mandpete

My son is about to start 10th grade and this morning we received a packet of about 10 forms to fill in.

On the back of one of the forms is a box to be ticked if you don't want your child's name and details forwarding to military recruiters. I only really noticed it because of a thread posted a while back on this site. My friend hadn't noticed it and thanked me for letting her know. I can't believe High Schools 'are requested' to comply with a request by the military to supply them with a directory including details of 15 year olds.

The form will be mailed back to them first thing in the morning.

Elvira

Couldn't agree more!

Another thing that raises my hackles is the fact that my sons - including the one whose green card name check appears to have got lost in some big black hole - have had to register for Selective Service. Bloody cheek, that!!

Jerseygirl

So it's a YES then.

gruffbrown

We used to get phone calls from recruiters for my step daughter when she turned 18, she used to tell them she'd only sign up if she and her gay friends (she's not) could have their nails done every week.

paddingtongreen

Why is it a cheek, you knew, or should have known, that it was a requirement when you came.

mandpete

With a PS that I also have a 9 year old if they want her details.

Chorlton

Wasn't this all part of the No Child Left Behind deal?
Recruiters here are right up (or down) there with telesales people.

BigDavyG

Not picking on you Elvira but I tend to agree with the above - if you don't agree with the rules in a country don't move there.
Whether the rules are reasonable or not is irrelevant I'm afraid.

Hope you had a nice trip home.

BigDavyG

In the cannon fodder production line recruiters should be well down the list of people to hate, and besides its the bloody army people are signing up for - if they are expecting a holiday camp they have no-one to blame but themselves when they end up in Baghdad

Elvira

I wonder how many people who move here realise that their kids might be required to fight for the US one day, even if they are neither citizens nor permanent residents!

Ray

Not true .....Most non immigrant visas are exempt ...
unless they become out of status ..then they must file ...

Elvira

Males aged 18-26 who apply for adjustment of status/permanent residence have to register. Seeing that no one can tell us what happened to our son's name check, it could take years for him to get his GC - but he could still be called up...

Ray

Thats not what you said ....I expect his was filed automatically when the AOS was applied for ...As is right ...

Chorlton

I've seen videos of them hosting pizza parties where they get school kids to come and play America's Army (the online game), and the recruiters try to get them to sign up. They make them think the game is like reality. There are many many stories of them conning kids or helping them cheat to get accepted - not cool.

Now if someone joins entirely of their own free will, thats different. When you join the army, you give up a lot of things and your job is to fight where the army sends you, no questions asked (unless of course the war is illegal).

Elvira

What do you mean that's not what I said? The point I made was that someone may be called up to fight even though they are neither a citizen nor a permanent resident. I am not aware of any other country that has the nerve to do this.