Army Airs Its Best Sales Pitch

Seniors at Kennedy High School in Granada Hills talked to Army recruiters Tuesday about the opportunity to earn money for college, prepare for careers as commercial pilots and even lose weight in basic training.

At the San Fernando Valley campus halfway around the world from Afghanistan, combat seemed a mere afterthought.

“I maybe want to learn how to do some work with computers or electronics,” said student Chris Powell. “But I don’t know if I want to do the gun-toting part.”

He was one of several students who lingered with military recruiters after an exhibition on the football field by the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team.

Some students initially enticed by other branches of the military were won over by the elite team and the Army recruiters who made a rare campus visit.

“I’ve learned so much about the Army today, they really got me interested,” said student Bobby Phillips.

Although the students were more interested in the $20,000 stipend the Army offers some enlistees, the servicemen did not shy away from the subject of war.

“There is no question that someone recruited could be sent to war,” Staff Sgt. Jon Parra said. “The Army offers many opportunities, but it’s still the Army, and we are soldiers.”

One of the parachutists, Sgt. 1st Class Terry Rice, told the male students collecting autographs: “It is our duty as young men to serve our two years or four years.”

Yet other students were not buying the high-flying sell.

“I would have joined, but my boyfriend’s in the Army,” said Allison Navarro, wearing mock camouflage fatigues and a rhinestone U.S. flag belt buckle. “He told me there’s too much [nonsense] in the Army to be worth it.”

The demonstration had been scheduled months before the military action began in Afghanistan, Parra said.

Students were not allowed to enlist during the campus visit, but they were encouraged to stop by the local recruiting office at a later date with their parents.