Iraq vet: I would rather be picking up cans along the highway than enlist

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Documentary informs students, combats army recruitment efforts

After the U.S. suffered over 2,000 troop casualties in Iraq, 52 percent under the age of 25, moviemaker Dick Rolfsen could not believe the military still managed to meet recruitment goals. Reports of students joining the military under false assumptions or out of desperation came each month as Iraq war veterans clamored for “anti-recruitment” efforts. In Oct. 2005, Rolfsen met with colleagues Dan Preston and Scott Neilson to find a solution.

Together they created “Before You Enlist,” a 12-minute documentary to inform high school students about the realities of recruitment and alternatives to joining the military. In partnership with non-profit organizations Veterans for Peace and The American Friends Service, Rolfsen, Preston and Neilsen will offer 20,000 DVDs to high schools and community centers across the country after its debut in New Jersey in June. The video features interviews with Vietnam and Iraq war veterans.
Rolfsen says he and his colleagues created the documentary out of concern for students recruited by the military. “The premise of the documentary is simple. A prospective enlistee should know all options available before enlisting in the military. Recruiters are basically going to give them a sales pitch that doesn’t encompass the whole picture. We’re making this movie to help kids make informed decisions.”

Iraq veteran Thomas Powers, who Rolfsen interviewed for the documentary, says a film such as “Before You Enlist” would have influenced his decision to enter military service. “I hope it {the documentary} makes kids think. I’m not saying the military is bad, it’s just a rough road. Like I said in my interview, It’s really important to be informed. When I was a kid, I was going anywhere but up. I didn’t have a lot of choices and I had no money, so the military seemed like a good place to go. If I knew what I knew now, I’d be picking up soda cans on the highway instead of enlisting.”

One of the many things Smirk and Co has destroyed - service as an honorable and worthwhile choice. I know I can no longer recommend, let alone encourage, anyone to enlist.