No Child Left behind

Let's not forget that America employes a volunteer Mililtary. You could be like many countries... Israel, Italy, France who don't have a choice... who must serve.

You poor poor baby. You got a letter from the Military asking you to serve your country. Go cry and write a song about your terrible invasion of privacy.

Man, this guys not stoppin, I LOVE IT.... Keep the videos comming, these are important messages!

You know the prblem with you dibby is that you judge to quickly. I was kicked out of my home. I was around 16 when this happened. I guess I was ignorant for not knowing my LAW at the age of 16. I also turned to the military at the age of 27 so I guess I was a grown man by that age and I feel that I have learned to be able to handle me self being. By the way man look it up. Parents kick children out of the home all the time and they dont have to be 18. There are programs such as EMANCIPATION which I was granted. But I guess due to your ignorance you were blind to that fact. Was I a perfect son? No. I made a lot of bad decisions in my life too but I dont blame it on anybody but myself. So what your saying is a child that gets kicked out of his home and doesnt know his law should just be left out in the cold. Screw him for not knowing any better. WOW man you would make a great mentor. By the way the average age enlisting in the army is 24 to 31. I guess they are capable of making their own decisions. And I never said I didnt trust authority figures. I relied alot on my teachers and other family to help me get through a difficult time. You are putting words in what I said. I volunteer for search and rescue. teen mentorship programs, church groups, and I donate my own money to American starving childrens fund. So I guess I dont want to help anyone really because ALL I CARE ABOUT IS THE ARMY BECAUSE OF BY BIAS AND IGNORANT WAYS. You know what man I appreciate your opinion but I dont judge you. Just remember it was and is soldiers that give you the right to even have an opinion. Sleep easy tonight and remember those who protect you. Say a prayer for the troops and when you wake up in the morning just look in the mirror and ask yourself one question. AMm I the one who could be ignorant?

There was only one comment that bugged me which was that stopping recruiting would stop the war in Iraq. That is just a silly notion. But the recruiter who says he was tossed out is being biased himself. A parent can't kick a child out of there house under the age of 18, there are laws against it. If the child is ignorant of that fact then I guess it's just too bad. If the child is from a family of abuse it is only understandable that the trust in authority figures would be gone. So why go to the military? So why doesn't the military present other solutions? Yes, they won’t force you to join. Seeing how it's their job though there is a bias that is undeniable. Sure they want to help people; help them into the military. Community college offers programs for people in bad situations and gets them an education and helps them with living in less time then the Military is capable of along with other great government programs. No matter where you live in the US everyone can achieve greatness. Unfortunately there are some areas where kids have the odds stacked against them. We should work on unstacking those odds instead of pushing them into the military.

The video was well done and presented things in a fair manner. If there is a feeling that is has lies or a bias then that is purely the viewer’s interpretation. I actually felt better about recruiters after this.

Good job Gabe.

Well done video. I never got the impression it was "against" recruiting. I think it merely attempted to show the blurry line that recruiters are forced to walk. The male recruiter certainly seemed more honest, upfront, etc. Of course, that might have been because he was, or it might of been a result of the way he was presented (on camera vs. spy cam.) It's probably a mix of both.

Personally, I think the piece raises very good questions. I wish they weren't limited to such a short duration. Such a complex topic could (and should) be explored at much greater depth. Hopefully CurrentTV will give the crew a chance to do so.

I really enjoyed watching this pod. It is a highly creative exploration of a controversial topic. Well edited and scripted. I think the negative comments below miss the point. Recruiters don't always mislead people, but it most definitely happens, as proven by the hidden camera. I would have loved to see a statistic about the disproportional racial demographics of recruting. Keep it up!

I AGREE. WHERE NOT SAYING RECRUITMENT IS WRONG OR WHATEVER.

I strongly disagree with the students who were against the recruiters in their schools. What difference does it make if they are in your cafeteria when you're eating? They aren't going to hold you down and make you join the military. I come from a small rural area where a lot of students parents are farmers who don't have the money to send their children to college. My boyfriend is a prime example. He just graduated from the community college here with three associates and just started attending WIU this semester. He hasn't had to pay a dime so far. Recruiters don't prey on poor students. They offer students an opportunity to get money for college or to travel the world, or do whatever. But the point is that it's your choice whether you want to become a soldier, marine, airman, or seaman. Yes, recruiters may stretch the truth a little to make the military sound a better than it may be. But so do all your advertisers in the media. And so does every other business that wants you to work for them or fo you to buy something. I think there's a lot of other issues students need to spend their time bitching about, such as why the US supplies other countries with weapons that are then used against us? Maybe if you spent more time confronting issues like that, the military wouldn't be so in demand of young men and women to fight in this war.

