Bond of brothers: They enlist together Army (why do they enlist?)

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07012/753300-85.stm


Marc McLellan, 18, left, and his brother Kelland, 21, of Elizabeth Township, take Army oaths yesterday at the federal building, Downtown, as their mother, Sharon, watches.

Right hands raised, the brothers faced the U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and recited, in tandem, the 72 words that immediately reconstructed their lives.

Kelland and Marc McLellan, of Elizabeth Township, stood side by side, several changes already completed. They wore black "Army of One" T-shirts. They repeated the quick oath -- they'd support and defend the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help them God. And like that, they were in.

<snip>

Like it or not, the brothers already knew from brief experience that talk about their enlistment provoked talk about Iraq. They preferred a different course, though: they talked instead about the benefits of the U.S. Army -- the education opportunities, the fitness, the potential discounts on future car purchases. Those reasons, not the war itself, moved them to enlist.

"In Iraq, I see it this way," Marc said. "If you survive, you can get out and do what you want to do. You'll have more opportunities. People will respect you. And you've already seen the worst."

Though the brothers only recently began spending more time together, similar paths brought them to the swearing-in ceremony. Both dropped out of South Allegheny High School. Both received their GEDs through courses at the Pittsburgh Job Corps Center. Both enjoyed riding dirt bikes. Both disliked their McDonald's jobs. Both, at the end of last week, took the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) -- a multiple-choice test necessary for enlistment. Both passed. Both gave two-weeks notice to McDonald's.

When will this young idealistic but foolish pool of young men and women stop betting their lives for a chance at the brass ring of perhaps a brighter future?

Not everyone is expected to understand.

They said fitness, education, and discounted car prices.

Oh, and they hate their McDonald's jobs. That should be McDonald's new slogan instead of 'I'm loving it' :

"I'm hating it so much, send me to Iraq"

but a way out a lifetime of low-pay jobs and perhaps a sense of risk and adventure. Young men like this don't think the bad stuff will happen to them. There was a time in the area they come from they wouldn't have been stuck in MacDonalds but would've had a chance at a decent wage as a steel mill laborer working their way up to even better paying union jobs.

before I signed up for the Army. I was working a convenience store register, and needed a way out. Granted, Bush wasn't President, but I think you're foolish if you think you can get into head of these recruits. You don't know what they are thinking, you might be more informed than them, but you don't know what's going through their minds.

Does anybody actually come out of this whole enough to actually USE those educational benefits anymore?


You need the Army to get you to exercise?


:wtf: drive a beater!

someone replied


That I could understand, but the word "duty" appears nowhere in the article.

So it was a job at McDonald's or join the military. I dunno....... just my $0.02 but I think that they would have been better of attending a local community college and receiving a technical degree to obtain a job.

Support the Jason Tharp Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Jason Tharp Memorial Scholarship was established to honor the memory of Jason Robert Tharp, a 19-year-old Marine and 2004 graduate of Braxton County High School, who died February 8, 2005 during water survival maneuvers at boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina. The goals of the scholarship are to keep Jason’s memory alive and to provide funding for students like Jason who want to attend college. While a student at BCHS, Jason was active in FFA and enjoyed art. His goal in joining the Marines was to earn money to go to college to study art.

Contributions to Jason’s Scholarship fund should be sent to:
Jason Tharp Memorial Scholarship Fund
Braxton County Board of Education
411 North Hill Road
Sutton, WV 26601
Attn: Treasurer

More on Jason Tharp's death:

Marines investigate boot camp drowning
Drill instructor caught on tape striking 19-year-old
By Jim Miklaszewski
Chief Pentagon correspondent
Updated: 4:39 p.m. AKT Feb 17, 2005

An autopsy revealed 19-year-old Jason Tharp drowned last week during water survival training at the Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, S.C.

Video shot on Feb. 7, the day before Tharp's death, by NBC affiliate WIS-TV in Columbia, S.C., shows Tharp, visibly shaken and almost terrified, taking a forearm shot from a Marine drill instructor.
…
After 20 minutes of trying to coax Tharp into the pool, the drill instructor turned physical in apparent violation of Marine Corps regulations — striking Tharp across the chest.
…
Marine Corps officials say Tharp voluntarily entered the pool the next day, where he drowned during a 25-meter swim. (WITH **SIX** MARINE SWIM INSTRUCTORS IN ATTENDANCE!!!) Officials also say there's no early evidence of any misconduct by Marine instructors at the time Jason drowned, but the conduct caught on camera the day before raises questions about exactly what happened in that pool.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6988854/