We see them almost every day during lunch: big, strong, soldiers in uniforms offering scholarships, a life on the edge and a way for young patriots to serve their country. They set up tables with plenty of information, brochures and lots of smiles for potential new recruits.

It is hard to deny high schools across the country are ripe with the qualities the military is looking for: young, smart, athletic, healthy. But is it really right to let America’s youth fall prey to the rewards and glory offered to by the military without being fully aware of the consequences or risks involved?

Think about it: as young adults, students are always told their brains are still developing, that they don’t understand fully the consequences of their actions.

Kids are not allowed to drive until they are 16 because their brains are still developing. Kids aren’t allowed to drink or smoke because their brains are still developing. Kids cannot vote until their 18th birthday because brains are still developing.

Essentially, young adults are restricted in both their actions and their representation because they don’t have the experience of older, more mature adults who understand their situation and have experience to back up their judgment. 

The multitude of sources provided by the military wax poetic about the courage, honor and leadership skills that veterans have acquired in their tours of service. However, most brochures do not even mention the possible injuries, hardships and even death that could result in their enlistment.

And as teenagers fresh out of (and often not even finished with) high school, can newly christened adults really pick up on the possibility that they might actually die, that they aren’t invincible and may be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country?

Please don’t think I am hating on the military; I’m not. Military service is without a doubt one of the most prestigious acts of patriotism any citizen can commit. And besides that, it’s a career choice that has been made and cherished by the countless number of veterans serving in the military today. But when the military decides to lure in kids who might not fully understand or appreciate the weight and responsibility that comes along with their commitment, then I see a fault.

I am not saying the military shouldn’t recruit at all; I understand that the military can’t exactly run around piling on the doom and gloom of the combat and expect people to join in. But can’t their target audience be just a little older and more experienced?

College campuses would be a perfect spot for recruitment, filled with self-sufficient, hard-working, critically-thinking adults. Or better yet, television, where parents can oversee the content their children are watching, or the Internet where men and women already interested in serving their country can find tons of information at their fingertips.

If pharmaceutical companies were asking kids to sign up for medical studies near the horseshoe, people would be upset. If cigarette companies offered free samples of their latest products in the cafeteria line, we would be up in arms.  So shouldn’t people be questioning why the military is asking young men and women to offer up their life without knowing all the facts first?

Wanna see the other side of the argument?