Military Changes America Essay

The Military Changes America for the Better.

“Where Soldiers Come from” a film that follows a group of soldiers as they leave for Afghanistan and then return home and details the trails that they faced. This essay will focus on how the military changes Americas for the better. It helps to make a difference in several ways. First the military is helping those in lower economic standings to find long term stable work. Second providing people the means to help change their social economic standings and even providing jobs where there where none before. Finally also provides training relative to school and also financial help to attend school. The military is helping to change Americans for the better improving their lives.

The military pours billions of dollars into recruiting new soldiers to serve for our country. According to

Ayers (2006) “one of the most effective recruitment tools is Junior Reserve offices’ training corps the high school version of ROTC established by an act of congress in 1916 to develop citizenship and responsibility in younger people” (p15) This program is there to help provide children with developing in their education, how they interact in their community and structure and leadership for these students. This program is helping to build a stronger foundation of self-efficacy for these students and more tools to succeed in there education and employment in the future.

Another prong to this that helps the military gain access to students is the “no child left behind act” what this act means is that if a school is receiving any federal funding then the military is given access to the student records so that they can reach out and contact them for recruiting. This is providing the military another avenue to contact students and educate them on the benefits of military service. The military leans focus on the high school population they are at a great age to benefit from the benefits that the military can provide one student said “there was nothing out there” (Ayers, 2006, p.14). He was talking about the availability of jobs in the area that he was living in. Ayers says (2006) “High school kids are at an age when being a member of an identifiable group with a grand mission and shared spirt-is of great importance” (p.15)The military is providing these students with a great place to find that grand mission. We find that there is also a focus on where they are looking for these students. They are

looking for those students who don’t have a lot of choices after school. They come more often from lower SES in life. The reason that we see this is that they can benefit far more than someone who as a higher SES. In the movie Cole mom says “It’s not red so it’s not a disconnect” she has enough knowledge that if it is not red then they still have time to pay the bill before the power is cut off. This is also manifested when Dom one of the soldiers gives his reasoning behind join the military. “I joined the national guard for the money… I basically just asked all my friends if they were interested in making money” (Dom 3:11) Enrenreich stats that “is it possible to make a living on the kinds of jobs available to unskilled people? Mathematically, the answer is no” (p. 137) we see this in the reasoning behind Dom. They are often joining because they need the money since there current job cannot provide enough. There also tends to be a focus on the minorities which tend to come from lower economic standing. A 2006 study concluded that blacks are over represented in the military (Wyant, 2012, p.1) We also see another aspect in those that are joining the JORTC programs Ayers states (2006) “There is no doubt that JROTC target poor, black and Latino kids without the widest range of options.” (P. 15) focusing on those that are in a low income status and providing them a way to improve their SES. We see how this can befit a minority family that has low job security and making maybe 20000 a year. They can improve their situation to say a job that has the stability and make close to 45,179.58 a year. When this added security to the job and the greater increase in income is there and can break the cycle of staying below the poverty line giving them and there posterity a better chance to maintain and improve their SES.

The military can also help provide people to make changes to their social economic status for the better in these other ways. One of the ways that they are able to do this is that they often provide jobs for those in areas that have no jobs available to them as we mentioned earlier. According to Wilson (1999) “Persistent unemployment and irregular employment hinder rational planning in daily life, a necessary condition of adaption to an industrial economy” (P. 161) Being without a job can be very detrimental to people. They do not build the skills need to keep and maintain a job when or if they are able to acquire them. We see that one of the cites that suffers from joblessness the most is the Chicago area. William Julius Willison takes about this epidemic in his book “When Work Disappears” talking about how the lack of jobs is keeping people in this area in a circle of poverty. The military is providing there people with a great way to get out of this vicious circle. We see this in the vast expanse of the JORTC program according to Ayers (2006) “Chicago has the largest JORTC program in the country and the most militarized school system in America, with over 9,000 students in 45 JORTC programs.” (P.16) one of the areas in the country that is suffering the worst from joblessness has the largest presence of the military there to help them get out of this. Another technic that the military provides to those that serve to help change their SES is through the student loan repayment plans and also the post 9-11 GI bill one of several that helps cover living cost and tuition for students as they attend school. The post 9-11 bill covers 100% of tuition for the student and pays around 1000 a month for living with additional book stipend. This can provide students to attend a wide range of schools. We know that providing a higher education has a direct correlation to changes in SES and to change the future for themselves and families. With this added education we see an increase in marriage which adds more stability to the family and growth there in. Smock says (2005) “couples are hesitant marry unless economic stability has been achieved” (p 684) we can see how the pay from the military also provides those to live above the poverty line. A solider depending on years of service can make over 50,000 a year including benefits such as housing stipend.

The military has some draw backs that can adversely affect those that serve. One of the most detrimental things that we see especially in times of war is posttraumatic stress disorder. Peraica states that (2014) “Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has a great impact on a patient’s quality of life” (P.1) those that have served and end up developing PTSD can have many struggles affecting all areas of their lives. They can struggle with anxiety, fear and a multitude of other symptoms. This can make holding employment and functioning in society it can also cause Leonard states that “a reduction in their ability to logically regulate response to goals, priorities and enviermental demands” (P. 176) In some cases this can make it so that people can no longer work or function properly in the norms of society. PTSD can sometimes keep these soldiers from holding the job lead to divorce and depression to name just a few of the negative out comes. Fortunately there are programs that are there to help them deal with these challenges and put them on the path to recovery. Which I some cases can help them reintegrate back in to the norms of their life.

This essay showed many of the benefits that the military is providing to Americans. The military is out there and they are making a positive change to the lives of those that they affect. They are pulling people out of the areas that are jobless and providing them with great careers. The military is giving great educational benefits to those that serve helping them to provide a stinger self-efficacy and means to secure consistent employment. Also the military is helping people move out of poverty into a higher social economic standing and ultimately helping Americans live better lives. The military is changing Americans for the better and can hopefully continue to close the inequality gap in the U.S.

References
Ayers, W. (2006). Military Recruiters Are Using and Abusing Our Kids. Education Digest, 71(9), 14-21.

Jason, L. A., Mileviciute, I., Aase, D. M., Stevens, E., DiGangi, J., Contreras, R., & Ferrari, J. R. (2011). How Type of Treatment and Presence of PTSD affect Employment, Self-regulation, and Abstinence. North American Journal Of Psychology, 13(2), 175-185.

Peraica, T., Vidović, A., Petrović, Z. K., & Kozarić-Kovačić, D. (2014). Quality of life of Croatian veterans' wives and veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. Health & Quality Of Life Outcomes, 12(1), 1-18. doi:10.1186/s12955-014-0136-x

Smock, P. J., Manning, W. D., & Porter, M. (2005). “Everything's There Except Money”: How Money Shapes Decisions to Marry Among Cohabitors. Journal Of Marriage & Family, 67(3), 680-696. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00162.x

Wilson W. J. Jobless poverty. A new from of social dislocation in the inner-city Ghetto 159-169
Ehrenreich B (1999) Nickel-and-Dimed. Harpers magazine 37-52.