Glamourizing Army Jobs and Raising Recruitment Age

[welshwarriors]

I don't have any problem with people going into the army at 16. I think they are aware of the dangers of the job, but as others say there are also lots of benefits to having a career in the military.

Regarding National Service (perhaps this should be a new thread / debate!) I would quite like to see it back, for those who aren't working or in education, but in a different format to the old 50s style. I certainly would not agree with compulsory military national service, but a format where there was a choice to either do military or something else local such as hospital voluntary work etc. I don't know how it would work but there are a lot of kids who leave school with few qualifications and no idea what they want to do. Something like this would give them at least a little work experience for their CV and maybe help them make some choices about possible careers. Don't know if it would work in practice though as apparantly the army are dead against bringing National Service back because they don't want to do the training, and I can't see the Police, NHS etc wanting to take all the work of supervising and training National Service recruits either.

I dont know how national service worked over here in the UK, but in Germany until this January you could choose between the military service or do some social element like working with old people, children etc. I do agree it looks better on a CV than sitting on your bum doing nothing cause they didnt have a job.

 

[welshwarriors]

My OH loved being in the army and all the lads in his reg did have fun. yes its a very serious job but i dont no many soliders that dont love it.

I think the age limit is fine as it is being that at 16 you need ur parents consent or u can join at 18, 25 is actualy concidered very old to join the army and is the cut off point in most cases.

its not easy to join the army and they are very good at pointing out the ones who they no wont be able to handle the job, granted they do miss the odd tw*t lol

our soliders dont get paid enough for the work they actualy do but it can give u a great life

Most people don't these days unless you're a banker or something!

true!

i will say one thing tho the army do look after their own. and since my oh died they have been great with me and have helped me anyway they can.
ive even been given a rather gorgeous visiting officer hahaha

the people who join no that they could die in war, and when asked they all have a reason to fight for us

I'm so sorry for your loss

 

[indy and lara]

I think we all know what choosing life in the army may entail and the price you may pay. However, it offers opportunities many people would not have had on 'civvy street'.

 

[Tasha]

My children's school show each class newsround the following day after it has been shown, they are five years old and upwards. My children have come home worried about various issues, ranging from wanting to know if Egypt is near here (because of the fighting), they have talked to me about the wars and many other issues like oil spills etc, so a child who watches newsround regularly knows about the fact that soliders die, but it has to be remembered that it is a very young audience, who carry enough worry on their shoulders about world issues.

I think 16 will parental consent is fine.

 

[discoclare]

I don't have any problem with people going into the army at 16. I think they are aware of the dangers of the job, but as others say there are also lots of benefits to having a career in the military.

Regarding National Service (perhaps this should be a new thread / debate!) I would quite like to see it back, for those who aren't working or in education, but in a different format to the old 50s style. I certainly would not agree with compulsory military national service, but a format where there was a choice to either do military or something else local such as hospital voluntary work etc. I don't know how it would work but there are a lot of kids who leave school with few qualifications and no idea what they want to do. Something like this would give them at least a little work experience for their CV and maybe help them make some choices about possible careers. Don't know if it would work in practice though as apparantly the army are dead against bringing National Service back because they don't want to do the training, and I can't see the Police, NHS etc wanting to take all the work of supervising and training National Service recruits either.

but those who arent working who wants to be in the military would join anyway?

Yeah I see what you mean, but I know they have had this format in othner countries, someone on here has said Germany, but in my mind I'm sure I heard that they had something like this in Italy for a while, and they did get people choosing military service (who weren't applying to go into the army). I can see what you're saying, why don't they just apply normally, but for some reason some people leave school and don't really apply for much because they lack direction. I'm just thinking that perhaps something like National Service would push younger people lacking direction into doing something, at least for a short while, so they get some experience and work ethic, to help them get a job later on.

But, as I said, it's not likely to happen as the military don't want the hassle.

