Originally Posted by Lumara

When I read through another thread here about Glass, the National Guardsman who fled to Canada after being given orders for Iraq, in spite of what he was told when he signed up, I thought that recruiters telling lies would make an interesting thread.

When I first visited U.S. Army recruiters back in 1978, I had an experience reminiscent of what happened to Goldie Hawn in the movie "Private Benjamin." No, I wasn't promised a condo or the same things she was told, but lies were definitely part of the recruiting process.

The reasons that brought me to the recruiting office are similar to the reasons that bring many there today - economic downturn:

After receiving my B.A. in New York and attending Penn State Graduate School, I couldn't find a decent-paying job where I lived since the country was in the middle of a recession, so I moved to Florida to live with my grandparents near Tampa to see if I'd have better luck finding a good job there. I didn't - so I visited the local Army recruiting office. This office was located in a storefront in a strip mall.

I filled out some paperwork and talked to two VERY friendly recruiters. They told me that being in the military was one big party and one locked the door. The other pulled out a couple of joints (m*rijuana cigarettes for any who don't know what that is), got some beers out of the refrigerator and we partied for awhile. They reiterated that this was what it was like in the Army. I said I'd think about it and left.

The next time I returned to the recruiting station, the same scenario occurred; locking the door, smoking, and drinking, telling me that joining the Army was like joining one big party, and that sounded great so I signed up.

What they failed to tell me was that I'd frequently be awakened in the middle of the night when I attended AIT (Advanced Individual Training) and stand in line with a bunch of other sleepy women wearing nightwear in the barracks, waiting to take the "goldenflow" (urine) drug test. It wasn't a problem since no one I knew ever flunked the test; it was just a form of harassment, I guess, but it belied what the recruiters told me. Yes, I ran into people who liked to party everywhere I was stationed, but no, the Army was NOT one big party.

There was a terrific company clerk at my permanent duty station who was selected for recruiter training. He returned after two weeks and I asked him what happened. He said they were being trained to lie and he couldn't do it.

I'm not making any of this up. If you google "military recruiters lie" you'll see a lot of info which supports what I'm saying.

So when someone says that soldiers know what they signed up for, that shows me that person doesn't know the whole story. Military recruiting is a numbers game and a recruiter who is either dishonest or desperate to make his monthly quota won't hesitate to say whatever he thinks will get someone to sign on the dotted line, and the truth be damned.

Originally Posted by Skerlnik

Ooh, now that's a bit of a loaded thought, the teaching of honor/morals.

Many would argue that the military's brand of honor or regimented patriotism isn't a moral system they'd want for their kids. I am skeptical of any sort of patriotic indoctrination possibilities. I would think the military would only be one of many options. (Wouldn't be the one I'd choose, for example.)

Still, any sort of civil service, military or not, could at least be seen as citizen duty. A giving back to the nation from which we get so much. I am seeing a lot of potential positives. And, many other countries do it, and reap a lot of benefit.

It's part of the ongoing argument I have with libertarians. I think it's very important to contribute to, and be cognizant of, your society. We Americans get so locked into philosophies of inidividualism that we've lost a lot of communal identity. Service to one's country, even for a short time, is a great way to contribute to the common good, and might foster a lot less selfish behavior. Just my take.