<p>I don't know if it is just me (i.e. are my grades low or something??!!?!?) where they think that they can get me to join. First of all, I support the troops, but I would NEVER join the military. I'm not interested in it, I'm far too feminine, not to mention I have health problems that would prevent me from joining. My GPA is a 3.7something, I'm in AP classes etc., and I'm applying to colleges at the MIT/Brown/Amherst caliber. Is this a bad sign? Do they only send it to kids that they don't think will get into college? Most of the things that they send me have to do with college scholarships though, so I don't know......</p>
<p>I'm getting the mail too.. just ignore it. It doesn't mean anything if you don't want it to mean anything. It's just like getting Community College Viewbooks in the mail... when you're a straight A student.......</p>
<p>you just somehow ended up on the mailing list (as did I)</p>
<p>I've been getting it, too. And they have my name wrong on the envelope - not a minor mistake, but totally wrong (last name and first name switched, and first name seriously misspelled). It's pretty funny.</p>
<p>And the Marines, and the Navy, and the Air force, and the coast guard... Get used to it. They send them to everyone. Really, the military isn't a bad choice esp. one of the military academies. </p>
<p>What really gets me is the free $hit they give out at schools. Our tax money is going to buying thousands of t-shirts, coffee mugs, stickers ect. </p>
<p>Interesting recruiter story-</p>
<p>(Recruiter calls while I'm in the middle of writing an essay)</p>
<p>Recruiter- Hello this is Sgt. askdfasdj from the US Marines. Have you ever thought about a military career?</p>
<p>Me- No not really.</p>
<p>Recruiter- Well what do you want to do for a career? Not every person in the armed services is a soldier. </p>
<p>Me- I want to be an anthropology professor.</p>
<p>Recruiter- Oh.</p>
<p><strong>Click</strong></p>
<p>ha ha, I'm getting recruiter/email/mail solicitations from the army, national guard, coast guard, air force etc. also. They send them out to practically everyone, I bet. Its not that I'm against the army/military; I just can't imagine myself in that environment. Me: nerdy girly girl who likes high heels and dresses, knitting, and the social sciences... does not equal a military person.</p>
<p>Here's my slightly boring recruiter scenario:
I come home and my mom gives me a phone number- says someone came to talk to me about college scholarships (unspecific). I was like... hmmm.. okay. I like scholarships. So I called back. Alas, it was the army (or something of the sort).<br>
Me: Hello? Someone called me earlier about college scholarships?</p>
<p>Recruiter: Oh, yes. I was wondering if you were interested in going to college?</p>
<p>Me: yes...</p>
<p>Recruiter: Are you interested in ...[something to do with the military] ?</p>
<p>Me: No, not really. </p>
<p>Recruiter: Do you how you are going to pay for college?</p>
<p>Me: err...through scholarships and a job, hopefully?</p>
<p>Recruiter: Did you know that the army can pay for your college education?</p>
<p>Me: errrrrrr...<em>thinking...oh god...never...ever...ever</em>
yes, but no thank you, I'm not interested</p>
<p>I got a "certificate" from the National Guard and a fake check for $20,000</p>
<p>I laugh when I see these things.</p>
<p>I got that too, Dennis. They're pretty desperate. I would make the worst soldier ever. The US Army does not need me weakening their ranks. I wish they wouldn't try to recruit so heavily. In shopping malls, etc, the way they converge on you (especially when you're with a college-aged male) is sort of sick.</p>
<p>they call at the most inconvenient times..</p>
<p>My roommate and I have each recieved Army National Guard ads...delivered to our Air Force Academy mailboxes. :facepalm:</p>
<p>^ big red ,I agree that they call at the most inconvenient times..lol</p>
<p><<and the="" marines,="" and="" navy,="" air="" force,="" coast="" guard...="" get="" used="" to="" it.="" they="" send="" them="" everyone.="" really,="" military="" isn't="" a="" bad="" choice="" esp.="" one="" of="" academies.="">>
To give this thread some serious perspective, an actual career in the military is nothing to scoff at, especially when beginning at one of the academies, which, as I understand it, is the easy way to get started on a military career.
I do know several retired military people who graduated from some of the military academies and ultimately retired from the military to use their credentials to go to top law schools, medical schools, et cetera. One such person I know even became an art collector. It is hardly the death of intellectuality.
In terms of simple recruitment, however, I am equally frustrated to find my intelligence insulted at every corner in places like career fairs. I have been receiving many similar letters.
Just because I am a young man and in high school does not mean I am stupid enough to throw away my rights to the military.
I'm sorry, but many people enter not knowing the true ramifications of their decision to enlist.
Not that all enlistees are so naive, and I have a great deal of respect for the military, but my parents are both social workers for the Navy so I have always known a great deal about the true nature of the deals that young people tend to be offered, especially in this age of what seems like such desperate recruitment.</and></p>
<p>Out of idle curiosity, bigreddawgie, is there a funny story behind your remark? :P</p>
<p>Yeah, they sent me movie tickets...I'm probably one of the wimpiest healthy males ever. And my eyesight sucks.</p>
<p>
[quote]
And the Marines, and the Navy, and the Air force, and the coast guard...
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Same here.
Never gotten a phone call from them though (although I feel sooooo guilty when I get a call from a college and I have to tell them that I'm not applying- got one from Sewanee the other day...).</p>
<p>haha melancholydane</p>
<p>i was writing an essay when they called. they kept asking questions fa la la's post. basically they wasted 15 min of my life. it was literally 20 min, i was staring at the clock. i didnt want to be rude so i kept on answering yes or no. in the end, he asked if it was ok if i was kept on the list and i just asked uhh sure to be nice. </p>
<p>ok so not a funny story, but he p1ssed me off</p>
<p>It just ticks me off how they use patriotism and bribery to get us killed for the benefit of a few rich elites and then they pretend they care about life.</p>
<p>Wow, I'm starting to sound like a cross between Zinn and PAC.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>I find it ironic that the only reason you are afforded freedom of speech is because of the very thing that you insult.</p>
<p>we shrug it off, but it does work for a very large number of people in the country.</p>
<p>If you're at all interested, do consider the service academies. Ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to fly. I always thought that as time progressed, I'd sort of forget about my boyhood passion and want to persue a career as a doctor, teacher, scientist, or whatever. It never happened. I found myself near the end of high school with no desires that didn't involve 20,000 feet of air between the Earth and the seat of my pants. I began looking into the US Air Force Academy, and was extremely impressed by what I saw. In the end, it was the only school to which I wanted to apply (I sent in an application to Notre Dame for good measure).</p>
<p>Growing up, I never thought about joining the military. I don't come from a military family at all, but as the time approached I couldn't see myself doing anything else. Today, I'm persuing a commission and a pilot slot. A career in the military can be well-paying (especially as an officer), fun, and incredibly rewarding. There are so many things that I didn't truly understand before - loyalty, honor, and an indescribable sense of commraderie to name a few. Again, if you have any interest in a meaningful and important life at an Academy or in the military in general, please feel free to send me a message. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions. It's not a decision to take lightly, but it's certainly not one I regret in the least.</p>
<p>Haha raimius, that's awesome. My older brother gets Army recruitment materials sent to him all the time at our house. The only problem is that he's away at college--at the US Naval Academy. Oops...</p>