Rural Banter

Author: ERICA GOODMAN

Less than two weeks ago, a friend of mine from home hopped on a plane headed for Iraq. Matt is not journeying abroad to improve his Arabic skills through an academic program. Nor has he enlisted in the Peace Corps as a post-graduation experience. Matt is enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, doing his best to live up to the motto of Semper Fidelis. Always faithful.

Out of a high school class of '45, more than a handful of my former classmates chose military service, which is no surprise in a small town. Across the United States a striking 44 percent of military recruits come from rural areas. And recruits from American cities? Only 14 percent, making youths who live in rural areas 22 percent more likely than their urban counterparts to join the U.S. military.

Why are close to half of the newly enlisted soldiers and pilots from rural areas? In places where local jobs are as scarce as NASCAR fans and pickup trucks are plentiful, many young men and women who are financially strapped sign up to serve their country. The military offers an outlet to young people in need of a job or college money. While in high school, I saw military recruiters on a weekly basis giving out pamphlets and free pens in the cafeteria. When (and if) college representatives visited our rural school, they remained hidden in the guidance office, generally passing unnoticed.

In economically depressed and socially stagnant rural areas, the need for jobs or an alternative to college may outweigh the risks and hardships of going to war. The military offers young men and women something different, something as valuable to some as a glossy diploma. The friends that I have seen sharply dressed in a uniform have chosen military service as the only way out of town. My friend Matt and his buddies joined the reserves because they felt they needed something more out of their lives, something that would allow them to take as well as give. U.S. military policy and action are not always things of which I agree with, yet talking with Matt before he left, I understood what his experience would mean. He had already gained a perspective of the world and about life that I could never fully realize. In the heart of a war without a clear end and with recruitment steadily dwindling, he and the members of his company asked to change their reserve status and volunteered to serve their country in Iraq. As I prepare for my future by diving into books instead of onto a battlefield, I respect their sacrifice and the knowledge they acquire that no textbook could ever teach me.

Semper Fidelis. Always Faithful.