 

[Lightworker]

Avalanche- the opening remark in your post was quite rude. Was it absolutely necessary for you hurl an insult at me in the process of responding? Did it make you feel good about yourself? Why is it that every other dissenting voice in here still maintained courtesy while you didn't. My OP was based on what I saw on a CHILDREN'S SHOW WHICH MADE THE ARMY LOOK LIKE FUN. Perhaps you missed that show which is why you don't feel that it is ever depicted as being fun.

 

[Lightworker]

Since Newsround has seen fit to promote military careers, then I would have thought they would give a full and frank depiction. On yesterrdays show, they showed men moonwalking, dancin having fun, and they said "we have fun. If a mate is feeling down we cheer him up" etc. I'm not saying they don't have fun, but why don't they go on to show other sides, eg people who have lost limbs, living on a pittance of a pension, etc? It seems biased to me. CBBC audience are very impressionable.

 

[moomin_troll]

theres a video on youtube and its of my ohs reg doing dance routines in afghan, its very funny as they need to do things to keep up moral....altho im a adult so i already no the bad side without having to see it.

i havent seen this newsround so cant comment really on what they showed and didnt show, but there is enough on the news about soliders dying for the children to not be completly blinded.

my oh went for a job in the army that is to go round schools promoting the army, ofcourse they are going to show the good side because we need a army and we need recruits

 

[Lightworker]

Newsround IS news for children. Alot of parents don't allow their children to watch adult news. Advertising for the army should be like all advertising, transparent. When it comes to consumables, we have laws to prevent misleading adverts etc, surely the same should apply to recruiting (and not just the army, ALL jobs.) Why is it alright to promote the positives and omit the negatives when they are crucial to decision-making? More so to children?

 

[moomin_troll]

i no newsround is for children!

it doesnt matter if a child at 6 thinks the army is great because when they become old enough to join they will be older and will understand that its a serious job. ive seen lads join the army get thru all the training ect n then if their boss doesnt think they have what it takes they are out.

and all adverts are misleading otherwise things wouldnt sell.

for instance diet pills, they tell u the good side it will help u lose weight. it doesnt say because it will make u sh*t urself.

 

[Lightworker]

If you told a child that if they went into the army, in addition to the positives, they also face the chance of losing their lives, being seperate from their family, losing limbs, may not have a job after, will kill people (including innocent), will witness other traumatic stuff, do you think the child will be like "yeah, when I grwo up I want to be in the army?" I know I am labouring this point but I feel it is thoroughly inappropriate for children.

 

[moomin_troll]

u may feel what u saw wasnt suitable for children but at the end of the day we grow up in life thinking the world is great, santa brings us presents if we are good ect and yet we grow up!

children who see this and think yeah i wana join wont even be able to until they are old enough to understand there is a bad side, so really im failing to see why this has upset u so much.

i no men in the army who grew up seeing their dad go away ect, they saw the bad side too but still joined up because some people just want to no matter what the risks because they are fighting for this country.

im sure ud have something to say if we didnt have a army. recruitment is a key part of this, and when people are old enough to join they no what they are in for

 

[Blah11]

Lightworker I understand what you're saying but I agree with moomin. By the time theyre old enough to join anyway they're not naive enough to think it's just a barrel of laughs. If it was 10 year olds being recruited i'd 100% agree with you, but not when it's 16-18 year olds.

 

[Avalanche]

Avalanche- the opening remark in your post was quite rude. Was it absolutely necessary for you hurl an insult at me in the process of responding? Did it make you feel good about yourself? Why is it that every other dissenting voice in here still maintained courtesy while you didn't. My OP was based on what I saw on a CHILDREN'S SHOW WHICH MADE THE ARMY LOOK LIKE FUN. Perhaps you missed that show which is why you don't feel that it is ever depicted as being fun.

