Recently parents have decided to take the issue of military services recruiting in high school to the school board. Some parents are concerned and feel that military services should not be allowed in high schools because they lie and because they are aggressive with their recruiting tactics. Military services should be allowed to recruit in high schools in order to help all students be successful upon graduation by providing an opportunity for at risk students to leave their current situation. Also it provides students who will not attend college an alternate route of gaining valuable skills, and to provide an opportunity for low income students.
Parents concerns for military recruiting in the school is that military recruiters lie to students about benefits and are aggressive in their recruiting tactics. “One of the most common lies told by recruiters is that it is easy to get out of the military if you change your mind.”(Ayers 2006) All though some military recruiters will lie and deceive others in order to get them to enlist not all military recruiters lie. Also with today’s technology any student can do their own research to verify the information a recruiter is distributing. Also parents believe the military service have gotten to aggressive with recruiting. The argument is teens are attracted to the free gifts and make a quick decision. Yes the military uses materials that they have branded with their logo to attract students attention. ( Atten-hut! ) However a student does not join the military for the gifts a recruiter gives them. A student will enlist because of the benefits that have been communicated by an honest military recruiter.
First military personnel should be allowed to recruit in high schools because some students in the high school are headed down the wrong path. Some students hang around the wrong crowd and do mischievous things. These types of actions could lead to bigger troubles and eventually derail a kid’s life before it gets started. The military provides a way for at risk kids to leave the current environment in which they are a part of. It gives the students a fresh start where no one knows anything about you or is going to judge you based on your associations. The military will provide these at risk students the discipline that they are lacking and will assist them in installing that discipline. The discipline starts from day one and continues throughout their time in the military. The military also provides structure for these students and it gives them a chance to be controlled by individuals who are looking out for their best interest. By providing a way out and a change in attitude for the students who have no direction we can give them a better future. The military can help identify these at risk students and help turn their life around. The only way the military can identify these students is by being allowed to recruit in high schools.
Additionally military services should be allowed to recruit in high school in order to provide students who will not attend college a way to gain skills. All high school students care different in every aspect of their lives. Not all high school students want to attend college or consider themselves college material. The military can be an alternative for these students to learn skills that will make them a productive member of society. The United States Army offers more than 150 military occupational skills that a high school student can choose from. These skills range from computer technology, law enforcement and medical skills. All these skills are exactly the same skills that are offered at major universities across the country. By offering skills to students who do not want to attend college will allow them to compete for employment in their respective fields. Also once these students gain these skills they then begin to gain experience in their field by working in their job. As a service member in the United States Army I have over 13 years of experience in the information technology field. The United States Army has trained me in my current job and has equipped me with the same skills that others would spend 4 to 6 years in college learning about. The hands on experience will allow high school students to build a resume that can compete to their peers. Educating high school students who are not interested in college about the skills the military has to offer is why the military should be allowed to recruit in the high school.
Finally, the most important reason the military should be allowed to recruit in public schools because the military can provide opportunities for kids of lower income to afford college. Most high schools kids would like to attend college however, they simply can’t afford it. The military is an organization that prides itself on making college affordable through several different programs. For example one of the programs the United States Army has to offer is the Montgomery GI Bill. This program can pay more than 59,000 dollars in total benefits towards college. This amount of money will help that low income student to follow his dream and go to college. Second the United States Army also offers Tuition Assistance, which is a program that gives a service member the opportunity to pay for college while they are still serving. Tuition Assistance will give the service member 4,500 dollars every year to take any course the service member decides to take. This money is free money that service member can use at any time. This program helps students who become service members pay college tuition without having to worry about taking out loans and worrying about if they will get scholarships. Most students growing up were told by their parents that they would go to college. At this point in time that started planning on which college they wanted to attend. Most students like me wanted to attend large universities. As students grew older they begin to realize that the university of their choice was expensive and they would not be able to afford it and now it seemed as an impossible task to go to college. The United States Army has a program called Concurrent Admissions Program which allows service members to continue their education once their time in the service is over at the University of their choosing. Service members are automatically enrolled into the college of their choice and don’t have to worry about any application fees or any other requirements that normal students have to worry about. Most high school students that can’t afford college have not thought about how they can still achieve their goals. By allowing military members the ability to recruit in high schools, students will be educated on how they can afford the college of their choice.
While some individual recruiters lie and are aggressive which takes away from the learning environment, military services should be allowed to recruit in high school in order to help all students be successful upon graduation. Military services should be allowed to recruit in high schools which would give high risk students an opportunity to be successful. Also it provides students who will not attend college a way to gain skills as well as provide an opportunity for low income students a way to pay for college. If we do not allow military services to help educate students about their options after graduation we are doing an injustice to our future and leaving a child left behind. Make a difference in the future and someone’s life and allow the military services to recruit in high schools.

References
"Atten-hut! Should there be restrictions on military recruiters in schools." Current Events, a

Weekly Reader publication 28 Feb. 2011: 6+. Global Issues In Context. Web. Retrieved 27

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Ayers, W. (2006, April). Hearts and Minds: Military Recruitment and the High School Battlefield. Retrieved June 27, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibray.com/docview/218538601?accountid=458