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mjc
Citizen
Username: Mjc
Post Number: 365
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 12:26 pm: | 
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(With apologies for the cross-posting (if that's the right term), I'm posting this here in addition to Please Help, in hope of finding interested MOLers, possibly veterans.)
Our CHS senior has taken a rather sudden turn from planning for college (possibly after a year off) to considering joining the Marines or some other branch of the military, possibly right away. He is being vigorously courted by recruiters.
If anyone would share their personal experiences and reflections, or has any info about what his options would be, whether it would make a difference if he had some college first, anything, I would be most grateful.
This is coming out of left field for us. My personal feeling is that an ironclad, no-backing-out 4-year contract is not the best option for a kid who isn't sure at this point what he wants to do, so I'm recommending letting it sit for a year while starting college or doing some other worthwhile project. Any suggestions for the latter (paid or volunteer things to do) would also be appreciated.
thanks so much!
MC
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L'Angelo Misterioso
Citizen
Username: Misterioso
Post Number: 41
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 12:39 pm: |
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Send him to Europe for a year. Let him see first-hand how the US is perceived in other places. And hear the world news untainted by Republican male prostitutes, Korean evangelists, or Australian carpetbaggers. That might cool his fervor for the military. |
mjc
Citizen
Username: Mjc
Post Number: 367
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 12:56 pm: |
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mystery, I don't think he's actually that fervent about the military, but would like to be doing something instead of being in school, and I've not been able to come up with a concrete, available alternative.
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cjc
Citizen
Username: Cjc
Post Number: 3260
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 12:59 pm: |
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Save your money and have him weekend with L'Angelo Misterioso. Be sure and have him ask Misterioso's opinion of Castro, Stalin and Kim Jong Il. |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 7906
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 1:10 pm: |
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Last year when our son was a CHS senior we signed the opt out form as far as military recruiters were concerned, with some guilt I might ad. The recruiters have a quota to meet and for the Marines it is getting harder and harder to make the numbers and they really latch onto kids who show any interest.
There is nothing wrong with going into the military before going to college. I know quite a few people who did this and it worked out for them. However, at this point in time there is a more than normal risk of injury or death in making that decision. Make sure your son understands this, which is hard with 18 year olds who think they are imortal. I would also try to channel him towards the Navy or Air Force if he is hell bent to go in that direction.
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tjohn
Citizen
Username: Tjohn
Post Number: 2951
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 1:14 pm: |
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I joined the Army after flunking out of college in my sophomore year. I joined the Army partly out of interest in things military and partly out of a desire to not fall into some sort of rut in my home town. All things considered, it was an excellent decision although, in hindsight, I think I would have gone with three years instead of four. I was in the Army only a very short period of time before realizing that I was going to return to college, but it wasn't too hard to suck it up and serve my four years.
Today, the prospect of being sent to war changes things a bit. I would suggest the Navy. I have a suspicion that the Navy will now be attracting the best and brightest of those inclined to join the military. Also, in the Navy, there are a lot of potential jobs that are related to the mechanical trades. The Air Force would also be good in this respect.
Now, if your senior is likely to have a problem living with a four year commitment, then think twice before enlisting.
I well remember arriving at Ft. Knox. The First Sergeant of the training troop had all of the trainees in a room. He said put your heads down on the table and think about home. That gave us all time to consider whether or not we had made a mistake. I recall hearing a few sniffles.
The military is also not, as you would expect, touchy feely. So for those of us who grew up white middle-class, joing the military was bit of a good eye-opener to some of the b.s. less fortunate people have to deal with. |
L'Angelo Misterioso
Citizen
Username: Misterioso
Post Number: 42
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 1:54 pm: |
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mjc, there are lots of programs out there for HS grads. A good one for your son might be AmeriCorps. He'll see some other parts of the USA, help make it a better place, and make some money for college. That seems a better use of his time and energy than being cannon-fodder in Karbala.
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Since you're curious, cjc, my opinion of the folks you mentioned is probably lower than yours. I despise thought control, despotism, and kleptocracy wherever it happens to be - even if it pops up right here.
But you do raise an interesting point ... why do self-professed conservatives always try to smear anyone who suggests that beating swords into plowshares might actually be a good idea? Or who believe that the people IN an institution might not be deserving of the same respect due the institution itself? It's so often done, as you just did, by making some specious connection to totalitarian communist dictatorships.
Do you really have so little faith in the basic goodness of the USA that you can't stand to see anyone look at it with some additional, fresh, unpropagandized (or even differently propagandized) eyes and draw their own, more fully informed, conclusions? |
ina
Citizen
Username: Ina
Post Number: 183
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 1:56 pm: |
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mjc, I'd be at my wits' end if I were you. Your son could work on a kibbutz in Israel, work the wine harvest in France, or volunteer with a myriad of US organizations, Habitat for Humanity or American Friends Service Committee for starters. |
cjc
Citizen
Username: Cjc
Post Number: 3263
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 2:31 pm: |
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L'Angelo -- I do have faith in the US, and was rewarded for it in the last election. And I am especially confidant should anyone go over to Europe or anywhere else for that matter that they'd more often than not come to the right conclusions about this country provided they are exposed to more rather than less information.
