One Person.

1/6/2012

Me holding my sign on the public sidewalk in front of the public school.

Can one person make a difference?

Yes.

Yes, I truly believe that.

I would have never imagined that the "One Person" would be me.

I have a child.

I never anticipated the things you do as a parent for your kid that can take you so far out of your comfort zone.

It is what a parent does.

If I am not an example for my kid - who would replace me as that example?

My son is now 14 years old.

He does not understand why I am doing what I am doing.

That is the difference between a child and an adult.

My hope is that as he grows up that he will learn to not fear to be different and to not doubt what he feels in his heart to be right and to be kind and
considerate to others in his efforts to simply be himself.
I want him to know that he can also be the "One Person" if need be.

So.....
Here I am on the sidewalk each morning waving and smiling to anyone who makes eye contact with me and even to those who do not.

One person.

Yep.

That's me.

10 Comments

Danielle

1/10/2012 11:13:56 pm

I applaud your courageous effort. It seems to me that for those of us who do not want our children aggressively recruited, we are viewed as unpatriotic. Over the last two years, military recruiters have called my phone number and my son's asking for an appointment to discuss my son's military potential. My son graduated from Tigard High School. During my final conversation with an especially obnoxious recruiter, I firmly stated that my son was college bound and was not considering the military. I then asked him to please stop calling, that military service was never going to be an option. At this point, the young recruiter got very surly with me, even to the point of having a threatening tone. I took his information and contacted his commanding officer and only then, did the phone calls stop.

My nightmare has begun again only this time with my 16-year-old daughter. She has a name which is gender unspecific (think Kelly or Sam) so the calls have begun in addition to receiving copious pieces of recruitment literature in the mail. As a side note, she also receives tuxedo advertisements from Men's Warehouse. I think the problem starts with the schools who release our children's information to solicitors. To me, this is unconscionable.

Well done one your "Army of One."

barb smith

1/11/2012 12:59:04 am

Thanks for the words of encouragement.

Did you know that your school provides an "opt-out" form so that the school does not automatically give your child's information to recruiters?
*** A provision of the No Child Left Behind law requires high schools to share students' names, phone numbers and addresses with military recruiters unless students or their parents choose to opt out. **

The opt-out form needs to be signed early in the school year. I think the deadline is early October. I think there should only be an "opt-in" form.

My volatile interaction with the Air Force recruiter at my kid's school was mostly because he got snippy with me. I would think that a man representing our government would be held to higher standards than a mom. So I am not surprised that the recruiter who talked to you on the phone was less than polite.

Always something, ain't it? :)

jon doe

1/11/2012 04:16:21 am

I am sorry to break it to you but recruiters are not trying to get you 12 year old into the military. Just because a kid comes home with a army key chain means nothing! Would you prefer they say sorry kid your not old enough to have this free thing that says army? I hate that parents look at recruiters so bad! They are doing there job! Oh yeah and please tell me what college or job could ever give them the college funds and benitfits that the military does?

Anne T.

1/13/2012 02:16:46 am

Thanks for your courageous stand. You are not alone. We are organizing against STARBASE here in Portland. Also check out NNOMY and AFSC. I posted your blog link on Facebook.

Wanda S

1/25/2012 10:20:57 am

Jon Doe... Of course they are trying to increase the chances kids will join up ... that is why we call them recruiters. Recruiters have gifts for the same reason perverts have candy.

jon doe

1/26/2012 09:34:16 pm

Wow how are u going to claim they are trying to recruit kids? They can't even join Untill they are 18! Also wow what a comparison you just compared the people who fight for your freedom to perverts! Every man women and child have the right to make there own choices! Maybe the united states should just bring back the draft! Let's just make everyone serve for 2 years after high school! Maybe then you would think different about the men and women that help maintain the military and help insure that the military has the amount of people they need to be effective in protecting our country! I wonder have any of you ever serve our country? Probally not right? Well then I doubt you have any idea how great serving this country can be. Lastly if we didn't have recruiters to explain what the military is all about and what it can offer most people would never join because the media and web sites like this portray the military as kid recruiting baby killers which it is not! Untill you have walked in there shoes i would appriciate it if your sign wasn't red white and blue!

wanda s

1/28/2012 08:17:33 am

Jon Doe,

My analogy was a reference to "grooming", a highly manipulative and predatory practice used by child molesters to "befriend" children with the sole purpose of influencing their future choices and behavior. It includes giving them trinkets. This is well documented and there is no question that it works.

To be clear, the reason this belongs in the conversation is to illustrate what is wrong with your claim that giving gifts to children could not possibly be connected to wanting them to "sign up" (when they are old enough) .

Anything beyond what I just wrote is a converstaion that takes place entirely between you and your righteous indignation. It is certainly beyond the scope of my intention.

You said that children have the "right" to make up their own mind... well... not really, legally they don't. It is a nice sentiment, but humans don't immerge from the womb capable of making sound choices (which seems to be a requisite).

Until the voting age is lowered to 12 years of age, I would suggest that it is far too young to be subjected anyone with an interest in convincing you it's a good idea to grow up to be cannon fodder.

wanda.s

1/30/2012 05:41:35 am

I just want to empahsise that the conversation here is about 12 year old children. No one said anything about banning recruiters entirely.

It is simply inappropriate for anyone who is selling a potentially life-threatening career to begin trying to influence children 6 years before they are considered mature enough to vote in a general election.

wanda.s

1/31/2012 10:14:03 am

oops, I see there IS mention of no recruiters in schools at beginning of the blog... sorry. I was thinking of the younger kids, I guess because that is the most egregious part of what is happening in Gaston.

I do think that the appropriate time for kids to hear about a career in the military is later... much later.

I promise that not being recruited when you are 12 or 14 or even 16 is not going to stop anyone from looking into what the military can offer them and what they can offer the country when they are 18.

When I was in high school (back in the dark ages) the military did not recruit women at all so I was never approached. As a child I walked with my mother in anti war marches etc. but oh somewhere between 18 and 20 I thought about joining the military. Even took the tests, I was told I could choose any field I wanted to be trained in.

A friend who had been in Vietnam talked me out of it and warned me against putting too much stock in promises made be recruiters.

One thing I do remember about the recruiter... I can tell you first hand that he was absolutely NOT HONEST. He offered to let me cheat on the math test to become a helicopter pilot. No way he had MY best interest in mind... now I think of recruiters more like used car salesmen.

barb smith

1/26/2012 10:30:26 pm

Mr. Doe,
I did not make the pervert comment. That was a reply to this post from someone else.

The members of the Armed Forces who come to schools employed as recruiters. That is their job - that is what they are trained for. They are paid salespeople. They are not volunteers.

By their presence in the school, often twice a month, they are promoting their organizations.

They are easy to notice. They are wearing uniforms.
They give free items to children in an impoverished school with advertising logos.

That is the same as seeing TV commercials over and over, day after day, year after year. They are getting their "brand" out there.

I am very pro-choice on giving children equal access to opportunities for their future.

At this school, they see far more members of the Armed Forces than any other career or job opportunities.

I think that service in the military is probably a good fit for some people, but is a choice that should be made as an adult.

The college and job recruiters do not solicit the younger children.

The military recruiters do.

My sign is red white and blue, as I am a citizen of the United States and I am a patriot, just like you.

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