Posted on 06/09/2005 7:39:29 AM PDT by KillBill
For mom Marcia Cobb and her teenage son Axel, the white letters USMC on their caller ID soon spelled, "Don't answer the phone!"
Marine recruiters began a relentless barrage of calls to Axel as soon as the mellow, compliant Sedro-Woolley High School grad had cut his 17th birthday cake. And soon it was nearly impossible to get the seekers of a few good men off the line.
With early and late calls ringing in their ears, Marcia tried using call blocking. And that's when she learned her first hard lesson. You can't block calls from the government, her server said. So, after pleas to "Please stop calling" went unanswered, the family's "do not answer" order ensued.
But warnings and liquid crystal lettering can fade. So, two weeks ago when Marcia was cooking dinner Axel goofed and answered the call. And, faster than you can say "semper fi," an odyssey kicked into action that illustrates just how desperate some of the recruiters we've read about really are to fill severely sagging quotas.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattlepi.nwsource.com ...
This article does reek of B.S. and liberal propaganda.
Probably
Susan Paynter is an uber-leftist on the order of Mark Morford. Nothing she says is worth the effort.
hmmmmmm.
never heard of being REQUIRED to take the ASVAB....
it's usually voluntary and you can take it starting in 10th grade.
Everyone knows that it's a military aptitude test and not required....
My daughter was so thrilled to get a call from the Marine recruiter just 2 days ago....she took the ASVAB a few months ago. She's still a little young to join yet - at 16yrs old. She IS interested in the Marines.
The recruiter just said to call him or stop by when she was ready for more info...
Semper Fi!
"Of all the people to recruit, why this kid?"
They're apparently getting pretty desperate. A friend of mine in the Army told me that last week he met a young woman who had signed up, but hadn't yet left for basic. She was getting pretty frantic, because it was becoming evident that her recruiters had lied pretty blatantly to get her to sign, promising her all sorts of things that weren't going to happen. He told her that she could still opt out up until she went to basic. When she asked about it, three recruiters were there in less than half an hour, putting the screws on and telling her anything she wanted to hear (punctuated by repeated threats). My friend said that he didn't think that she really belonged in the Army either, but it seems they'll do almost anything to get another warm body at this point...
Pardon me if I repeat myself one more time:
It's the leftist agenda, stupid!
There is no doubt that by allowing the left to take over our schools and smear our country and our military, the eventual end of our all-volunteer military.
They can't win elections therefore; weakening the military and ruling by fiat is what's left for the lousy left.
The lefty traitors are trying to accomplish what the terrorist nations and the Islamofascists can't do, pure and simple.
You'd think so, but I had the Marines calling me right before I turned 18 (this was in the year or so before Desert Storm). I got letters and phone calls. I even had a recruiter tell me "off the record" that he could guarantee me a spot in the band (without having heard me torture my saxophone) and that I'd never see combat.
I never understood why they had an interest in me, figuring that one of my buddies had put me on their list as a joke. But that kind of prank was never really our style.
1) Maybe it was just our school where it was required . . . or at least not challenged.
2) Whoops, maybe it was my sophomore year. Been a while since that point. :-)
3) We knew it was a military aptitude test, but the test administrators even told us that day that it would only be used to determine the area where to place us once we enlisted. Nothing was ever said about it being used in recruiting. I was in high school . . . a little more naive about those things then.
My brother and sister in law had very bad experiences with the Navy and their recruitment tactics... they wanted in because of all the lies they were told... once in they were terrorized and finally went awol.. because of improprieties in recruiting and some pretty disgusting things that happened when they were in, they were let out without a word. I've told this story before on this board and been called a liar and worse.. improprieties happen, I've also seen it with my own high school friends who were promised great things only to be told they would work at whatever they were needed at in the military... none of the promises ever materialized. But there are some people who are just as blind about military improprieties as they are police improprieties..
The fact that most soldiers and sailors are decent people doing an difficult important job, just as most cops are decent people doing a difficult and important job, doesn't mean that all of them are good people, and it doesn't mean that there aren't institutional problems.
The Marine recruiter lied to me. I believe that other recruiters have lied to other people as well. That doesn't reflect poorly on the service, unless the service protects them and refuses to take action.
Susan's anti-American slip is showing. She's no doubt proud of the fact.
I never experienced anything like this but the when I was a teen the recruiters were unbelievably persistent.
Unless his mother goes with him to enlist, he can't enlist on his own before his 18th birthday.
Now I am not excusing any underhanded tactics by recruiters.
If that be the case, then those responsible should be held accountable.
Semper Fi,
Kelly
Especially if there is a mush-brained fool living at home who is inclined to follow any old stranger with candy out the door, into a car and to a motel in another city. Sheesh. This kid's too stupid to be a Marine.
I don't know if this is exaggerated or not. Since we don't have the Marine side of the story, it is safe to conclude that it is.
I do know that based on the personal experience my buddies and I had with Army recruiters in the early 70's, (at the start of the "Volunteer Army"),I give the following advice to my own kids.
1. Don't believe anything a recruiter says unless you can independently verify it.
2. Take me with you when go to see the recruiter.
3. Don't commit to anything without taking a couple of days to think about it and to get some informed advice.
4. Don't sign anything unless you read and understand it.
Please note that I am a very pro-military vet and would be proud to have my kids serve if they choose to. However, military recruiting has always been a corrupt process and I would not like to see my kids get screwed just so some staff-sargent can make his quota.
We were required to take the ASVAB at my high school (30 years ago). A lot goes on in small high schools that you would find amazing.
Ha - what you say is true. Recruiters DO lie :)
My 16 yr old daughter is very interested in the USMC and has taken the asvab already. She's got 2 yrs left in high school, tho.
She knows darn well that me (former Sgt USMC) and her father (retired CWO5 USMC) will join her at the recruiters when it's time for her to sign anything regardless of what service she may enter.
OOH-Rah!
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