
About once a week, a military recruiter visits the schools as well.
Their recruiting visits, Weiss points out, are taxpayer-funded; Weiss
operates on a shoestring budget.
Still, Weiss feels it's worth his time, if only for the symbolism of
another adult encouraging students to "serve your country without
holding a gun," as he puts it. Most who stop at his table are anti-war
sympathizers. But sometimes Weiss chats with students on the other side.
Jay Deever, a strapping 17-year-old senior, strolls up to Weiss' table.
He pokes around the materials. Someone had told him the table was for
scholarships.Weiss tells him of the opt-out forms."You sign this," he
explains, "and people from the Pentagon are supposed to respect your
privacy."
"I'm actually going into the Marine Corps," Deever replies. "I didn't
know this was peace stuff."
Weiss shifts tracks. He hands Deever a pamphlet on military enlistment.
It reads, "Military recruiters and advertisements promise job training,
money for college, adventure, leadership skills ... and more. Before you
join, take a good look into what you're getting into."Deever will
graduate in May. On June 6, he'll head to Camp Pendleton. He'll likely
be deployed and says he's scared of heading to war. But defending his
country, Deever says, is his obligation. And the military gives him a
shot at college."We're not here to tell you what to do or what not to
do," Weiss says. "For some people, it would be a good career. Just know
your rights."
The protector
Sgt. 1st Class Sean Eckhardt walks out of his office, where his 2008
Recruiter Achievement Award is prominently displayed, and down the
stairs at the Army National Guard Armory in Davenport.
The 41-year-old, one of the Iowa National Guard's 71 full-time
recruiters, is headed to Davenport's West High School for a lunchtime
visit. West is a diverse school with a mix of ethnicity and income
levels. It's also fertile ground for military recruiting. Last year, 23
of the school's 395 graduates enlisted.Eckhardt pulls into the parking
lot. He talks about graduating from this school more than two decades
ago, a poor kid unsure of what to do in life. He signed up for the Navy.
The military changed his life. He spent 15 years in the Navy and after a
spell in civilian life signed up for the Guard.
Eckhardt walks into the cafeteria, where the smell of fried food hangs
in the air.
An assistant sets up in the cafeteria next to a table selling homecoming
tickets. Out comes a treasure trove of National Guard goodies. National
Guard T-shirts in pink or blue reading "American Heroes." Dale Earnhardt
T-shirts. National Guard iPod speakers. National Guard hats, CD holders,
beanbags, pens, stopwatches, DVDs.Lunch hour starts, and high school
students swarm."What do you need to do to get a T-shirt?" one asks.
"Give me 40 push-ups," Eckhardt responds.
Lexi Seikola, a 15-year-old sophomore, does her push-ups and says she's
thinking about the Army."I want to do something good in my life," she
says. "And I don't know if I'll be able to afford where I want to go to
college."Mike Ehrecke does his push-ups and says he's not interested in
the military."But it's a cool T-shirt," the 16-year-old sophomore says.
Eckhardt smiles. He sees himself in these youngsters. They need
self-esteem, and they need something to work toward. What Eckhardt is
selling these teenagers is a shot at college and a chance to serve a
cause bigger than themselves. He's quick to point out that deployment is
inevitable.
Toward the end of the lunch hour, a 16-year-old boy walks up to
Eckhardt. Even though Eckhardt's in his camouflage Army Combat Uniform,
the boy stills calls him "Coach."
"Mr. Mayo," Eckhardt says. "How are your grades?"
"A, B, D and A," Paul Mayo says.Mayo played football last year, and
Coach Eckhardt got on him about grades. This year, Mayo's getting an A
in the language class he flunked the year before."You know," Eckhardt
says, "we got linguists in the military. Keep that in mind."
Right and wrong
So which side is right?
Start with their motivations.Eckhardt looks at his Bible and reads about
protecting the innocent. He sees the military as the protector of the
innocent.Weiss looks at his Bible and reads about Jesus preaching
nonviolence. "Love your enemy," Jesus said.
Like Eckhardt and Weiss, the presidential candidates have similar
personal motivations that bring them to vastly different conclusions.
McCain and Obama both claim moral high ground. Both base their morals in
Christianity. Both sincerely believe their path is the right one for
this country.But their motivations don't matter. It doesn't matter if
they're both good guys, and it doesn't matter if their hearts are in the
right place. In their solutions to make our country better, both men
cannot be correct.
"One of those two people are going to be right, and one of those two
people are going to be wrong," said Fumerton, the philosophy professor.
"It doesn't matter whether they're well-meaning or not."
The same matrix can be applied to Weiss and Eckhardt."I love people like
him," Eckhardt says of Weiss. "But I can't be people like him. As a
Christian ... I wish in a perfect world that everyone got along and
there was no war. But I'm also a realist and know there are evil people
in the world. And to turn your head and say there aren't is like being
an ostrich and sticking your head in the sand."
Weiss points toward Dwight D. Eisenhower. In his farewell address, the
president and former Army general spoke of the dangers of the
military-industrial complex. America's worldwide empire of military
bases, Weiss says, is more the problem than the solution.
"A dangerous idea for the idea of democracy is that, in our country,
patriotism and militarism have become synonymous," Weiss says. "There's
going to be problems. The question is, do we resolve our problems by
killing one another? Or do we resolve our problems with what we've been
taught by Jesus?"
So who is right - between Sean Eckhardt and Jeffrey Weiss, between
Barack Obama and John McCain, between a red vision of America and a blue
vision of America?
It's up to you to decide.
--
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20081010/NEWS/810100393/0/BUSINESS/?odyssey=nav%7Chead
Via InstaFetch
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