I am a Military Recruiter and would like to clear up some misconceptions.

Why do you think Obama is softening the stance on Marijuana use in the U.S?

Because an incredible percentage of Americas eligible for military service males are in jail on what SOCIETY recognizes as minor "soft drug"offences and other minor offenses.

I am not saying that I personally feel that any crime that has been committed is MINOR,a crime is a crime,plain and simple.

However,if a high enough percentage of society chooses to use marijuana then SOCIETY has made a decision and the Government has the obligation to take immediate action to correct the legeslation that is making criminals out of Americans who are participating in a socially acceptable behavior BUT ARE BEING PUNISHED AND BRANDED AS CRIMINASL WHILE THE REST OF SOCIETY CONTINUES THE BEHAVIOUR AND LOSES RESPECT FOR THE LAWS THAT ARE BEING ENFORCED.

Why would you want a large percentage of your population to LOSE RESPECT FOR THE LAW WHEN EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THE LAW IS FLAWED AND EVEN SEVERAL pRESIDENTS HAVE ADMITTED TO TOKING MARIJUANA DURING THEIR YOUTH!!

What would our Country look like today if one of them had been caught and given a criminal record??We would have lost a great leader or two,if the statistics are correct more like three or four Presidents would have never been in office.

This same basic logic applies to sending a person to jail for stealing something worth money,RESTITUTION FOR MONEY RELATED OR PROPERTY RELATED CRIME,not jail time.Get real,a man in jail for shoplifting or stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family.

Most of the people in jail are there because of money or property related crime,I include every drug dealer ever convicted because that is a money related crime,period,sorry Government but if you are going to protect your fiscal environment this way its time to change.


Take every convict out of prison who HAS NOT COMMITTED A CRIME AGAINST A HUMAN BEING AND YOU WOULD SAVE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND GAIN ACESS TO A HUGE NUMBER OF MILITARY RECRUITS.

Dont you see that the same guys who are committing these crimes are the exact type of personalities ,as in risk takers,that make up the majority of soldiers in anyones army?


Whats more important,protecting peoples MONEY,or protecting people AND THE COUNTRY??


Send a couple of recruiters into every courtroom in america with a Presidential Order from Obama giving Judges permission to force all money and property crimes to be dealt with using forced military training and education as a punitive measure,and no they dont need guns to learn,and trust me the criminals who cant seem to stay straight will soon become the best trained soldiers America has ever seen,in fact they wont be able to stop re-upping their committment to protecting America ,will they?

Just a couple of thoughts.

Thanks to everyone, even to those with whom I may disagree, who have presented their comments in a civilized manner. That's what makes ATS the best site on the internet is it not?
To answer a question that was posed by a few members, yeah, I realized what I was getting myself into by posting this on a conspiracy website, but it doesn't bother me. It was just something that I had wanted to clarify from my own point of view.

Again, for those who are just joining us, and probably don't read a thread in it's entirety.

I am not trying to recruit here, nor have I made any effort to do so. Please see the Terms & Conditions of Membership. It clearly says that recruitment of any kind is not allowed.

If I have violated the T&C then I implore someone to close the thread and ban me.

Furthermore, my choice as an avatar or musical selections have no influence on my personal decisions or ethos, ok Tipper Gore? Sheese!

reply to post by Karrotz

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I understand your point regarding the people who finish up their career in the military and are unable to find employment.

But lets take a breath and step back.

As i have served under three different country's in multiple regions across the world i too am bound by several oaths i have taken and i will not talk about them. However, i am not some genius in any particular field but i did sit down and talk to myself and looked at my experience and how i could apply that in todays market.

That being said, one must come to terms with what and how he knew life does not exist anymore, but rather has evolved into another from of reality. Many vets fall into the miss guided thought that "okay back to civilian life", this is true, but as i mentioned your experience and horizon has grown ten fold. So who they knew and how they used to have fun is irreversibly altered and on a worst case scenario does not exist.

The individual must assess his priority's in life and expand what ever experience he obtained through his or her military tour and off course use what ever contacts he had achieved through his military tour.

