[Navy] We're not here to recruit anybody
We just to connect with the gaming community
and be good representatives of the Navy
but we
we do realize, right?
Naturally, when people watch it and they hear all these things
You know, our lives.
They might be interested in joining the Navy
And we're happy to point them in the right direction, right?
You can go to navy.com We've got a link to it on our site
And you can find out everything you need to know about joining the Navy
>[Voiceover] That is the Navy esports team on Twitch.
If you're like me you might be wondering a few things.
The military has esports teams?
Are they lying? Because it sure sounds like they're lying.
Aren't there kids like 13 years old on Twitch?
To which the answers are:
3 branches currently have teams.
The Air Force,
Army
& Navy.
Let's read from this handy Twitch Guide for Streamers
made by the Navy Recruiting Command
>"Everything done on social media should be aimed at making connections
between prospects and recruiters."
>Yes, you only have to be 13 to use Twitch and let's be honest some are probably younger.
So in this video I want to explore what other recruitment tactics the military are using.
ESPECIALLY aimed at kids.
>Now this amendment is specifically to block recruitment practices
and funding for recruitment practices on platforms such as Twitch.tv
>The US military recently got some attention on Twitch
because they were caught holding fake giveaways to get people to sign up for the military.
That's right! Xbox controllers for joining the Army!
Without the Xbox controllers.
I already knew the military spends obscene amounts of money in the entertainment industry
And that the military relies upon promising socioeconomic advantages
to families struggling.
Like providing healthcare and access to education.
You know, things people wouldn't need help with in a more fair society.
But until recently I wasn't aware there are programs like The Young Marines
designed to get kids as young as only 8-years old interested.
Of course they also claim not to be recruiting much like the Navy esports team tried to here.
>[Navy] You can go to navy.com, we've got a link to it on our site
>But we'll come back to The Young Marines shortly.
The extent recruitment efforts take to filter youth into the military makes sense
when you consider they know the younger people get involved
the more likely they are to stay for full careers.
This is why we have programs like the Junior Reserves Officer Training Corps in high schools.
Which sometimes students have found themselves placed into automatically
with difficulties getting out of afterwards.
Meaning a kid in high school could be there compulsorily.
Which is odd because that would go against the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
A human rights treaty that defines a number of rights for children.
Something that every country in the United Nations has ratified.
EXCEPT for one country. The United States.
Before being elected Obama said it was embarrassing we hadn't done so.
After being elected he ...
(crickets)
George W Bush before him gave us the "No Child Left Behind Act" in 2002.
Which in fact, left a lot of children behind.
Like in Houston, Texas.
In Sharpston High School 463 students out of 1700 left in ONE year.
Not one of them was reported as a dropout though.
BUT Bush didn't want to leave kids behind when it came to joining the military.
Because inside a piece of legislation about providing education to students
was also a requirement that gave military recruiters the same access as college campuses,
including students' contact information.
As recruiting efforts have struggled in the past couple years, new efforts are being made.
Virtual recruiting teams have been formed to try to mine prospects from social media.
Deals with city governments are made to install a program called "March2Success"
on public computers.
Supposedly to help students study for college entrance exams.
It also just happens to collect students' personal information
to determine potential leads for military recruiters.
There is also a new initiative called Focus 22,
specifically targeting poor urban neighborhoods
where families are especially struggling to find jobs.
And of course let's not forget the esports teams on Twitch.
>[Navy] Why does it say copyright Navy Recruiting Command
at the bottom of your esports website page?
>Before making this video, I hadn't really thought about the fact that
kids can join the military at 17.
They can't even vote yet.
Now, they do need a guardian's consent to sign up,
but I'm not sure how reassuring that is when kids even younger
are sent to programs like The Young Marines.
[military chanting starts]
>[Former Young Marine] The Young Marines is a recruitment program
whether you want it to be or no.
>The Young Marines is a program for all kids ages
8 through the end of high school.
Cause you know... AFTER high school, they can join the REAL thing!
I found out about this program watching The Recruits
which is a documentary available on Means TV.
I highly recommend watching it in its entirety.
The Young Marines claims to improve the lives of America's youth by teaching
the values of the Marine Corps.
Now I can understand the appeal of saying things like "honor, courage & commitment"
or even discipline and how that could be good for a kid to learn.
What I don't understand
is why little kids must act out like they're in the Marines to learn these values.
> Shooting a rifle or a pistol or anything and holding it steady...
and controlling your breath
and then squeezing that trigger
is an awesome way to learn discipline.
I don't have an issue with guns, but it seems dangerous to conflate learning
to shoot with being a better person.
Like that might lead to some disastrous outcomes.
But besides the catchy soundbite values, what brings in the most kids to
The Young Marines is probably because it's cheap.
> I want to be an engineer,
for NASA.
All the space camps and stuff cost a lot of money
and my mom can't afford all those other places so we
do Young Marines because it's a lot cheaper.
If kids stay in the program, they'll obviously get used to it
and that lifestyle will become normalized.
The kids also know they'll have a clear advantage over others
if they join the military for real.
Not only because they'll have years of practice over other new recruits, but each unit of
The Young Marines are run by former military as well
who can help connect the kids with recruiters.
>There's nothing wrong with you.
You don't run up to me and stop and say, "my heart hurts"
This worries me because around 17 when someone can enlist is a scary time as a youth.
Trying to figure out who you are and what path to take.
You're about to enter the "real world" everyone has warned you about most of your life
after being in a school environment where you're taught by following instructions.
Combine that with financial struggles, this just primes you to see the military
as a great option.
It's an option that simplifies your decision amidst a world where it may be difficult
to find a job.
Listen to this former Young Marine.
>[Former Young Marine] The Young Marines unequivocally encouraged uh...
joining later.
