New arsenal for Army recruiters
C.W. Nevius
Saturday, January 29, 2005
sfgate.com
When the phone rang two weeks ago, our high school senior picked up.
"Heeeeeeey,'' said a jolly voice on the other end. "What's up?''
"Who is this?'' our son asked.
"It's Sgt. So-and-So from the Army,'' he said. "Just checking in to see how your senior year is going.''
"How did you get my home phone number?''
"Through the government,'' the sergeant said. "So, have you started your senior project yet?''
Things went downhill from there. The high school senior not only wanted to know how the Army got his number, he wanted to be taken off the list permanently. And the recruiter kept trying to get back to cheerful chat about the school year.
It did not go well. In fact, the recruiter ended up hanging up on his potential recruit. A little frustrated, apparently.
We mention this for two reasons. First, whether you know it or not, military recruiters probably already have your high school student's home phone number. And second, given concerns about how recruitment numbers will hold up with an ongoing war, you should expect a call.
How do the recruiters get your phone number? Easy. Despite what the recruiter told my son, the number is handed to them by the schools -- sometimes reluctantly.
Although many parents are just beginning to realize it, an obscure section of the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act requires that all schools receiving federal funds (virtually all public schools) provide the phone numbers and addresses of high school students to military recruiters.
Can you keep yourself off the list? Yes, but only if you submit, in writing, a request to the school to "opt out'' of the recruitment. Otherwise, it is assumed you are willing to take a cold call from a recruiter.
And don't bother trying to fight the premise. Both the Santa Cruz and San Francisco school districts thought they'd come up with a compromise, which was: Let those who are interested in the military have a chance to volunteer for information.
Both districts suggested an "opt in'' policy under which interested students would ask to be contacted. No one else would be called.
Not acceptable. Federal officials made it emphatically clear to both districts that the "opt in'' policy could put them in jeopardy of having their funds "yanked,'' in the words of one official.
In the end, both districts caved in to the pressure, although San Francisco did make a symbolic change. Under its plan, all students are given the option to choose, but those who do not state a preference are put in the "opt in'' group. Last year, 52 percent of students said no, they did not want to be contacted, 6 percent said yes, and 42 percent did not respond.
That's Part One. Part Two is the growing concern that recruitment for the military is going to run into problems. The National Guard is the biggest current worry, having dropped 30 percent in recruiting for the months of October and November.
The Army continues to meet its goals, but it is hard to shake the feeling that military recruiters are running as fast as they can to stay in place. The Army has added 1,000 recruiters -- for a total of 7,000 across the country - - and two years ago doubled its advertising spending, to $592 million. Standards for incoming recruits have been lowered for the first time since 1998, and benefits and signup bonuses have been increased.
Sgt. Delbert Miller, station commander at the Pleasant Hill Recruiting Station, claims he's yet to see a decrease in recruits as a result of the war in Iraq.
"I've been recruiting for 10 years,'' he says, "and I don't really see an impact. Recruiting is like anything else. It comes in fits and starts.''
But nationally others are less sanguine. In October, Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, the senior Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told the New York Times that "recruiting for the United States Army is going to be a major challenge in the days ahead.''
The Army has responded with a new strategy. It bombards MTV with ads, suggesting a visit to goarmy.com to play a video game. It has sponsored a NASCAR entry and a NHRA dragster. And it is sending activity exhibits to schools and campuses.
Unfortunately, those don't always work out. College Park High School Principal Dennis Berger thought the Army was bringing a precision drill team to his Pleasant Hill campus last week. Instead, it turned out to be a video shooting gallery with authentic-looking plastic guns complete with recoil.
"They were probably more realistic than I imagined,'' Berger says. The event outraged some students, parents and teachers, and drew media coverage.
"It was,'' recruiter Miller says, "actually made into a bigger deal than it was. I haven't had a single parent call. But I will say we are not going to bring it back to this area.''
Good idea. Between the shooting gallery and the cold calls to students' homes, the Army has the feel of a group that is trying way too hard. But don't take my word for it. See what you think when the Army calls your house. |