It is very common for veterans to return to college and/or university to further expand their opportunity's. It is also noted that they are more hostile when returning to their previous life style of neighbourhood as the exposure they had as i mentioned earlier has altered their outlook on life. These are the individuals were their closest friends or family need to make sure that they presented with the new opportunity's as i mentioned above and not to classify them as crazy or hostile.

Just for the record, most, well close to 85% of the people i operate or co-ordinate within my professional life all have served in either combat front line units or the back end system. I have found they are far more stable when presented with a professional crisis than people who have not gained or have been subjected to the military. Although that does not dismiss those who have not served in the military, i am only stating what i have noticed through the eyes of someone who makes sure that money needs to come in so people can get paid and their family's can have food and what ever other necessity's they require within their private life.

I myself have pushed many vets into advanced educational programs which at first they seen as a waste of time and now are very grateful, some are in several agency's and others are in the private sector, all in all, they seem to have adjusted very fine in comparison to how they were when they were released from the military.

The military does not end your life, infarct when released it presents a broader opportunity for one to seek and apply himself. However there are those individuals who have lost limbs and or are in a wheel chair. I cant stress how sad i feel for them, but they too need to motivated to actively engage in their new life and investigate what new opportunity are available to them based on their current situation.

Perhaps you should research into the several companies that have been mentioned occasionally throughout ats, you will find that almost all are directly or indirectly perusing what their military career was.

reply to post by Juston

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I did my 8 years in the mil, I've known recruiters, I know how the system works. So, yeah... I know nothing.

Actually, when I was in it was known that kids from my home town could call me up, and get a balanced view. I'd tell them all that there are times it's fantastic, times that it just sucks, and like anything there are good people, there are idiots to deal with, but overall it was fairly satisfying, and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I'd also tell them that if a recruiter promised them anything to get it in writing with is signature (the only way to pin a recruiter down for a lie or misrepresentation), if the recruiter didn't want to put it down on paper that they should tell him/her they are full of #, to read everything they are asked to sign, and to not sign it until they understand it.

Juston I just want to thank you for your service and sacrifice for our country. You have an honorable job and you should be proud of yourself.

As for as all the IDIOTS on here attacking Juston, you should be ashamed of yourselves. You just show your own stupidity and lack of understanding how the world operates by attacking the very people that defend your freedom.

A country must be able to defend itself or it will be invaded or attacked by whoever sees value in taking it over or attacking it. Are you all too stupid to realize that?

I swear some of you would just kneel face down with your butt in the air rather than stand up and fight to save yourselves.

Once again Juston, my sincerest thanks for your service and my apologies for all of the fools that have attacked you.

"- The military is hurting for people, and not meeting their goals. Again not true! You see, thanks to our economy more and more people are turning to the Military for financial stability and benefits."

Thats the reason for the global metldown, gearing up for war!

reply to post by VonDutch

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Got any proof of that accusation their VonDutch? It is easy to make up wild claims, but not so easy to prove them now is it?

[edit on 19-6-2009 by grapesofraft]

reply to post by Juston

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Here is the problem though.


I was in the Navy for 5.5 years myself...

I had a really really really good recruiter. He never hood winked me or anything and even came to my graduation at Great Lakes....


HOWEVER!!!!

When I got to Boot Camp, I WAS THE ONLY recruit who's recruiter had not lied to them. As a matter of fact, the first thing out of our Company Commanders mouth was "I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR RECRUITER SAID TO YOU...."

I'm sorry, but even though there are good recruiters.... the vast majority are underhanded....

legal or not....

reply to post by TXRabbit

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I can answer that for you. I am a recruiter for the Army. The reason why they are calling him is because every school is required to release their student directory every year with contact information on its Juniors and Seniors. So when we call these people all we have is a name and a number. When we log a call we put in a brief account of what happened on that phone call. IE- hung up on me, or interested in service, or disqualified medical reasons. Some times the records are not updated. Not always the recruiters fault. Just in the Army we do everything digitally, we are trying to go towards a paperless army. A lot of these systems get updated and some information falls off the system.

reply to post by Juston

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While I disagree with a lot of what the government and military industrial complex do (at least from the top levels who know) I do applaud you coming on here trying to explain this recruiting situation from a professional perspective. It is always good to have professionals come to ATS to offer their well earned and respected opinions.

