Part 5 Comments re Recruiters' Promises -1-T- [GI Special] Once he signs on, the military is under no contractual obligation whatsoever to honor any promises of any kind made before he signs on, nor can he lawfully make them do so. He is completely fucked. If command decides he will spend his entire military career burning shit in Tikrit, that is what he will do, or go to military prison, thus ruining any hope of a future legal career. -This information may be substantiated through contact with two organizations and both have expert legal panels: 1. The Military Law Task Force: http://www.nlg.org/mltf (415) 566-3732 or (619) 233-1701 2. The GI Rights Hotline: http://www.objector.org/girights http://www.objector.org/girights/delayed-enlistment-program.html The GI Rights Hotline (800) 394-9544 Email: [email protected] Since he views his future career as law, then he will already know that it is wise to consult an attorney before taking any major decisions with a legal dimension. In this instance, the legal subject is contract law and whether he has an enforceable contract with the military that he will only be required to perform certain duties, but not others. He will find out exactly what oral promises, or written promises, are worth, and whether or not they are binding on the military, once he is wholly under their control. See the above referenced resources that specialize in this area of law. -K- One mother had a 19 year old son who signed up for delayed entry into the Navy to be a Navy Seal. She tried to convince him not to sign up. She explained that: there were better options out there, a. the war was immoral and illegal, b. the recruiters would tell him anything to fill their quota, c. she wouldn't be sleeping for as long as he was enlisted, etc. He signed up anyway, but he didn't go to boot camp and didn't end up in the military. The ONE THING THAT WORKED was to go with him when he was to leave for boot camp. She drove him to the enlistment center at 5 a.m. and stood next to him when they did the "swearing in" and observed everything. When her son sat down with an officer to complete his paperwork, she sat and listened. He told her son the guarantees his recruiter gave him could not be honored, that he didn’t qualify for the SEALS due to hearing loss in one ear. She thinks they made that up as his hearing was good. The recruiter knew about the loss of job guarantee weeks earlier, but did not inform her son. She happily seized the opportunity to intervene, advising her son to ask for time to reconsider. He resisted immense pressure to "just take the jobs that were being offered.” He decided to unenlist altogether. He suffered threats of arrest, insults, and abuse while going through the process of unenlisting. He told her later that he would have caved in to the pressures had she not been there. And he said the threats and insults led him to finally see that they didn’t care about his interests. -C- He most likely will NOT get any lawyer training. He will go to Iraq and kill to stay alive. He can still walk away ... my guess is that he is in delayed enlistment .. and there is no obligation to show up. The military has a $3 BILLION dollar budget to utilize savvy marketing techniques to attract young people. See GI Rights Hotline: http://girights.objector.org. -R- Recruiters lie. Wait I'll say it again. RECRUITERS LIE. He needs to read his little contract. They can and will put him where ever needed. He will go to Iraq, period. They should have told him this. A journalist friend with the Army ships out in August to Iraq/Iran. WE WILL GO TO WAR WITH IRAN. Period. A friend in the marines has done 2 tours in Iraq. He's not the same person at all. He WILL HIGHLY likely be sent to war. Give him other options rather than to try to scare him. -E- Visit http://www.projectyano.org, which has been involved in counter recruitment for a couple decades. Recruiters have apparently gotten training in brainwashing and mind control. Recruits answer all my challenges with very similar rhetoric. A student told me today that he has a conscience and he won't kill anyone. I told him he will be trained to kill and ordered to kill. He said he'd probably work in an office according to his recruiter. I told him to please email me from that office and tell me how it's going. The military is lying to your nephew about the college money, the training The promises can all be denied. He will be government property. Read the contract item 8c, saying No promises will be honored. All of the promises guarantee the enlistee that he or she will be used at the discretion of the U.S. military. -S3- This person's family has 2 friends who are AWOL because they went to Iraq and found out it was crazy. They were told lies by recruiters and ended up fighting in Iraq. One of them got shot, came home, and got orders to go again, but he went AWOL. His friend’s son joined the marines about last September or October after being unable to find a job.. He planned on being a leader and pursue a career. He regrets now having decided to join. Many kids find out that the military is nothing like what they expected. Most soldiers return from Iraq with MENTAL PROBLEMS You will not have any bright future in the Military. Read about politics and find out how you can really help people. Help hold the politicians accountable. That's the "GOOD FIGHT"!! -J5- Brian Willson, http://www.brianwillson.com/, enlisted in the Air Force in 1966 at 25 years of age. He was already halfway through studies in law school and an associated master's program in criminology. His hometown recruiter virtually guaranteed him an assignment in some administrative role dealing with Air Force defendants/prisoners. But it was all lies. http://www.brianwillson.com/awolranger.html ] See Iraq Veterans Against the War http://www.ivaw.net/or Veterans Against the Iraq War http://www.vaiw.org/vet/index.php Some good books are War is a Racket by US marine Smedley Butler http://www.fas.org/man/smedley.htm Bloody Hell: The Price that Soldiers Pay by Dan Hallock http://www.peacemagazine.org/archive/v16n3p29a.htm 10 Excellent Reasons Not to Join the Military http://www.alternet.org/story/35792/ http://alternet.bookswelike.net/isbn/1595580662 An Interview With Camilo Meija http://www.vaiw.org/vet/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2445 Addicted to War is in cartoon format, easy to read, but well researched and explosive! http://www.addictedtowar.com/ "9/11 Truth Movement" -K2- First of all, do not trust anything a recruiter tells you. They are