~the Recruiter Called Today~ Poem by Mary Nagy
~the Recruiter Called Today~
The recruiter called today
for my oldest child.
I politely told him
''She's not interested.''
He promised she would have
college paid for,
a very slim chance of being sent to war,
and the pride of being a soldier.
I informed him of her interest
in criminal justice.
I let him know she is going to college
and we will figure out how to finance it.
He sang me the praises of the
Military Police.
Told me of how proud she would be
and how proud I should be if she chose this path.
He explained how if she was working on a degree
she could not be sent into active duty on dangerous lands.
But, in his next breath he told me how she would get her degree
in a much faster pace than in a traditional college setting.
I declined interest
while I pretended to write the number he left for my daughter.
I did tell her about his phone call
but I also told her why I hope she doesn't choose
to be a soldier.
Is my greediness with my childs life a sin?
I know ''somebody has to do it''...
but, I can't bare the thought
of my child being sent to fight in a war.
I realize this is probably very
un-patriotic.
For that, I'm sorry.
I have lost many things in my lifetime.
My childs life is not one of those things I wish to sacrifice
for the good of my country.
I love my country
but, I love my children more.
**I respect all the soldiers who are willing to fight for their countries. My Grandfather, Father, and Husband have all fought in wars. I am very proud of them all. I am not disrespecting soldiers. I'm just sharing my feelings....I'm not at all claiming they are the ''right'' way to feel. Sincerely, Mary
Sounds like a chilling experience. I didn't know that they actively recruited girls too. You are entirely in your rights, both a mother and a human being, not to want to send someone to war according to my thinking. It sounds cheap that they try to 'buy' the kids with education. One day maybe we will finally live in a world without war but from what goes on in this forum I doubt that will be anytime soon. Never question the value of protecting a life though, and really by not going to war it protects not only the person's not sent, but also any who might be injured. Every soul counts to god.
This reminds me of the things I write in the sense that it's not really a poem at all. It's just prose laid out in stanzas with cropped lines. But that's okay. I never knew the military was doing telemarketing now. Jeez, they must be desperate. 'Little chance of going to war' - yeah, right. They''ve lowered recruiting standards in order to get more enlistees to fill the rotation slots in Iraq. I have enormous respect for our soldiers even as I've opposed their deployment in Iraq from the start. What really makes me mad is how poorly paid they are and how well paid all the military contractors are who never have to put their lives on the line. There should be a rule that if you want to make big bucks providing goods and services to the military, then you have to do your time on the front lines. Otherwise you'll have to accept the same compensation the soldiers do.
Mary, this is beautiful. You are not showing any disrespect for America's soldiers. You are showing them a world of respect. Recruiters are like wolves in their tactics. The government is responsible for cutting the college funding, thus making the military the only viable option for continued education for most Americans. This is sad...and you are a mother that knows that such a decision, when all of the facts are not presented, is not a decision to be taken lightly.
MARY...YOU ARE QUITE THE STAND-UP GAL...AND I APPLAUD YOU& YOU DO NOT OWE A SINGLE PERSON ON THIS PLANET AN EXPANATION FOR YOUR FEELINGS FOR SOMEONE YOU'D LIKELY GIVE YOUR OWN LIFE FOR, IN OR OUT OF WAR....A VERY MOVING PIECE...AND WORDS THAT PERHAPS IF THE MEDIA ALLOTED MORE AIR TIME TO(A SoldiersParents point ofview) , .THAT MIGHT CREATE MORE(CIVILIZED) PRESSURE TO MODIFY THE CURRENT STRADEGIES.NICE JOB, AS ALWAYS, MARY''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''FRANK
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/19/2024 9:31:34 PM # 1.0.0.1119
This is very heart rendering Mary, but I know just how you feel. Why do we have to sort out every countries troubles, they never appreciate it when we do. Lovely read. Love Ernestine XXX