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  • #1

    Military recruiters

    First, I want to point out that I have nothing against the military, and I have a great deal of respect for those who choose to serve. But I despise pushy people, including telemarkters, and military recruiters.

    One of them tried to call here for my son the weekend before he turned 18. I don't answer anything I don't recognize on Caller ID, so I didn't answer this one. It showed up as "United States G", which I assume is "Government." I googled the number, and it was a marine recruiter. When I told my son about it, his response was, "That's never gonna happen!" I had sent the opt-out form to the school so they wouldn't give out my number, but I guess the bastards did it anyway. Or maybe they simply lost the form. It wouldn't be the first time, they seem to hire idiots at my son's school.

    I had to deal with a rather pushy army recruiter back when I was his age, and back then we didn't have Caller ID to hide behind, or any internet to look up a strange number, so I actually had to talk to this one. I tried to tell her I wasn't interested, but these people are just as bad as any telemarketer, if not worse. I didn't want to be rude and just hang up on her, but looking back now, I should have. After several calls, I started wishing I was home alone so I could cuss her out, but I later found out that my mom was getting as sick of it as I was, and probably would have let it go that one time.

    I can't help but wonder what the point of having recruiters is. It's not like people don't know about the military, and if someone wants to enlist, they'll do it. What do they think, kids are sitting by the phone thinking, "Gee I wish a recruiter would call me! I really want to join!"

    If my son wanted to join, I'd worry about him, but I'd support him. But like me, he doesn't want to join, so I wish they'd respect our wishes and leave us alone.

    So far, they haven't called back that I'm aware of. If they do, maybe I should do like Conseula from Family Guy: "Hola? No, no, Meester Jake no home! No, no..."
    --- I want the republicans out of my bedroom, the democrats out of my wallet, and both out of my first and second amendment rights. Whether you are part of the anal-retentive overly politically-correct left, or the bible-thumping bellowing right, get out of the thought control business --- Alan Nathan
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  • #2
    Our local Marine recruiter was the first person to wish me a happy birthday when I turned 18. I skipped school and slept in that day. How the hell did he know I was home? I give him props for that. He was very friendly and I enjoyed talking to him. I explained I had been accepted into college and he wished me well. Wasn't pushy about it.

    The Army recruiter was a dick. He was very pushy, tried to convince me to join without telling my mom since I had said my mom would never have been cool with it.
    Violence has resolved more conflicts than anything else. The contrary opinion that violence doesn't solve anything is merely wishful thinking at its worst. - Starship Troopers

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    • #3
      Honestly, it really depends on the recruiter and their particular quota and the climate around the military.

      Like right now, with so many volunteers going in for a steady paycheck, you shouldn't have too much issue with getting them to leave your son alone (honestly, if you really want to make sure they leave him alone, say he got accepted to college. That'll get them off your case). But they're still required to follow leads.

      I'd be more concerned about your school giving out contact info.
      I has a blog!

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      • #4
        Was it actually the school that gave out the number? Or did your son possibly give them his number for some other reason?
        Violence has resolved more conflicts than anything else. The contrary opinion that violence doesn't solve anything is merely wishful thinking at its worst. - Starship Troopers

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        • #5
          I only got one call when I turned 18. Some dude wanted to offer me a spot at West Point. He called at 7am on a Saturday, though, and I kinda laughed at him and let him know I wouldn't be joining any branch and wished him good luck with the rest of my classmates.

          While he was the only call, I did get about a dozen different pamphlets for various places trying to get me to join them. But since most of them required money, they were wasting their materials.

          ^-.-^
          Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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          • #6
            There's an armory not far from the gas station I once worked at, and lots of army recruiters filled up their vehicles at my station.

            They also saw it fit to try to recruit everyone who worked at that store.

            Sure, being a gas station monkey is no walk in the sun, but I'm not joining the military for any reason.

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            • #7
              When I was about 18, I had a Marine recruiter get after me. A guy I had graduated from high school with had given them my number because he had joined the Marines, and apparently, he had the opportunity to move up in rank more quickly if he got friends to join up (is it just me, or is it outrageous that the military would be run like that?). I eventually got him off my back, though.

