Iraq Recruiting: Propaganda Based on False Glory

I grew up in a small town in Upstate New York, located approximately 90 miles north of New York City. On September 11^th I was in 7^th grade, and was not able to grasp fully the tragedy of the destruction of the twin towers. Over the following two years, my primarily republican town became increasingly more and more supportive of George Bush, who had been arguing since September 11^th that Iraq was a direct threat to the safety and security of our country. Just after I had entered high school, America declared war on Iraq.

Upon entering my sophomore year, I noticed an increased presence of army, navy, and air force recruiters in my high school. I could not turn a corner without seeing a pamphlet, poster, or human promoter calling upon me to serve my country. This presence continued to increase through my senior year. Although the presence of these recruiters bothered me (due to their persistent and aggressive efforts to talk with students about one of the three main areas of the united states military), I never thought anyone I knew would enlist, or even give their name to one of these recruiters. After all, by the time I was a junior and senior it seemed very clear to me that the war in Iraq was nothing more than a very misguided and completely unnecessary blood bath, and I could not understand why anyone in their right mind would want to become part of an already lost cause. I was mistaken.