Like Leading Lambs to Slaughter

I've got a problem.

I'm sitting at my desk watching a little television (yeah, I know - but sometimes we need some mindless entertainment) - anyway, I'm sitting here watching videos, and a U.S. Navy recruitment commercial comes on. They profile three African Americans who say before they were successful in their civilian careers they were successful in their Naval careers. Actually, I think the underlying - dare I say subliminal - message was "I became successful in my civilian because of my Naval career." Then the commercial's announcer closes out the commercial talking about "jump-starting" your life or something like that, but what I realize is that I recognize the voice as that of African American actor, Keith David.

I then fell into a mode of reflection, and realized that I've been hearing a whole lot of R&B and Hip-Hop flavored recruitment commercials on the radio. I also recalled seeing a bunch of army commercials where there was a white father telling his son how proud he was of how the Army made a man out of him, while the black commercials had a young African American teen trying to convince his mother how the Army was going to "save him" by giving him a job and paying for his college education. So let me get this straight ... the military will improve the character of white youth, but it only serves as a "social savior" for people of color?

Before I go on any further, let me make it perfectly clear that I am a veteran. I served as an Air Force Medical Services Specialist during Operation Desert Storm.

I chose to leave school and enlist, and at the time war was not even a thought; however, while I was in training, Sadam Hussein decided he wanted to jack his neighboring country. Hell ... in for a penny - in for a pound, and I was in for a ton! There were no commercials or recruiters hunting for me like pimps at a bus station looking for new talent.

I am a war veteran. I believe in war - when it serves a valid purpose. The Strategic Air Command branch of the Air Force has a slogan that has signified my purpose in being in the military, "War Is Our Profession - Peace Is Our Product." I knew why I was there, and when we went to war in Kuwait and Iraq, I was not upset. SCARED - HELL YEAH!! But I also accepted the fact that I chose to enlist and therefore, I brought my involvement in the war upon myself.

I do believe that our youth should serve this country. I believe that this country should invest in the education of (ALL OF) its youth, and that if there were to be somewhat of a synergy between the two, then our country will really grow stronger from within.

However, if the military advertising/recruiting "powers that be" are going to recruit our youth, why not offer the same benefits to everyone. Don't offer "manhood" to a white kid and then a "hand-out" to a black one. Doing so, only tells me that they want to build up one sector of this country's population while dumbing down and creating consumers out of another.

I'm just calling it the way I see it!

Remember ... Fortune Favors the Brave!