glorified used car salesmen that will tell a prospect anything to enlist… recruiters are all liars! Have him talk with Veterans for Peace members Give him the anti-recruitment material offered through the War Resisters League -D- Try veteransforpeace.org for some info. http://www.afsc.org/youthmil/ http://www.peacecorps.gov/ Most any veteran can attest to the fact that a recruiter WILL lie to an enlistee, like my recruiter lied to me about training in computer repair. Uncle Sam will own him and there won't be many options left. -R2- Recruiters lie. Desperate recruiters lie more. Anyone considering military service should talk to active-duty grunts to find out what to expect. The military contract says (in small print) that promises may not be honored. Have him talk to some of the troops in Iraq who had their terms of service extended indefinitely -D4- [Army Reserves Captain, recently resigned] Do not to believe ANYTHING the recruiter told you. Once you raise your right hand, they will do whatever they want with you. And you will be an Infantryman, go to Iraq at least twice, and it will suck. Read this before enlisting http://funwithhandgrenades.blogspot.com/ Contact Vets for Peace with any other questions. http://www.afsc.org/youthmil/default.htm http://www.afsc.org/youthmil/thinking-of-enlisting/default.htm http://www.arlingtonwestfilm.com/ *See the Arlington West film -J- One man’s son and daughter-in-law were both in the Army or Marines last year. The son always wanted to be a military man, but last year was planning on getting out because he had been sent on his third tour of duty in Iraq. The daughter-in-law was from a family without the money to send her to medical school. She had joined because the recruiter promised her that the military would send her to medical school. Then we invaded Iraq. She didn’t get any medical training. She was doing computer work preparing the troops going to Iraq. She now thinks she will never get to go to med school. Regardless of what the recruiter promises, you are stuck once you take that oath. Even if he lies completely about what you are in for, there is nothing you can do. They are shorthanded in Iraq and are talking about going into Iran. If you think you are going to be able to avoid combat, think again. -J7- One young man joined the Navy last year, but never took the oath. He was guilted and the recruiter really knew how to play with his mind. He said: First they try to do you a favor by getting a speeding ticket erased from your record, or any kind of legal problem etc. Then you think you owe them and you want to repay their favor. They don't let you forget their favors either. They casually mention now and then things like: "At least we got those tickets cleared; that's going to make your life a lot easier." When testing for enlistment, you are with people your age and you feel their peer pressure. Some are gung-ho to go fight for our freedom and it tends to rub off on you. You feel guilty if you have any doubts. Recruiters are pumping you full of compliments, like: "man, your ASVAB scores are awesome, you got a 96, you'll definitely get a sweet MO!" The young man asked: "will I be sent to the front lines?" The recruiter said, "Nah dude, you're gonna be on a ship, you aren't gonna die, that's the Marine's and Army's job! You'll be safe!" That's what persuaded him. Hi recruiter worked out a plan so he could tell one of the personnel when it came to his "last chance" to refuse to join. But that person wasn't in when the day came, so there was no "last chance". The recruiter had to have known this person might not be in, because she had been out for 2 weeks with the flu. The young man ended up running through several offices to findithe commanding officer to tell him he wanted out. His point is, it's not easy to get out once "you're in". -N2- The recruiters are definitely going to be long on promises and short on delivery. They are even forcing 52 year old grandma's into service. (this example was on dailykos.com) Since our need for troops in iraq and soon, iran, is so great, your nephew will be rotated into service there. There's no two ways about it. -R3- Send him a few articles on the web of lies that recruiters regularly spin, and how the military tested chemical weapons on its own members without telling them. He could confront the recruiters with such information. -J- One woman had a dream that her 8 year-old son would become a fighter pilot and die in a fireball crash. The military seduces our young men with dreams of "being all they can be." Law schools probably get their students from top universities, NOT out of the military. -M- Considering a stint in the Navy, after this person found how little the Navy would compensate her for college for risking her life, she decided it wasn't worth it. -W- Recruiters tell lies, and those lies are well documented. They NEVER tell the truth...it is their job to get a signature and to NOT explain the small print on the very-deadly contracts they get children and parents to sign. Only an OFFICER...NOT AN ENLISTED PERSON EVER gets any "legal training" in the military. http://www.objector.org Don't hit him with loads of information, as he may rebel. -T2- Recruiter routinely fail to tell new recruits that the service can and often will change the school that was promised and even if they go to the school there is no guarantee that they will work in their chosen field. Remember Marines are FIRST and FOR MOST: "RIFLEMEN" Ask any D.I. or gunny. -P2- A Recruiter will tell you anything to get you to sign on. You are another number towards their quota, and promotion. ANY deal is better than joining the Marines -D3- Misinformation that the recruiters try to sell our youth http://www.projectyano.org/yano_about.html http://www.countermilitary.org/Military_Myths.html http://www.watir.org/index.htm Check with local Veterans for Peace http://www.veteransforpeace.org/about.htm -D2- http://www.afsc.org http://www.truthout.org/multimedia.htm A video - Arlington West A video called informaNation. http://www.centeronconscience.org/ Click on publications and scan down to #14 -J4- Recruiters are liars. You either have to be extremely naive or an idiot to beleive anything they tell you. -R- The_Myths_of_Military_Opportunity.doc http://www.warresisters.org/Not_Just_a_Job.pdf -B- http://girights.objector.org -S- http://www.afsc.org/youthmil/thinking-of-enlisting/Do-you-know-enough-to-enlist.htm -P- The folks at the Center on Conscience and War in Washington are the experts. http://www.centeronconscience.org