Thank You I appreciate that you cleared things up but I want everyone to know that the other recruiter is also a stand up person. I dont believe that she would purposly try to deceive anyone. Also I want to clear another thing up. That counterrecruitment guy states that only 1/3 of the soldiers receive their benefits for school, incorrect. I dont know where he got his information but at least have something to back it up. A lot of soldiers go career or never go to school so therefor they never use the money. The Army does not hold back the money. It is in your contract and they cant take it away. You do however have 10 years to use it. Its one of the catches. But the Army is trying to make steps so you can give that money to your family if you dont use it. I received a 20,000 dollar cash bonus and 50,000 for school. I havnt touched any of the school money yet because The Army tuition program paid for my degree while I was in. I have only been a recruiter for 7 months but I am experienced. I have done a tour in Iraq fighting for what I believed in. Remember, I am and always will be a soldier first. Sometimes people forget that thats what we are. I have had eggs thrown at our station and people call me a baby killer. It makes me sad to know that after all the good that us as soldiers have accomplished for those people that Americans would treat us this way. To be honest I was treated better in Iraq, I want everybody to know that recruiters dont get paid more to enlist people. I wish. Recruiting is one of the toughest jobs in the Army. The stress that we are under to make sure that our Army is strong is great. It makes it alot harder when we are hated as we are. To be honest I just want to help people change their lives. I know what i got out of it and I know what anyone could get out of it. I told a recruit once that the Army would change him for the better. He had made bad choices in his life. When he was at basic he wrote me a letter thanking me for helping him. He said he could feel the change already. Thats what i want to do. Help people. Will he go to war? Maybe but like me he said he would give his life so his family can be free. look at it this way, since we have entered into this war there has been no attacks on American soil. Why is that? Well its because they are all going to Iraq to kill us. I fight so you have the freedom to spit on me and call me a liar and a baby killer. But I would do it again because I love this country and the people that are in it. My God, My family, My country, and my corp.

Hi this is gabe80, one of the producers of the No Child video. I want to straighten a couple things out here. First of all, the recruiter that we interviewed was a stand-up guy. He did not lie to us. If it comes across in the piece that he was dishonest in any way, that's our failure as producers, not his. In fact, his willingness to be straight with us and talk about things in a real way made the piece much, much stronger. We owe him a debt of gratitude for this.

larryh30, if that's you, we need to talk, because you really helped us with this and I want to clear this up. I will try to contact you by phone at the recruitment center.

As for some of you who have posted here, and assumed that he was lying just because he was wearing a uniform, you are mistaken. Please look more carefully at the piece. I hope it comes across that this sort of view is simplistic.

larryh30 also points out that we are comparing Army vs. Reserve recruiters. I am very interested in hearing more about this. If this comparison is not accurate, the piece needs to be corrected.

We weren't just out to make recruiters look bad. Basically, the whole point of including the interview with this recruiter was because he was _honest_. If our goal had been to just make a simplistic statement like "recruiters bad", then we could have just showed the other recruiter. But that wasn't what we were trying to do. We wanted to show all the different pieces of the puzzle: An honest recruiter who would tell it like it is, a different recruiter who was maybe not quite so honest, and also counter-recruitment activists who thought all recruiters were bad.

That's what we were trying to do. Did it work? To be honest, I'm not sure yet.

Actually the host edited it to sound like that. I am the recruiter he interviewed. I told him I was homeless living friend to friend when I was 15 years of I joined at the age of 27 years old to help support my 3 year old. He didnt show the whole pic only part of it. I am an Army recruiter while the other one is a Reserve recruiter. BIG difference. He played you to make you belive we lied. Why not though it would be better ratings. Reserves are part time so yes you would see your family because you would be stationed in the state where you lived. Would you be deployed to Iraq maybe. The recruiter never said you wouldnt. I didnt miss the point of the video. It was made to defame recruiters and what they do. Lets not forget that in all jobs there are bad apples in everything. Drunk bus drivers, teachers having sex with students, cops beating suspects, priests molesting children and so on. But do we go out of our way to defame them and ruin all of there careers? No because we as people understand that not everyone works the same. I changed for the better because what the army has provided me. I am all about helping those who want to serve their country. Lets face it you have to be qualified educationally and medically and morally to join the army. We turn people away all the time from schools because they cant pass the ASVAB test but somehow managed to get a diploma through these schools. Lets talk about the poor for a minute. I said I was poor. Not my family. I came from a well off family who abused me and then kicked me out of the home. I struggled for years before I decided to join the Army.Now I am married with 2 boys a new home, 2 new cars and a college degree. The Army paid for my school bought my home and cars through my paycheck and gave me the structure I needed to support my family who I love. Did the host of this video mention any of that? Also before I enlisted it was a recruiter who got me to go back to school to get my diploma. If it wasnt for him doing what he did I may still be heading down that path today, the wrong one. A drinker, smoker, uneducated criminal. Yes I was a criminal as a youngster too.EchoHawk, you can be 15 and have a kid too dont ya think? But because of your misinterpretation you assumed I was a liar. He EDITED the tapes of both recruiters. That is against the law. He lied to you not us. Remember the part about leaving the Army? He didnt mention to me if he became rich could he get out He asked me could he just walk away if he didnt like it I gave him the right answer. The other recruiter was asked if he became rich could he get out and the answer is yes you can. The Army will not hold you if you become wealthy and want to leave. They would rather give the paycheck to someone who needs it. He edited the tape. Mybookroom, I am sorry to hear about your son but how did the Army kill him if not in combat? Was it suicide? You dont have to answer that Im sure its hard to talk about. The only reason I say that is because I lost a friend to suicide who was in the Army. He did it to himself. You cant blame the Army for the actions of a single person. My friend killed himself because it was easy. Rather than face his wife who was unfaithful he took his life. No reason for what he did he loved the Army. Look if you want the truth about anything Ill tell you the truth. I always have. I dont appreciate being called a liar. Remember people kill themselves everyday rather than face what is difficult. They are not in the military. So who do blame then? Society? Their families? Who is there to blame if no Army? Shakademic needs to show the unedited version than we will see if you still think I am a liar Thank You.

