We Want You(th)! Military Recruitment Report -- Statement by Juan Antigua

Juan Antigua
Clinton High School, Bronx
Age: 18

Hello my name is Juan Antigua. I am 18 and currently enrolled in Clinton High School in the Bronx. I represent the Ya-Ya Network (Youth Activists-Youth Allies), an organization staffed primarily by youth of color. We are anti-racist, anti-sexist and allies with the Queer community. We work on issues that affect youth in New York City, with a strong focus on counter-military recruitment. We are committed to young people from underserved communities as leaders in the movements for social, economic and racial justice.

I want to share with everyone the experience that I face at school with military recruiters.
Now imagine yourself in my shoes, in the shoes of most students in New York City public high schools. I go to my guidance counselor’s office and find army recruiters playing cards with students in the main room. Another time a Hummer was parked on the front lawn, blasting music and telling students how “fun” the military is and how “easy” and “battle-free” their job will be if they enlist.

I even hear stories of former students who enlisted in the military returning to “visit” and trying to recruit their friends.

It infuriates me that I have to watch an endless cycle of people--students, my friends--be recruited into the military at the school, and then come back to recruit yet another student. The cycle continues to flow.

I ask my self, is it because the students come from under-served communities or are minorities or what?

Half the students we surveyed said they did not know of anyone in their school who was properly informed about the military in ways that could help students determine if the military is right for them or if they should go to college or a trade school, join Americorps, or pursue one of the many other post-high school alternatives to military service.

It’s just not right.

This is why we are demanding that the Department of Education enforce its recruitment policies and creates new policies with public involvement, such as providing every guidance counselor with the training and resources they need to give students accurate information on the military so they can evaluate what recruiters are telling them and make informed decisions about their future.

Thank you for your time and have a nice day.

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