press-ganging alive and well
10Jun2005 [myth]
Interesting (read "scary") article from a Seattle paper -- about a kid that Marine recruiters went after. Their tactics are frightening, even their base psychological methods -- this kid's dad had been a Vietnam vet and had died years ago; the recruiters start spinning "be a man ... make your dad proud" lines. They ended up taking him away (press-ganged) and lying, getting him to sign forms while hungry and tired... Said nonsense like "He could serve anywhere he chose and leave any time he wanted on an "apathy discharge" if he didn't like it. And he wouldn't have to go to Iraq if he didn't want to."
Source: Seattle PI
Also reminds me -- I've heard stories (via "friend of a friend") of how difficult it actually is for people to get out of the US armed forces once they're in -- I want to find more information on this, but it sounds pretty serious (spookily cult-like really)
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