[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 28, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1513-S1514]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          MILITARY RECRUITERS

  Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I rise to speak about a very important 
issue--access for our military recruiters on our high school campuses.
  Later today, I will introduce a resolution in support of our military 
recruiters.
  I rise and stand here today in a country free from tyranny, free from 
dictatorship, and free from oppression. I stand here today protected by 
the rights that are guaranteed to me by the Constitution of the United 
States. I am free to stand here because I am protected by the men and 
women of our nation's Armed Forces. It is because of our Nation's 
military that I enjoy the freedoms that are laid out in our country's 
Constitution.
  These freedoms are enjoyed by every citizen of this great country.
  The No Child Left Behind Act contains a provision that provides 
military recruiters and college and university recruiters with access 
to some student information. The intent behind this provision was to 
ensure that military recruiters were put on a level playing field with 
recruiters from our Nation's colleges and universities. At the time 
this language was included in NCLB military recruiters across the 
country were being denied access to student information that college 
and university recruiters were given full access to.
  The text contained in No Child Left Behind is very simple. It states 
that ``each local educational agency receiving assistance under this 
Act shall provide, on a request made by military recruiters or an 
institution of higher education, access to secondary school students' 
names, addresses, and telephone listings.''
  Recently, there have been numerous news reports on this topic. The 
debate

[[Page S1514]]

has swirled around a provision also in NCLB that allows a student or 
parent to request that contact information not be released to 
recruiters. School districts are required to inform parents and 
students that they have the option to make this request.
  In some areas the debate on this provision has gone much further. The 
city of San Francisco recently voted in favor of Measure I, a symbolic 
measure that opposes, but does not forbid, military recruiting on 
public high school or college campuses. The city cannot forbid military 
recruiting at public high schools as doing so would put the schools at 
risk of losing all federal funding. I cannot fathom why the city passed 
this Measure. Students in San Francisco should have access to the same 
information that all other students have, and should be allowed to hear 
what the military has to offer them.
  I understand the concerns surrounding privacy of personal information 
in today's society. However, I find it appalling that people have taken 
this provision and used it to rally against our troops, against our 
military system, and against our President.
  We are here today because we are secured by the presence of our 
military that protects our freedoms. My question is why are we so 
frightened by the very instrument that helps keep us free?
  Service in our armed forces is 100 percent voluntary and has been 
since the end of the Vietnam War. In order to maintain a voluntary 
force, the services must offer incentives to allow them to compete with 
the private sector for young, bright students about to graduate from 
high school. Recruiters search for the best and the brightest in our 
Nation's high schools to keep our forces strong and able to fight the 
forces that are against our way of life.
  In the last 30 years, millions of young Americans have been given 
technical skills, received money for college tuition and preferred 
loans for first-time home purchases by choosing to serve in our 
military. Not only are these young soldiers given skills that can lead 
them to future employment, they are also given unique leadership 
training. Our military trains leaders not just for war, but for success 
in life.
  Yet, it is perplexing to me that many parents today seem to look at 
military service as being akin to joining a radical cult or a violent 
gang. Military recruiters are going to our Nation's high schools to 
inform high school students of the opportunities that are available in 
our Armed Forces. Military recruiters are on campuses to provide 
information to students that is often not available in the mainstream 
media or in many high school counseling offices. Military recruiters 
are on high school campuses to dispel the many myths that surround 
service opportunities in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines and 
Coast Guard.
  Some parents are concerned about reports of recruiter abuse. In fact, 
following televised reports of recruiter abuse, the U.S. Army stopped 
recruiting activities for one day to review procedures that its 7,500 
recruiters use.
  In one case the network reported a recruiter suggesting how a 
volunteer might cheat to pass a drug test, and in another, a sergeant 
threatened a prospect with arrest if he didn't report to a recruiting 
station. Two cases out of 7,500 Army recruiters operating out of some 
1,700 recruiting stations nationwide prompted the Army to stand down, 
to refocus recruiters on their mission, reinforcing the Army's core 
values, and ensure its procedures were carried out consistently at all 
recruiting stations. It sounds like a pretty responsible reaction to 
me. It sounds like an institution concerned about doing things the 
right way.

  We must not forget the brave young men and women who do sign up for a 
tour of duty with the military. They swear to uphold and to protect the 
Constitution. We must not forget they take that duty seriously. They 
protect each and every one of us from outside threats, not just threats 
of violence but also threats to our constitutionally protected freedoms 
of speech and religion.
  In his book ``The Greatest Generation,'' Tom Brokaw recounts a 
generation of Americans who sacrificed all they had to preserve our 
freedoms. Young men even went so far as to lie about their age so they 
could enjoy the honor of fighting for our country in World War II. 
Their country needed them, and they responded with uncommon valor and 
courage. The crucible of war formed who we are as a country today. 
Today, our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines stand on the 
shoulders of those warriors. We celebrate their accomplishments in 
movies and books. We regale them with the honors they earned and 
deserve. I wonder what sort of message we are sending to today's youth 
if we honor the soldiers of yesterday but shun the soldiers of today.
  My fear is that freedom is becoming almost too free, too entitled to 
more and more Americans. As long as we are free to switch cell phone 
service or download music from any Web site, we believe our freedoms 
are intact. But freedom is about so much more than that. Freedom is 
having the ability to speak our mind and stand for what we believe. 
Freedom means having the right to publicly disagree with the decisions 
of elected leaders. Freedom is a right, but it comes with a 
responsibility.
  As a parent, I have the direct responsibility to teach my children 
about the honor in serving our fellow man, our community, and in 
serving our country. As parents, from the time our children are born, 
we worry about their health, the friends they keep, the decisions they 
make, and the grades they bring home from school. We worry about drugs, 
letting them drive, and about preparing them for a life after mom and 
dad. But when we shield young adults from the things that scare us as 
parents, we belittle our children. It is our responsibility to share 
the world with our children, in many cases, the good with the bad. It 
is our responsibility to instill in them a sense of pride in our 
country and in the freedom we enjoy.
  We cannot shield our children from information about military service 
because in doing so, we underestimate our children's capacity to judge 
for themselves what their future should be. It is vital that our young 
adults in high school have access not only to future employment and 
educational opportunities but also to the opportunities provided in the 
U.S. military. And most importantly, it is absolutely necessary that 
our Nation's military have the opportunity to recruit the best and the 
brightest our Nation has to offer. If we continue to discriminate 
against our military recruiters, we risk undermining the well-being of 
our military. We risk fracturing the base on which our Army, our Navy, 
our Air Force and our Marines is built. It is vital that recruiters 
have access to our Nation's young adults to continue the traditions of 
our Armed Forces.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Florida.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to 
speak as in morning business.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. I inform the Senator from Florida 
that there is approximately 8 minutes remaining of the time reserved 
for the majority leader; there is 30 minutes reserved for the 
Democratic leader. The Senator may request to speak out of turn and 
have his time allocated toward the Democratic leader's time.
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. I ask unanimous consent to do so.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The Senator from Florida is recognized.

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