New View of ROTC Post-Election?

<p>Great article, except Columbia makes my blood boil.They actiovely called and mailed DS when he was a rising SR to try and get him, we just threw all of their prospectives in the circular filing cabinet ;) Main reason is because of not only their policy towards the military, but also towards young Republicans and invitng Ahlmindejad to speak. Sorry I don't want 1 penny of my money going to see that man have a platform, when the University does everything in their power to quash their own students voices.</p>

<p>Back on topic.</p>

<p>Again don't go into ROTC if you think you will never see a day in action, most of our conflicts were not slow simmers, but came to a boil quickly. Gulf I, Haiti, OIF all came about in weeks, not months or yrs. Your child or yourself could easily graduate with no war pending and 6 months later be in a sandbox.</p>

<p>My blood boils when I hear Lefties whining about all the great benefits available to the military. Obama and his ilk have been bemoaning the fact that ther weak kneed spawn can't get GI Bill style benefits for getting in everyones way at a Habitat for Humanity houseraising. The reason the benefits are good and getting better is that that sacrifice is great, and potentially ultimate. If you want the benefits, enlist or shut up.</p>

<p>It's hard to fathom that anyone in a position to advise others would even consider suggesting that ROTC under Obama means a free ride for college with no potential sacrifices involved, because Obama is all about peace, love and understanding when dealing with our avowed enemies. You know, not like that idiot Bush who sends our precious children off to war for no good reason.<br>
ROTC is not for everyone -- in fact, it is most assuredly NOT for most college students, especially those who sign up because they or their parents don't want to pay for college.</p>

<p>Sally Rubenstone, you are an idiot!!!! ROTC does not "prey" on kids, it is just the opposite, these kids wanting to go to top schools "use" ROTC to get their first year paid for, when I was in Navy ROTC 25 years ago at Notre Dame, one half of our unit dropped out after two years, so basically they got their tuition paid for for 1/2 of their college. The service obligation started jr year. So this is why the Navy forces a committment after freshment year.</p>

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Good advice. However I'm still curious to know if the change in administration will lead some students and parents to regard ROTC in a different light (regardless of whether that's a wise idea or not).

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<p>If parents are seeing ROTC in a different light, they should not. While the military is being increasingly called upon to do jobs outside the main mission that does not change the fact that they are in the business of war. </p>

<p>My husband entered the military via his NRTOC scholarship. Obama will be his fifth Commander in Chief. World events are unpredictable. If a young woman or man is not prepared to go to war, they should not consider ROTC. Even if they never see combat, the training is dangerous in and of itself. It's not an easy life but it can be the right choice if the student understands what they are signing up for.</p>

<p>To start with, the possibility of Hillary or Obama becoming president was one thing that kept me OUT of the military.. was just too scary for me...</p>

<p>Also, whatever4, $50,000 would pay for my entire undergraduate education!</p>

<p>To answer the question,
no. </p>

<p>Wars are happening, no matter who is President.</p>

<p>S1 starts his last semester of college this week. He is in NROTC. He just found out last night that the Navy has not yet paid the tuition bills of anybody in his unit for this semester. Quite a few kids are in a bind. We will be on the phone today trying to get to the bottom of this....ugh. In four years of college this is the first time this has happened. A sign of the economic times???</p>

<p>PackMom, I wouldn't worry. The minute government money dries up, all colleges will close down.</p>

<p>TurtlePhobic,</p>

<p>Most, but probably not all. The richest few could carry on with their endowments in a limited fashion. </p>

<p>And by "limited," I mean, "still richer than most nations."</p>

<p>Honestly, Sally, this post of yours leads me to question your credibility as a "CC advisor." How about keeping your politics out of the process and just giving kids the straight facts?</p>

<p>ROTC is a commitment to military service, not to be taken lightly or viewed as "just another way to pay for college." In answer to your question, just about every kid in our school who had considered ROTC before is now pretty cold to the idea. Regardless of the rainbows and happy songs sung by children in matching t-shirts, a CinC-to-be who advertises his plans to slash defense spending for "unnecessary weapons," openly discusses invading an allied nation, seriously entertains the notion of subjecting US troops to prosecution in the "World Court" for following orders, and publicly accuses the troops of "air-raiding villages and killing civilians" is not really viewed as a positive development by most military or military-friendly families in our area.</p>

