Recruit 'em early...

It's not bad enough that Veteran's Day has turned into a giant recruiting tool, now they aim at the grade-schoolers.
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Students get a look at two helicopters

By Linda Lou
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
November 9, 2007

CRISSY PASCUAL / Union-Tribune

CARLSBAD – As the whirring sounds grew louder and drew closer, students smiled, cheered and waved at two Marine Corps helicopters.
The aircraft – a Huey and a Cobra – flew over the basketball courts, circled and landed on a grassy field. The children couldn't restrain themselves and moved from sitting to kneeling.

“I love Marines,” said Hannah LeBeau, 7. “It's just so fun to be with them. It's good they're in California. They're letting us be free and everything.”

What the eight Marines saw was a horde of students dressed in red for Red Ribbon Week, an anti-drug and alcohol campaign, at Carrillo Elementary School. The Marines were on campus to talk about Veterans Day. Two have children at the school.

Lt. Colonel Rick Bowen, a squadron commander at Camp Pendleton, told the children that the national holiday honors the men and women in the armed forces who served in the past and present so that everyone can be free.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20071109-9999-7m9smvet.html

The Myth of Redemptive Violence isn't going to propagate itself, you know. Especially when it has such a poor real world track record.

is out of line.....

I just think the Marines are Bush's own "republican guard". They love him so much.

but the US Marine Corp like any branch of the service falls under the control of the President, whether he/she be the chimpster or a member of the Democratic party. The Marines are not the gestapo or republican gaurd. Service men and women are not responsible for the actions of those placed over them.

I just don't like to see the military disparaged because of things the chimpanator does...just sayin'

We had members of the AZ National Guard on campus for an assembly. They parked a huge truck (with national guard scenes painted on it) on the basketball court and each class (wearing red, white and blue) posed in front of it for a picture with a uniformed service member.

Then we went into the cafeteria for an assembly, the purpose of which was to encourage each class to write letters to deployed national guard members. There was a lot of excitement, cheering and talk about them "protecting us" and "keeping us free". Many smiling parents attended and eagerly took photos. Our principal was very enthused about the whole thing.

Afterward a few of my young boys said that they want to be soldiers when they grow up.

This creates a hardship for the parent who may seem "unpatriotic" as they try to steer their children away from the madness.

I do support the letter writing to the deployed soldiers campaign, but the assemby was just too much.

when I was in middle school. Then a guy got out and started talking about the dangers of drunk driving. I'm not sure why they needed a helicopter for that. It was kind of scary at the time... like a giant bird of prey descending on the football field.

With savings like that, isn't it worth a few limbs and lifelong disabilities?

Support your veterans by going shopping. Make sure to proudly display your yellow ribbon on your SUV. (But don't let your children lick the Chinese-made product!)