I won't say that they had to push me
Because you're being so thoroughly fed
all this pageantry and all of this discipline
and all this talk about structure and honor,
integrity and courage
These Marine Corps values
They make you want it
>I'm not sure there could be a better example of a child getting funneled into one of these
programs due to unfortunate circumstances than Tommy.
Tommy is a 10 year old kid.
His mom has Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma stage-4.
A family has basically taken them in. To help care for Tommy and his mom.
From that family is John who used to be in the military.
One day at a parade, Tommy sees The Young Marines marching and asks about them.
So John is eager to sign him up.
Even though Tommy regularly shows he doesn't want to be in The Young Marines,
he is pushed and shamed into continuing on.
In fact, the clip earlier about gun shooting somehow equals discipline?
That was right after Tommy cried because he didn't want to shoot.
Again, I'm not against guns.
But I AM against FORCING someone to learn how to shoot who is clearly upset
at the idea of doing so.
ESPECIALLY a TEN YEAR OLD.
I have a child almost Tommy's age and this just made me sick to my stomach.
Tommy's family is struggling.
He clearly wants to leave the Young Marines,
but John always shoots it down.
And what is Tommy supposed to do?
Insist to someone who is kind enough
to take him and his mom in?
That's so much pressure for a little kid.
Tommy's mother probably doesn't even know how upsetting it is for him.
>Instead of wanting to shoot.
He said he didn't want to shoot. When I asked him why he started crying
Look at me
The little crying thing doesn't affect me, you understand me?
>[Tommy]Yes, sir.
>[Young Marines Leader] How old are you?
>Ten, sir.
>[Young Marines Leader] Okay, then you act like a 10-year old. No more crying.
Buck up and just say, "Okay I'm going to do it."
[gun clip reloading]
>So if your family is struggling like Tommy's with money
and you think going to college would be a big deal for you,
you're going to want to believe a recruiter.
A recruiter who conveniently may be walking around your school,
ready to promise you lots of things.
Like an enlistment bonus of up to $40,000.
That's a pretty big deal for most families.
And of course access to health insurance and a higher education.
It turns out things everyone should just have access to anyway are great bargaining chips.
What's surprising is even with these benefits, joining the military might not be better socioeconomically
than a civilian lifestyle.
Of course they're not going to mention that.
While there may be an initial earnings advantage, many do worse later on.
And of course enlisting comes with other risks.
I'm not going to get into all of them here because some are obvious
for people who have experienced things like combat,
but I will include some sources in the description.
What might be less obvious is there are risks to mental health without even being deployed.
Heavy drinking, anxiety, depression and self-harm for example
are higher even among those not sent to war.
And stress from basic training can be even greater than war
when you look at the rate of attempted suicides.
Some of the highest stress is said to be felt after
the first week of training.
And once you're in the military you can't just change your mind
without potentially serious consequences.
And why would a SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD ever change their mind on a life-changing decision?
It can be extremely hard to be discharged
and if you are
you may receive a permanent mark on your record that will hurt your chances of getting a job
for the rest of your life.
This is worse when you consider recruiters will often
aggressively encourage people to sign up
even if they have good reason not to.
Even suggesting you lie about disqualifying conditions.
After all, that will be your problem.
The recruiter has a quota to fill.
Researching for this video I checked the official Marine Corps Recruiting YouTube channel
to look into the Delayed Entry Program also known as the DEP.
Or in the Army which apparently has a better marketing team:
>[futuristic voice] "FUTURE SOLDIERS PROGRAM"
>It's basically promising to enlist in the future without fully being committed.
You are encouraged to participate in activities and prepare to meet standards for active duty
at a local recruiting center.
This is the easiest time to change your mind and get out of the military,
although recruiters will likely be very persuasive as they have spent time and energy on you.
In fact, you can just not show up to your ship date for basic training.
You don't need to give any notice.
Although I do want to note that there is a clause that has not been used in decades,
but the contract signed to join the DEP could be used
to order you to active duty against your will.
Now, this video I've been playing in the background is only a little over a minute long
and it's titled "What is the Delayed Entry Program (DEP)?"
and it literally never answers that question.
Or gives any information at all.
[inspirational music plays] >[Marine] First thing we're going to wipe out of your vocabulary is
I can't. Because there's no such thing.
I can is the only thing that should be running through your head
[Marine] Are you going to be that individual that always wonders "what if"
or "why" Or are you going to be the individual
that pushes past your limits and help those individuals to your left and right
and makes them your brother and sister
And build that trust and that confidence in one another
It's just an advertisement set to motivational music while telling you not to
dare having any doubts.
I'm surprised they don't have a clip in there saying it's not recruiting.
>[Navy] You can go to navy.com We've got a link to it on our site
[gun clip reloading]
>Again, it's extraordinarily important
that we approach and study emerging technologies
including live streaming
Which is a platform that is exploding in youth
particularly among young people
and when it comes to issues of technology we should be
I believe that we should act with reservation and caution first
Rather than entering with both feet in
and then trying to undo damage that could potentially be done
>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tried to stop the military advertising on Twitch
but the amendment proposed was rejected in a vote
with 292 against
and only 126 in favor.
And while the majority against obviously were Republican,
103 of those were Democrats.
Even if the amendment had been successful, I believe we would need to do more.
The military is going to continue to get more creative in recruiting people
which means especially our kids.
We also have to tackle the very root of what makes this so enticing in the first place.
Fighting for better living conditions for everyone.
Things like healthcare, livable wages, and education.
But also pushing back against a culture of fear about kids "not behaving".
>[John] Better a professional a little polite 10-year old boy
than the pain in the butt kid that talks back
that doesn't listen.
I'd prefer him to be the little robot I guess
if I had to choose
[chants]Left, right, left, right