High School Students Protest Military Recruiting

High School Students Protest Military Recruiting

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Story Published: May 21, 2005 at 4:27 PM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 31, 2006 at 1:57 AM PDT

By George Howell

KING COUNTY - On the heels of a national recruiting "stand down," a group of local protesters staged in front of a recruiting office in Central Seattle to "stand up" against what they are calling aggressive tactics.

Since Oct. 1, the U.S. Army has investigated 480 allegations of improper conduct by recruiters to get high school students signed up.

Military recruiters admit they are reviewing their processes across the board.

But Philip Locker believes it's a sign the military is getting desperate.

"They've been caught numerous times lying, outright lying, outright harassment, intimidation. But the root of the matter is that the Army is desperate for more soldiers for their war in Iraq, and young people are not prepared to die for a war they do not believe in," Locker said.

Times are definitely changing when it comes to approaching high school students about military service. Local recruiters say they tend to have more success recruiting in rural areas as opposed to cities.

"Today's conditions represent the most challenging conditions we have seen, at least that I have seen during my 33 years wearing this uniform," explained Major General Michael Rochelle, Commander of U.S. Army Recruiting.

Recently, local recruiters have run into opposition at some Seattle high schools, with some parents and students asking them to leave in light of the recent allegations.

By law, public schools cannot ban military recruiters from coming on campus but Seamus McKoen hopes Friday's "stand down" will make the process of recruiting more transparent.

"I think that there's a lot of fine print that's trapping people in situations they don't want to be in," McKoen explained. "They're signing people into the army who don't know what they're getting into."

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