Rev. Romal J. Tune: Is the Military a Good Alternative for At-Risk Youth Looking to Get an Education
As a young man growing up in the inner city, every time I would see military recruiters in poor communities passing out materials at events I would cringe and get angry. I wondered if they were spending as much time and energy trying to enlist young men and women from more financially stable communities or did they just figure those kids were going off to college so there was no need to target them as aggressively. I never sought to find any proof to support the theory but I often still wonder.
I would find myself conflicted about their recruitment efforts. After all, I was one of those kids at the age of eighteen who saw the military as perhaps my only way out of poverty, selling drugs, homelessness, or gangs. I didn't do well in high school, just enough to get by since I was a half way decent athlete. But when the time came to graduate and most of my friends were talking about college I had no idea what was next for me. I had not taken the SAT (actually fell asleep on the PSAT), my grades were poor and therefore my options were
I would find myself conflicted about their recruitment efforts. After all, I was one of those kids at the age of eighteen who saw the military as perhaps my only way out of poverty, selling drugs, homelessness, or gangs. I didn't do well in high school, just enough to get by since I was a half way decent athlete. But when the time came to graduate and most of my friends were talking about college I had no idea what was next for me. I had not taken the SAT (actually fell asleep on the PSAT), my grades were poor and therefore my options were