Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (COMD)

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From Draft NOtices, September-October 2005


—Jorge Mariscal
   

With the Army still short of its 2005 quota by some 16,000 recruits and no end in sight to the disastrous occupation of Iraq, the new school year promises to be one in which military recruiters step up their activities. Pressures to meet their "mission" create the potential for increased recruiter abuse. The New York Times reported that last year the Pentagon investigated over 1,000 recruiting "improprieties," and after one enterprising young man in Denver tape-recorded a recruiter suggesting that he lie about his background, the recruiter was demoted one pay grade. The general stand-down (one-day suspension of all recruiting activities) called by the Army Recruiting Command last May was an implicit admission that more than a few recruiters were using unethical tactics to get young people to enlist.

In light of growing evidence of recruiter dishonesty, it is interesting to contrast the realities on the ground with the image of the ideal recruiter crafted by the Pentagon. The Army Recruiting Command's manual, "The Army Interview," released last April, depicts a fantasy image of the perfect recruiter. At once a piece of inflated nationalist rhetoric and a mundane description of tips and techniques for the successful salesman, the manual describes how the "art and science of recruiting" is designed to "keep the Army connected to America" by "exploiting all available assets in such a manner as to dominate every market area."

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From Draft NOtices, July-August 2005


—Jorge Mariscal
    


It is an axiom among activists working in the area of counter-recruitment that the enlistment contract isn't worth the paper it's printed on. What this means in practical terms is that whatever a recruiter promises to deliver to a new recruit — specific jobs or assignment, length of service, benefits, or even citizenship — can be withdrawn or changed at any time.

Section C, Paragraph 9 of the enlistment contract states: "Laws and regulations that govern military personnel may change without notice to me. Such changes may affect my status, pay, allowances, benefits, and responsibilities as a member of the Armed Forces regardless of the provisions of this enlistment/reenlistment document."

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From Draft NOtices, September-October 2005


—Jackie Dever
   
The United States military's campaign of public relations and cultural subversion is a beast of many personalities. One Navy advertisement cuts between footage of a placid suburban scene and footage of highly visual, highly testosterone fueled actions performed by members of the Navy during which a voiceover laments, "Somewhere some poor guy is buying a minivan." In another military ad, parents marvel at the firmer handshakes and more assertive eye contact of their homecoming sons. In a political climate whose main feature is an increasingly ambiguous and unpopular war, the military continues to employ a manifold strategy to captivate and capture new victims. These strategies depend on recognition as a cultural institution and brand name. The Army logo is splashed across billboards in movies, and the Army even sponsors NASCAR racers. Advertisements still rely on themes of patriotism and public service to encourage recruits, but messages of personal independence, increased confidence, and other self-focused gains set the current precedent.

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Ninth CIRCUIT COURT RULING: CONFRONTING MILITARISM BY USING EQUAL ACCESS TO HIGH SCHOOLS

When the military comes to your local high school, you have a legal right to give students an opposing view. This has been the position taken by federal district courts in Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois and two federal appellate courts. The most broadly-worded decision came from a case that COMD took to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the 1980s. Here is the background:

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