Erm ok. The definition of being uninformed means a person is lacking information. It's not an insult saying that you don't have knowledge of a situation, just pointing out a fact. I said 'I think you sound uninformed' then proceeded to explain things, quite in depth to you so that you would have a better understanding of the actual process. I'm not really sure why you've now gone into some sort of tirade about it if I was trying to insult you then I would have actually insulted you.

un·in·formed
adjective /ˌəninˈfôrmd/ 

1. Not having or showing awareness or understanding of the facts.
2. Not informed; lacking in knowledge or information

 

[Avalanche]

If you told a child that if they went into the army, in addition to the positives, they also face the chance of losing their lives, being seperate from their family, losing limbs, may not have a job after, will kill people (including innocent), will witness other traumatic stuff, do you think the child will be like "yeah, when I grwo up I want to be in the army?" I know I am labouring this point but I feel it is thoroughly inappropriate for children.

Did you read anything that I wrote about the selection and training process or did you just dismiss it all because you took offense at something that wasn't even an insult? We don't recruit 5 year olds into the Army. I know kids that want to be princesses when they grow up, or dinosaurs. The point is, as children grow and their imagination leaves them they become more aware of the world around them. They watch the adult news, they learn things in school, from people around them and kids can go into a careers office for information. Nothing is hidden from anyone.

Unless we start telling all children Santa isn't real, that they will never be princesses because they aren't good enough, that Firemen pull dead bodies out of buildings and that Easter is a time when a bunch of people murdered Jesus and nothing to do with Easter eggs then what's the point? People don't sign up to the Army because they think they look good in uniform and 'OMG GUNS ARE AMAZING!!!' and we don't accept children into the military.

 

[Lightworker]

Avalanch- I read your post in its entirety. Within the context of this thread, I don't believe I am uninformed. You said "at no point does the army depict life as fun" well the footage on Newsround begs to dffer, and that footage is the basis of my OP so how then am I uninformed? I don't take offence at things as I refuse to be affected by people's comments, but I did feel that your remark was rude viz-a-viz the above. Rudeness is totally subjective and I appreciate that you don't feel you were being rude.

 

[Lightworker]

Moomin/Blah- yeah I totally get that actual recruitment takes place later on in life, but we cannot say that what we witness as children does not influence our choices as adults. We protect our children from alot of things on the basis that it may impact them negatively into adulthood, why is this any different?

 

[moomin_troll]

we cant hide our children from the army! i deffinatly cant.
the army is a job! and there is alot if young boys and girls who want to join, maybe because they see it as fun but that wont cloud their judgement when they are old enough to understand being in war is very serious. and if a adult is stupid enough to think its all fun n games i very much doubt they will get past training.

i dont see children being exposed to the army is bad, as its abig part of this country and i doubt it will have that much of a big effect on them.

im sure most children who saw this newsround have forgotten about it by now anyway

 

[Avalanche]

Avalanch- I read your post in its entirety. Within the context of this thread, I don't believe I am uninformed. You said "at no point does the army depict life as fun" well the footage on Newsround begs to dffer, and that footage is the basis of my OP so how then am I uninformed? I don't take offence at things as I refuse to be affected by people's comments, but I did feel that your remark was rude viz-a-viz the above. Rudeness is totally subjective and I appreciate that you don't feel you were being rude.

If you read my post in it's entirety, you would have seen that what I actually said was:

At no point is the Army dressed up as being 'fun' to potential recruits.

Potential recruits, they are people in the selection process who are potentially going to be recruits on training intakes.

You said in your first post:

I wish they would raise the age to 25 and stop advertising it on TV as its so misleading. What do you think?

So yes, you sounded uninformed of what actually goes into recruitment and training and what steps are taken to ensure that anyone interested in signing up has a clear understanding of what exactly will be expected of them at any time in the military. If you had prior knowledge of it, I don't think this thread would exist. Hence trying to explain things in a basic sense to you, to point out there is a lot that goes into the recruitment process.

 

[special_kala]

I dont think its glamorising it, obviously they cant show kids the "real" side of the army as its not age appropriate.

If they were advertising doctors/nursing jobs on TV they wouldnt show them having to tell a family that their loved one had passed or was terminally ill or firefighters they wouldnt show them having to bring burns victims out of buildings because thats not why people do those jobs.

Soldiers dont join the army to kill people they do it to protect their country and experience the world which is what they advertise