US Military 'Youth Camps" - Set up kids with military devotion early!

[cyberpj]

Poster comment: At 15 - few people know what they want for the rest of their lives! These efforts may well trap kids before they have a chance to change their minds. Just one more way to beef up the enlistment numbers though. (Didn't Hitler do the same thing?)

Youths instilled with qualities for which military arm is famous
By Minerva Perez
SUN-STAR CORRESPONDENT
Last Updated: July 6, 2005

Kirk Gadsby became a Young Marine to get a taste of what his future will be like. At 15, he already has decided that he "will go to the United States Naval Academy," as he puts it.

If the Castle Air Young Marines is any indication of what he can expect in Annapolis, Gadsby can look forward to a physically exhausting lifestyle with plenty of character building.

Gadsby and his fellow Young Marines gathered Tuesday along with friends and family at the Challenger Learning Center to congratulate the 10 Young Marines who have completed the 26-hour "boot camp," and to show support to those who have to continue.

cont'd...
http://www.mercedsun-star.com/local/story/10825421p-11600334c.html

http://www.youngmarines.com/

[unhappycamper]

1. Have seen articles like this from time to time.

The Hitler bu$h Youth Corps. The endless wars will require endless fodder.

[havocmom]

2. Yep, neocon chicken hawks taking yet another page from Nazi playbook

Get the kids while young and impressionable, pound into them what YOU want them to think is normal, go on and have a nice, well run but very sick society.

It isn't freedom they are protecting with the cannon fodder they wanna raise.

[HockeyMom]

3. They have been around for a while

Want to hear the story of a kid we knew who was into that? This was about ten or twelve years ago. Yes, back then. My older daughter was dating a kid who was into that. I did not like him and told my daughter so. My husband at first thought it was cool. When Ryan used to come over to see my daughter, he spend most of the time talking to my husband about guns and the service. They would sit and actually watch war movies together. I told my husband, "This in not normal. Why would he want to be with YOU inside of his girlfriend?"

Anyway, Ryan went to those boot camps. He always went around dressed in fatigues and boasted how many guns his father had bought him. I thought it all was way too obsessive/sick and told both my husband and my daughter.

Ryan was also very homophobic. There was a particular gay kid in school whom he especially despised. One day in the parking lot of the mall Ryan took out a knife and scratched up the car and cut the tires of this gay kid. Unfortunately, my daughter saw it. She was also a good friend of Joseph's and signed a sworn statement that Ryan was the person who did it. Ryan's family settled out of court, but all this made Ryan absolutely furious; both toward Joseph AND my daughter. She became terrified of him, but said she could not just stand by and do nothing while he harassed the other boy.

To make a long story short, Ryan threatened both my daughter and Joseph that one day he would "get them". My daughter went to the police (on her own) and got an order of protection against Ryan. Joseph did also.

One day at school in the library Ryan knocked down Joseph and said he had a gun and was going to shoot him. Although he didn't at the time, Ryan was hauled off to jail. The whole story of his military/guns obsession came out.

Ryan was placed on probation in the custody of his parents, but was not allowed to graduate from HS. Since he had a criminal record now, his "dreams" of joining the Military were over. Several years later, he took one of his father's guns and shot himself in the head.

[bluestateguy]

4. I fthis country used its military responsibly I would say this was fine

But since we don't it comes accross as just a breeding ground for the next generation of unneeded wars.