peace coalition - Youth and Militarism

A group of activists in San Antonio have formed a working group to act on youth and militarism. Issues like recruiters in the schools. The new requirements in the "No Child Left Behind" law that requires high schools to give student information to military recruiters, or lose government funding. JROTC. The Delayed Entry Program. Draft registration.

If you want to help, come to a peace coalition meeting. We meet every Thursday from 5:30-7:00 pm, at the peaceCENTER, 1443 S. St. Mary's in San Antonio (it's in the Mennonite Church, across the street from Brackenridge High School.) Everyone is welcome.

These are some resources that you can download, reproduce and distribute in your community:

Most of these resources require that you have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.

If you do not have it, you can get it here.

Resources from the American Friends Service Committee Youth and Militarism Project:

10 Points to Consider Before You Sign a Military Enlistment Agreement
Two page flyer. PDF format.

Do You Know Enough to Enlist?
Double-sided brochure that examines the realities of military service and offers tips for dealing with military recruiters, in a question and answer format. PDF format. There is a Spanish language version, but it is not in a PDF/brochure format.

Resources from the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors:

Before You Enlist
17 pages of one and two page flyers, including financing college without the military, getting released from the delayed entry program, and much more. PDF format.

Financing College without Joining the Military
Trifold Brochure. PDF format.

Resources From the Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (San Diego):

Teach Peace: Make Schools Military-Free Zones
Three-page flyer. PDF format.

High School Students Rights
a four page hand out. PDF format.

What You Can Do
A two-page flyer. PDF format.

Resources from Pax Christi, USA:

Conscientious Objection and Catholic Teaching
Tri-fold brochure. PDF format.

Conscientious Objection and the Military
Tri-fold brochure. PDF format.

Resources from YANO (Youth and Non-Military Opportunities):

CHOICES
Choices is a downloadable software program (2.8 MB, PC version only) for educating young people about the realities of military enlistment and introducing them to nonmilitary alternatives for skills training, community service and college financial aid.

No Child Left Behind Resources

John Achcroft and Your Child
TruthOut editorial about the No Child Left Behind Act by Jennifer Van Bergen.
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
Has a section of their Web site on No Child Left Behild, including an excerpt from the law that relates to military recruiting in the schools and several articles.
No Child Unrecruited
An article from Mother Jones Magazine
Options for controlling military recruiter access
A 2-page handout. PDF format.
Student Sample Letter
Requesting that name not be released to the military. PDF format.
Parent sample letter
Requesting that name not be released to the military. PDF format.
No Child Left Unrecruited
An article in FindLaw by Anita Ramasastry a professor at Washington School of Law in Seattle.
Military Recruiting in Schools Problem for Some
National Public Radio, 12 minutes, requires an audio player. Tavis Smiley discusses the civil liberties of high school students in regards to military recruitment with Bill Carr of the Department of Defense, American University Law Professor Jamie Raskin, and David Goodman, a writer with Mother Jones Magazine.
NYCLU Helps High School Students And Parents Protect Their Privacy In Response To 'No Child Left Behind Act'
Advice from the NY ALCU.
Can You Spell 'Casualties'?
Article from the Madison (WI) Capital Times.
Giving Hypocrisy a Bad Name
By Rodolfo F. Acuna, Latino Political Wires.

Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC)

Texas high schools with an Army JROTC program
List from the Army Cadet Command Web site.

Texas high schools with an Air Force JROTC program
List from the Air Force ROTC Web site.

Texas high schools with a Navy JROTC program
List from the Navy ROTC Web site. (Scroll down to get the Texas list.)

Making Soldiers in the Public Schools
37-page analysis of the rapidly growing military presence in US high schools and analysis of the JROTC curriculum. PDF format.

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