              In high school, I actually did flirt with the notion of going into the military. I was kind of interested in it, but my parents didn't really want me to do it. They wanted me to go to college, and that's what I did. In hindsight, it's probably best that I didn't enlist after high school because I graduated in 2000, and if I had enlisted, I would have been in when 9-11 hit, and I could see my mom having a meltdown over that.

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              • #8
                One of them tried to call here for my son the weekend before he turned 18.
                Congratulations on raising him that far! (Somewhere in the back of my head I still had it filed away that he was half that age)
                "My in-laws are country people and at night you can hear their distinctive howl."

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                • #9
                  No kidding, they grow up so fast. I remember he was just a little kid when I first joined CS.

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                  • #10
                    When I graduated high school, I opted out, didn't give them my number. I'm not sure how they did get it, whether the school gave it to them anyway or what, but we got calls every few days for close to a year! At first we'd answer and say I was neither interested, nor would I ever be, but eventually we simply stopped answering, and finally they began to slack.

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                    • #11
                      My friend's brother Jack is very anti-military (personal reasons) and was also very anti-Bush (this story happened around 2004-2005). He kept getting very pushy recruiters calling. The one from the Marines was the worst. He would call every Tuesday and Friday at about 1pm. He did this for months.

                      One day his friend Drake was over and they decided to have a bit of fun with the recruiter. Jack led the recruit on for a few minutes and then Drake called out in a very stereotypical gay male voice "The anal lube is warm!". The recruiter quickly ended the call and didn't call back.

                      A few years later when I turned 18 I used a variation of that when the Air Force wouldn't leave me alone. I just out and out told them I was gay. Which is funny, since I was the only one in a group of girls batting for the traditional team.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Kheldarson View Post
                        honestly, if you really want to make sure they leave him alone, say he got accepted to college. That'll get them off your case
                        That's when the recruiter that was pestering me finally left me alone -- when I told her I had been accepted at college. If I had known that would work, I would have told her that sooner, even if I had to lie.

                        I remember that final conversation well. She heard my brother in the background, and asked who that was. I told her it was my brother, and she asked how old he was. I told her, "He's only 14! Don't even think about it!"

                        Originally posted by Greenday View Post
                        Was it actually the school that gave out the number? Or did your son possibly give them his number for some other reason?
                        I don't see how else they could have possibly gotten it. My son doesn't have my last name. He has his so-called mother's last name. We never married, and the plan was to change his name along with hers when we did get married. That never happened for a variety of reasons.

                        He wouldn't have given out our landline. He's not interested in joining the military, and if he was, he would have given them his cell phone. He's very independant, which impresses me greatly, and when he has business to take care of, he uses his cell phone.

                        Originally posted by HYHYBT View Post
                        Congratulations on raising him that far! (Somewhere in the back of my head I still had it filed away that he was half that age)
                        Originally posted by blas87 View Post
                        No kidding, they grow up so fast. I remember he was just a little kid when I first joined CS.
                        Yeah, tell me about it. I still can't believe he's 18, a legal adult. It seems like only yesterday I was where he is. I just hope he succeeds in his newly found adult life, and doesn't make the same mistakes I did.
                        --- I want the republicans out of my bedroom, the democrats out of my wallet, and both out of my first and second amendment rights. Whether you are part of the anal-retentive overly politically-correct left, or the bible-thumping bellowing right, get out of the thought control business --- Alan Nathan

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                        • #13
                          Mistakes have made us who we all are today, Mike.

                          He's had a great father to be a good example. He'll be fine.

                          But, since he's 18 now, that means I'm still 18 too, right? I mean, just because he aged, doesn't mean I did.

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                          • #14
                            It could be worse. where I live all males are required by law to enlist on the year we turn 18. Though most don´t end up serving., But we still have to go to armed forces, and present ourselves, we have to go there at least twice(once to present yourself, and once to get your certificate).

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                            • #15
                              I might be living under a rock, but I thought all males had to do that by age 18 anyway.

                              Never was a fan of that. I don't want anyone in the military there that doesn't want to be.

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