Hanover College Triangle on

Military Recruitment

Craig A. Allshouse, "Ex-Navy Man Warns of Military," Triangle, 25 October 1974, 5.

To the editor:

With the current military service interviews going on at the Campus Center, I thought it would be a good idea to offer a little information and a little advice on what to expect from the military.

After spending six years in the Navy due to a basic naivete in belief that the military is an honorable organization and in believing a recruiter and a boot camp advisor when they made certain verbal promises to me. I know what I'm talking about when I say to use extreme caution when dealing with the military. You should seek other opinions whenever possible and confer with people not directly involved.

I don't know if it's realized that recruiters work on a quota system so it's only natural if they are running behind on their quotas that they'll stretch the truth a bit to convince someone to enlist. On the ship that I was stationed on I heard guys who had come off recruiter duty bragging about the guys that they had "fished in." Of course not all recruiters are like this, in fact the majority of them are probably honest men, but do you want to take the chance? So, if a recruiter tells you something don't hesitate to call a recruiter in another town for more information.

Here is some basic advice for dealing with the military. Read any pamphlets carefully, you will get a more truthful idea of what you can expect from a specific program than you will by word of mouth. Don't believe any "guarantees" unless they are in writing in contract form. Don't be afraid to ask questions, but always verify the answers with another source. Don't get talked into long term programs initially. Take the shortest enlistment allowable for the program you are interested in because if you like it you can always extend later for extra benefits and if you don't like it you aren't stuck with six years working at a job that you don't like.

If anyone wants to talk to me about the military don't hesitate to contact me. It's pretty obvious that I didn't care for it but that doesn't mean that it isn't right for some people. I won't try to talk anyone out of joining. I just don't want to see other people approach the military as ignorant of it as I was. If you have any questions see me in Crowe Barracks "E".

Craig A. Allshouse