<p>geek_mom,</p>

<p>Sally's ability to offer advice on admissions to college is not contingent on her holding a specific political view. Her credibility is by no means jeopardized by the fact that she holds a view that I myself generally disagree with. </p>

<p>I don't mean to hector, but honestly... does someone have to hold certain views on ROTC to be good at advising on college admissions?</p>

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<p>Not at all -- she's perfectly entitled to whatever views she holds. However, if she's using these terms to describe the program to the students she advises, then I do believe she's over the line. Perhaps I jumped to a conclusion about that, but it sounds to me like she's using the same language to bias students against what could be a viable option for some.</p>

<p>In my jobs and my volunteer experience, I've encountered many outstanding, intelligent young people who enlisted or went ROTC to pay for their educations (they've always been my best students, btw). Some were deployed... all called their military training and service the single most valuable experience they'd ever had.</p>

<p>Obviously that's anecdotal. My point is only that in advising students, the best approach imho is to lay out the facts without editorial statements -- and let people make their own value judgments and choices. Someone who describes a program to students using emotionally loaded language as in Sally's post #1 is (again, imho) not serving those students as well as she could.</p>

<p>Whoever said the ROTC process "preys" on young people couldn't be more off base.
I am a Marine with a degree who chose to enlist rather than become an officer, and I can tell you right now that no branch of the military wants anything to do with potential officers who could be swayed or intimidated so easily, or are so clueless.
I know it's difficult for civilians to comprehend, but those 18 year-year-old kids are going to hold the lives of a platoon in their hands in about 5 years, and if they are not smart or responsible enough to decide on their commitment in the first place, we don't want them anywhere near us. Because THEY WILL GET US KILLED.
ROTC should have nothing to do with the president or even getting tuition paid for; it is a means to an end, whereby they will become effective leaders and warfighters in the top military in the world.</p>

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I don't see why it should be any different. Are you saying that you would only recommend ROTC if there were virtually no chance of actually serving? That is sort of cowardly, imo. It sounds like all of the people who signed up for the reserves to reap the benefits and then were surprised when they were actually called to active duty (not everybody,of course, but many reservists.) Any promise of military service should be taken seriously and those who make the commitment should assume that they will serve in the worst of circumstances.</p>

<p>Obama is going to drag more troops into Afghanistan anyway, so don't feel too safe.</p>

<p>I think SallyRubenstone may have intentionally use provocative language to arouse posters to respond. </p>

<p>To the OP - Do YOU actually know anyone who is in ROTC? Have you talked to them (in person - not online) and asked them how it's going and why they are in ROTC?</p>

<p>ROTC/college is demanding. Students who don't like it can and will drop out after one year. The initial year is sufficient to learn about the service obligation and make an informed decision as an adult.</p>

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<p>^^^That made me laugh.</p>

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BUT ... with Obama about to take office, I am cautiously optimistic that recommending ROTC to students who need significant help with college costs will no longer be tantamount to shipping them off to a war zone post-graduation.

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<p>correct me if I am wrong, but I believe it was Clinton that got us into Yugoslavia.</p>

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Too many students see only the money and don't look beyond graduation to recognize the potential dangers of military service.

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I have always felt that our nation should offer a comparable civilian-service alternative.

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<p>It is because the student is willing to risk their life for the country that the country provides the education benefit. The GI bill is EARNED it is not a handout.</p>

<p>"comparable civilian-service alternative" - It is called a "job". The government shouldn't be in the business of overpaying for a job just to make you feel good. Afterall, it is your hard earned wages that are confiscated by additional taxes that would provide that handout.</p>

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The word "preys" is really bothering me. ROTC does not prey upon economically disadvantaged students who choose it as a means to get a college education any more than an employer preys upon economically disadvantaged adults who choose a job (or even a second job) as a means to get a house, car, etc. It is a choice, an opportunity that can be taken or not. The ROTC participants I know are top students, many of whom plan to make a career in the military. They are smart and have good discipline and leadership skills, all of which will be beneficial to them as military officers as well as later on in the civilian sector.</p>

<p>I am retired from the Navy. I went through NROTC and it was a great way to pay for college. My advice to anyone who is considering enlisting, ROTC or a service academy to pay for college is that you FIRST have to want to serve your country! No mater where you end up, your service will be hard, dangerous and you will make sacrifices - small and large. It is a great honor to serve and you certainly deserve the educational benefits, but don't do it if you are only looking for a way to pay for college. You may end up being miserable.</p>