09/23/06 Serviceman rejects high school recruitment, by Staff Sgt. Will Williams

In last Saturday's guest column, military recruiter Lyman Woodman dismissed former high school guidance counselor Dave Hoppe as a "social mooch . . . hidden behind his cozy, safe desk," and one who "knows nothing about the armed forces," for his column opposing recruitment in high schools.

I do not know how much action Woodman saw while active in the Navy, or how comfortable his own desk was during his 12 years as a recruiter, but it's clear that he's trying to pull rank on Hoppe. He suggests Hoppe is nothing but a lowly civilian who can't possibly know anything about the benefits and values to be found during a stint in the war-time military.

While sharing Hoppe's concerns and sentiments in regard to the military presence in our schools, I also have a common bond with Woodman since I also was in the military. I shed enough blood to bring me alongside Hoppe and others in opposition to military recruitment in our schools. And I never would have gained the understandings I now have if it hadn't been for civilians like Hoppe.

As a combat veteran, someone who has actually been there and back, I would be happy to debate the pros and cons of recruitment in our schools, the outright enticement of our children that Woodman seeks to promote. If he wants to "talk the talk," then he should also be willing to "walk the walk."

-- Staff Sgt. Will Williams, town of Windsor