The US Army Recruiting Command has a motto: "First to
contact, first to contract." In the school recruiting handbook the Army
gives to the 7,500 recruiters it has trawling the nation these days, the
motto crops up so often it serves as a stuttering paean to aggressive
new tactics--tactics that target increasingly younger students.
Read ActNow, The Nation's activist weblog, for info on counter-recruitment efforts.
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To make sure they are the first folks to contact students about their
future plans, Army recruiters are ordered to
approach tenth, eleventh and twelfth
graders--repeatedly. Army officials spell out the rules of
engagement: Recruiters are told to dig in deep at their assigned high
schools, to offer their services as assistant football coaches--or
basketball coaches or track coaches or wrestling coaches or baseball
coaches (interestingly, not softball coaches or volleyball coaches)--to
"offer to be a chaperon [sic] or escort for homecoming activities and
coronations" (though not thespian ones), to "Deliver donuts and coffee
for the faculty once a month," to participate visibly in Hispanic
Heritage and Black History Month activities, to "get involved with local
Boy Scout troops" (Girl Scouts aren't mentioned), to "offer to be a
timekeeper at football games," to "serve as test proctors," to "eat
lunch in the school cafeteria several times each month" and to "always
remember secretary's week with a card or flowers." They should befriend
student leaders and school staff: "Know your student influencers,"
they are told. "Identify these individuals and develop them as COIs"
(centers of influence). After all, "some influential students such as
the student president or the captain of the football team may not
enlist; however, they can and will provide you with referrals who will
enlist." Cast a wide net, recruiters are told. Go for the Jocks, but
don't ignore the Brains. "Encourage college-capable individuals to
defer their college until they have served in the Army."
Army brass urge recruiters to use a "trimester system of senior
contacts," reaching out to high school seniors at three vulnerable
points. In the spring, when students' futures loom largest, the handbook
advises: "For some it is clear that college is not an option, at least
for now. Let them know that the Army can fulfill their college
aspirations later on."
Finally, recruiters must follow the vulnerable to college: "Focus on the
freshman class [there] because they will have the highest dropout rate.
They often lack both the direction and funds to fully pursue their
education." (Thus do decreasing federal funds for college complement
recruiters' goals.)
"The good [high school] program is a proactive one," the sloganeering
commanders remind. "The early bird gets the worm."
About Karen Houppert
Karen Houppert, special correspondent for
The Washington Post Magazine and frequent
Nation contributor, is the author of
Home Fires Burning: Married to the Military—for Better or Worse (Ballantine).
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