Counter Recruitment (as most folks call it) or Truth-in-Recruiting (as some of us like to call it) is an important part of anti-war work. Counter Recruitment (CR) takes many different forms. Often times it means that people set up tables in high schools to pass out flyers and talk to students about the military and their options. Truth in Recruiting often involves veterans (and other activists) sharing their experiences in classrooms. Other activities include: Opt-out campaigns, organizing against JROTC programs, protesting at recruiting stations and providing information about alternatives to the military.

Veteran's stories of conflict are a powerful tool that can be used to prevent others from entering into the military without a full understanding of their actions. Sharing our stories is not only eye opening for those who are listening, but healing for ourselves. If you are a veteran and would like to speak to youth about your experience in the military there are many organizations working to provide additional information to what military recruiters have to say about the realities of military service.

Many IVAW members have leant their time to Truth in Recruiting efforts. Here’s what we have to say…

“Bringing the harsh realities of war and military service into classrooms and into our communities is not an option; it’s an obligation we Iraq Veterans Against the War are charged with and must be committed to; it's what I'm committed to.”
Joshua Dawson, Iraq Veteran
Honolulu, Hawaii

When I do counter recruitment I make sure to inform people that the military is not a job training program. It's not a tuition assistance program. It's job is to fight and win wars. And if someone doesn't want to be in a war, they should reconsider joining the military.
Fernando Braga
Bronx, NY

The military is not a social program; the military is not a free ticket to college, the objective of the military in the words of our Vice President “… is to be prepared to fight and win wars. That is [the] basic fundamental mission…”

IVAW is in the process of developing our own materials from a veteran’s perspective (stay tuned…), but in the meantime, below are some resources currently available.

For a complete list of Truth-in-Recruiting/Counter Recruitment organizations and resources, visit www.nnomy.org

Some good links to Truth-in-Recruiting Organizations/Resources

• War Resisters League: Youth and Countermilitarism program
• Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors
• American Friends Service Committee: Youth & Militarism program
• Project YANO: The Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities
• United for Peace and Justice: counter military recruitment campaign

If you are on a college campus, check out these links

• National Youth and Student Peace Coalition
• Campus Action

If you would like the latest counter recruitment news and articles, sign-up on the counter recruitment email list-serve: counter-recruitment [at] yahoogroups [dot] com which you can access at www.groups.yahoo.com