I did not know some things about requirements that I do now, thanks to you. The military is not something that is for me however, or I would have done it 5 years ago, as I am now 23. My best friend wanted to go Navy but the recruiter put him on a weight loss plan first. He lost A LOT of weight but ended up not going because, like you said, the requirements for physical condition are high. He also had major wrist surgery that was an issue. I know that some on here are being kind of aggressive or confrontational with you but I am sure you do not let it effect you, being military and all.

A lot of people tend to blame the 'lower downs', or the ones who just follow orders for the obvious issues going on with the government right and military right now. It is erroneous but a true fact. In reality the ones who are causing and directing these problems are people no one on here or you will ever speak with. Anyways I have a couple questions:

1. Are the minimum acceptance requirements in the Navy higher standards (ie;physical condition, intelligence, health, criminal history) than the other branches?

2. What is boot camp really like?

Thanks again for coming on here and taking the time to explain things and give your opinions. It is good to see some active military members on ATS.

EDIT for grammatical error

[edit on 6/19/2009 by jkrog08]

Even if a recruiter gives a "misrepresentation", I find it even more sad that there would be those joining the military without any clues about it...if you are going to sign four years of your life away - I would hope you knew what you were doing. Recruiters to me are just another person, with another job.

Get those gets in there! Better someone else does it than me. Much respect to all of you.

Well, what do you say about gang members in the military? Problem or not a problem?

Where do you feel their loyalties ultimately lie?

reply to post by survival

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So you think our country should not have any military whatsoever? Is tht what you are trying to say?

reply to post by jkrog08

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Thanks for your support as well. I sent you a U2U answering your questions.

Here is one thing that most of you need to understand. Almost every recruiter is selected for recruiting. I was happy back in my little part of the army as an infantry squadleader. I was not happy about recruiting at all. I get done with my 3 years of it this winter! so im pretty excited. Most of you are so brainwashed by the media thinking that the military is a terrible institution. The Army changed my life. I joined when I was seventeen, and was lucky I did it. If things were different I probably whould have been sleeping in a dumpster trying to hustle up some meth. The environment, and people that I grew up with was terrible. The Army set me strait! Im 24 now, married and living a life I never thought I could ever have. I served in Iraq proudly! Ive shed blood in iraq! I gave blood in Iraq! Ive built schools in Iraq! Ive protected families in Iraq! Most of you couldnt say that. Most of you could not say that you got your fat ass off the couch, switched off the TV and said... wow # has to be done to help these people. I could care less about why we even went over there, that is debateable.. I just remember what changed my point of view. When this woman came up with her child in arms, tears streaming down her face, telling me in her best broken english, " thank you for saving my city" There are bad apples everywhere, but putting a blanket label over the whole army is crazy. I have served over six years with the Army. I would not give that up for anything! What ever happened to supporting the troops? I was called a baby killer when I came back?! WTF? The way I look at it is like this,... The people that oppose their Army, Their Troops, do not have the intestinal fortitude to do anything that requires risk. They are content with somone else doing it for them. Here is a quick test to figure out who you are... If you heard screaming next door, and you looked out your window and you saw a man trying to rape your neighbor. whould you risk your life, to save hers. Or would you call the police, and keep watching out your window.

Agreed, but just so everyone knows - isn't it odd that everytime I reveal something of myself - someone from the Gov. posts...hmmm

Just so everyone knows - there is at LEAST 1 gov. spy on this forum....- that one everyone should know by defualt....

Then again I will never join the military - I don't have to.... - if you followed my posts - you'd know why this is so as I am protected by copyright laws locally, and internationally.... Let us just say 99.99 percent of the Mil population wouldn't even know who or believe who I was if I walked right in front of them...

When I enlisted, my recruiter DEFINITELY lied to me several times.

When I arrived at BMT, every Training Instructor there was quick to tell us that we shouldn't have believed all the lies our recruiters told us..

Judging by my own personal experience and the threadstarters posts, lying and being a military recruiter go hand-in-hand like Penn and Teller or stink and feces.

reply to post by iraqvet85

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You're doing absolutely nothing to help shed the typical enlisted serviceman stereotypes with posts like that man.