The smear that happened here began before my initial post in this thread. "World news untainted"? Sure... "Differently propagandized" was a nice and quite necessary allowance on your part. And just wanted your view on those other world figures, which is "probably" lower than mine (?). |
mjc
Citizen
Username: Mjc
Post Number: 369
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 2:49 pm: |
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mystery, thanks for the link. I just e-mailed it to him, and will follow up.
Bob K, I signed that form too, with no qualms whatsoever; how we got to where we are, I don't know. The recruiters I'm sure are fine guys and truthful in what they say, but I don't expect a balanced presentation from them, esp. with those quotas.
ina - wits' end off and on for sure, though I have a lot of confidence in the son. I'll check on Habitat and AFSC and see what's out there.
Many thanks, all (and thanks in advance for further posts)
MC
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L'Angelo Misterioso
Citizen
Username: Misterioso
Post Number: 43
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 3:06 pm: |
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What smear, CJC?
Is Jim Guckert (or is that Jeff Gannon?), White House "correspondent"/employee of GOP-USA, not also on-line offering himself as a male escort? Is Sun Myung Moon, owner of UPI and The Washington Times, not a Korean evangelist? Is Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox News, not an Australian who came here and made a lot of money? And are they not all also prominent in the American "news" business?
Smear? I guess calling things by their real names (literally, in Guckert's case) is considered a slur in conservative circles. |
algebra2
Supporter
Username: Algebra2
Post Number: 3062
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 3:14 pm: |
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My boss' son graduated in 2004 from HS and wasn't ready to enter college. He did a "Gap Year" program which was organized by Gail Reardon at Taking Off -- an organization in Boston. He spent 6 weeks learning marine biology in Madagasgar and is now doing the John Hall Gap Year Program in Italy -- it's an art history program. These are expensive but I'm sure you and him could plan some volunteer work, job internship, course work which would interest him. My young friend, who I have known for 10 years now -- has come out of his shell and has really grown more these past 9 months than he ever could have if he's entered college last fall.
http://www.johnhallvenice.co.uk/
http://www.takingoff.net/public_html/pages/whoarewe_contact.html |
cjc
Citizen
Username: Cjc
Post Number: 3269
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 3:25 pm: |
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The implication in your smear is his misplaced non-plowshare fervor for the military is due to biased news coverage. Holding up what Europe has to offer as more accurate is ridiculous. |
steel
Citizen
Username: Steel
Post Number: 644
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 3:50 pm: |
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What might their parents have done differently if they
had seen the future? |
L'Angelo Misterioso
Citizen
Username: Misterioso
Post Number: 44
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 4:00 pm: |
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As Steel so quietly pointed out, the lack of any significant coverage in the American press of Iraq's human toll - on Iraqis and on our soldiers. The press, even the so-called liberal New York Times, were relentless cheerleaders for the war.
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Sorry MJC - I should take this discussion elsewhere.
Thanks for briefly bringing us down to earth, Algebra2 - and for making some good suggestions. |
tjohn
Citizen
Username: Tjohn
Post Number: 2954
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 5:01 pm: |
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Look, the military isn't for everybody and certainly the decision to join the military shouldn't be taken lately. I well remember my father's reaction when I told my parents I was going to enlist - less than enthusiastic.
But I find it offensive and elitist of people to criticize on the decision of a young man or woman to join military just because they don't like Bush and his foreign policy. It makes me feel like we view enlistees like some sort of stupid lepers.
I met some fine people in the Army and I met some people who were less than useless. But I lived with people from whole segments of our society that you just don't see in Maplewood and I view that as a positive thing. |
Joan
Supporter
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 5160
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 5:05 pm: |
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It sounds like your son needs to think seriously about what he wants to do with his life at present.
If he is flirting with joining the military, it would be a good idea for him to speak with anyone he knows who may have graduated from HS within the past year or two and chosen the military route. Young people can be brutally honest with each other in such conversations and he would then have the information he needs to see if this is the best decision for him.
There are an infinite number of other things your son can do in a year off: travel, volunteering, and working in a support capacity in a field your son might eventually want to make his career are all good options. The trick here is to find something he is ready for and really wants to do. Has your son tried to speak with his guidance counselor about possible alternatives to going to college in the fall? |
mjc
Citizen
Username: Mjc
Post Number: 371
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 5:13 pm: |
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Thanks again, all.
Joan, he has spoken to a couple of recent grads and will be speaking to more. I'll also recommend the guidance counselor.
As tjohn pointed out (and as we know because a number of his much older cousins did tours), it's not necessarily a bad thing to do, and he is actively interested in meeting people outside his current milieu, among other things, but (sorry, getting political) I have big misgivings under the current administration. |
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