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The shiny, black Hummers with hip-hop music blasting
out of the huge speakers in the trunk were parked in
the patio during lunch.
There were a dozen students dancing to Kanye West as
other students approached the trucks with puzzled looks.
What they found were tables filled with brochures, pens,
free key chains and soldiers casually standing by with
their camouflage uniforms and combat boots, promoting
the U.S. Army.
U.S. Army soldiers came during the winter to our school
to tell students about the job opportunities that the
army can offer, and hopefully, to convince them to sign
up for the army.
But all they seemed to do was glamorize the whole concept
of what the army is.
Yes, they told of all great job opportunities: We can
become doctors, nurses, computer technicians, anything
we want. But did they really tell us the dangerous side
of the army over all the loud music?
It seems hypocritical that instead of telling us about
the dangerous fighting in Iraq, the 4,000 Americans
that have died since 2003, and the millions that suffer
everyday because of the wars the army participates in,
they play 50 Cent songs and have pull-up contests.
A serious commitment
The army is no joke. Basic combat training consists of
nine weeks of intense training, including learning how
to use M-16A2 rifles, rigorous physical tests and attending
boot camp.
You are away from your loved ones for months, maybe
years, and you never know when you'll go home and see
them again.
During combat, you go days without shelter, you fight
against other soldiers or civilians, and most times,
you don't know if you'll make it through the day.
These US Army soldiers have no right to glamorize the
army for unsuspecting high school students.
Yes, the trucks, the free key chains, pens and the loud
music may seem exciting and interesting now, but the
army's recruiting strategies are deceiving and give
us mistaken ideas of what fighting in a war really demands.
This propaganda occurring in our school is disturbing
because it is a distorted image of the army. It feels
like they are trying to trick us into joining.
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