Sunday, April 18
3-5pm
THE ARTS COUNCIL OF PRINCETON
102 Witherspoon Street
(at Paul Robeson Place) |
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BEFORE YOU ENLIST ... what recruiters might not tell you
REGISTRATION & THE DRAFT ... what does it mean to you
CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS ... how to decide if you are one
a free community forum with:
forum, discussion and PIZZA (free!)
For more information: (609) 924-5022 www.peacecoalition.org/military
Sponsored by: The Princeton Friends Meeting; The Coalition for Peace Action; Not in Our Town; The Arts Council of Princeton; Princeton Peace Network
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The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) carries out many kinds of activities worldwide and won the Nobel Prize for Peace; its headquarters is in Philadelphia.
Websites: www.youth4peace.org and www.afsc.org |
OSKAR CASTRO
American Friends
Service Committee
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The Center on Conscience and War (CCW) has its office in Washington, DC, and is devoted to following legislation that pertains to the draft and conscientious objection and providing information and advice about these; it is also concerned with how other countries deal with conscientious objectors.
Website: www.nisbco.org |
JONATHAN OGLE
Center on
Conscience and War
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From its offices in Philadelphia and Oakland, CA, the Central Committee on Conscientious Objection (CCCO) is devoted to providing information and advice about recruiting and enlistment and some aspects of life in the military.
Website: www.objector.org |
KEVIN RAMIREZ
Central Committee on
Conscientious Objection
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BEFORE YOU ENLIST ... what recruiters might not tell you
REGISTRATION & THE DRAFT ... what does it mean to you
CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS ... how to decide if you are one
Information presented at this forum is very important for young people who are considering joining the military or worried about a draft, as well as for their families, guidance counselors, teachers, leaders of congregations and others who may be helping them make important decisions about their lives. Since the information is not widely available, this is a special opportunity to learn it.
The topics to be covered are:
The Draft
o Registration and consequences of not registering
o Likelihood of the draft being activated and how it is likely to work if it is.
o The "poverty draft"
Enlistment & Recruitment
o The role of the "No Child Left Behind" Act
o What recruiters may say to potential recruits and what the facts are
o The Delayed Entry Program – what it is and how one can get out
Conscientious Objection
o What it means
o How to decide if you are conscientious objector
o Preparing your case, for the draft board or the military
All who are considering joining the military should have as much information as possible, certainly information beyond what is given by the recruiting officers. The job of these recruiters is to point out the advantages of joining the service so as to convince young people to join. However, even some of the apparent advantages may be misunderstood: for more information, see "Before You Enlist."
The formal presentations and some discussion/questions will last about 1 hour and 45 minutes. These will be followed by pizza and informal conversation. There will be a table of pertinent literature.
Visit the Speakers page for links to their websites, which have extensive information on all the topics covered
BEFORE YOU ENLIST ...
... You May Encounter Several Areas of Possible Misunderstanding
o You may have a misunderstanding about the amount of financial support for college the military will give you. The figure of $50,000 is sometimes mentioned, but the requirements that you’d need to fulfill to get it are difficult to fulfill. The maximum benefit one can get through the Montgomery GI Bill is $34,200, but 65% of those who sign up for it do not receive any money; they do not even get back what was taken from their paychecks as their contribution to saving for college.
o You may have a misunderstanding about the type of job and training for it you will get while in the military. The training may not be as valuable on the job market as it sounds and you may not get what you ask for - even a written agreement need not be honored.
o You may have a misunderstanding about your chances of being sent into actual combat. If you read the news, it seems pretty clear now that your chances of being sent to Iraq or some combat area are high. In fact, some military personnel who were supposed to finish their tour of duty by a particular date have been told they will have to stay in. Though it may have been before the war in Iraq began, there have been cases of recruiters telling young men there was little chance of their being sent into combat; they died in Iraq.
o You may have a misunderstanding about getting out of the Delayed Entry Program if you signed up to join the military through this program. It is relatively easy.
o You may have a misunderstanding about the retirement and disability benefits for veterans. The Veterans Administration has a history of denying veteran’s medical claims. Well known cases are health problems due to the use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War, Radiation sickness due to exposure during nuclear tests in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s, Gulf War Syndrome from the first war against Iraq. The amount of retirement benefits and even disability benefits for those who have served in the military are always in a state of flux.
The forum is being organized by the Military Service Counseling Committee of Princeton Friends Meeting.
Princeton Friends Meeting is our main sponsor. We are pleased also to have sponsorship from The Coalition for Peace Action, Not In Our Town, The Arts Council of Princeton, The Princeton Peace Network (Princeton University) and Progressive Action (Princeton High School).
We continue to look for other organizational sponsors as well as individual contributions.
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