I don't necessarily think that convincing a young man not to join the armed services is a noble cause.  I do hope that if this man joins the service, you will be proud of him for making his choice, and that you will tell him so, regardless of your distaste for the administration.

Those who volunteer to serve deserve our gratitude.

Nevertheless, I think it's also a good idea for anyone about to join any branch of the service to read up on the life.  Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried is a must, I would think.

And maybe this poem could be stapled to the Marine recruiter's desk:

(See my next posting for the poem.)

Herring405