It appears as if Larry has missed the whole point of the video. It's not bashing those who served, it 's statement rather makes viable questions into the recruiting practices. True, there were different recruiters however both were Army. One knew he was on video, the other didn't.
The focus of the video is on what will a recruiter tell you? And, if one is interested didn't the Army recruiter say he was 15, homeless and had a 3 year old ? Hmmm... seems the more you lie, the harder it becomes to remember what you had said.
In fact, anyone intereted in joing the military, does not need to be scouted as if they were going to Princeton.
WAKE UP people, these are kids who have a future.

Lets look at this video for a second. First of all did anyone notice the play in words he used to purposely make contradictions. He asked about if he would have broken his wrist twice could he join? The answer was if the doctors made the decision he could. The other way he asked it was if I sprung my wrist could I join? One would probably warrant medical docs being that it was serious while the other was a minor injury which wouldnt need docs. Lets look at Amy for a minute too. As we all know that the military is all voluntary army which means that no one is forced to join. Wake up people there is no draft. Amy is the same type of person who harass students who are interested by degrading them. I have seen it happen. Also lets talk about lying. The media including the host of this show lie all the time. They distort facts themselves to gain better ratings. I am an Iraqi veteran who help thousands of people get water and sewer to villages who never had it because they were Kurdish. At the same time my wife and I spent 2 thousand dollars of our money to buy toys and candy for the children. I did my time and I would do it again. But until your there how can you have a truthful opinion on the war. You can hate the war and Bush if you want but quit hating those who are fighting to give you the right to say what you want now. This guy needs to get the facts straight as well. The selective service is used to help establish federal funding for those who want to continue their education. THERE IS NO DRAFT. And yes one was a Regular Army Recruiter while the other one was a Reserve recruiter. He purposly did this to get 2 different sets of facts. He manipulated you to get ratings. All he cares about is his fake film career. He will do anything to to get those ratings if that means trying to destroy careers along the way. SO with all that said, Whos lying now.

I'm a Republican or was one until watching Current for a couple of weeks. I checked out some of your stories for facts and found it factual. As a grandmother I'm surprised I liked your stuff, but of course I like the TRUTH which this is. This story about the Recruiters is so true. They did this to my son, he is now dead. Although he didn't die in this war, he died because of what he went through in the Army. They lied, you tell the Truth. Thank you. FYI: Loved the rap at the end of the piece and I hate that type of music. lol. I guess there's hope if the TRUTH gets out. Thank you.

Thank you for doing this video. My son is entering high school this year and they already asked him to bring in his SS#. I called the school and refused to give it to them, and I will continue to refuse to give it to them. They told me on the phone that it isn't given to the military as I had told them, but I don't believe them. I wish I had come here sooner I would have GLed this as well,,, and my son watched it with me. Keep up the good work. The military shouldn't be the only option for those who are poor. Leave our children alone.

I'm glad you young people are out there...the one thing that got to me was the young lady who was in the group against the war whose parents forbade her doing what she felt she had to do. They are so wrong.
Love what you are doing.....

I think the film is a great tool

Holla back

Unfortunately, this video was ruined by one simple but crucial flaw: Corporal Lawrence Holicky was talking about serving Active Duty in the US Army, while the recruiter on the hidden camera was talking about the Army Reserves. They're two different things, and thus it's not surprising that they have different policies.

I'm not sure if this is due to bias or ignorance on the part of the film makers. I'm hoping it's ignorance. It's a shame, becuase some of the allegations put forth by the counter-recruitment group warrant further investigation.

This video was really well done. It really upsets me that our government needs to do underhanded things like this. I for one hate the fact that the tyrant Bush is in office and taking all civil liberties away. This is a perfect example. The fact that these are our brothers,sisters sons and daughters being involved in this is deplorable. I dont know why more people are not angry about this.

This was an exelcent vedio showing the people how we can trust our goverment.

John