But critics are alarmed that Army Experience recruitment center’s video games and simulators at Franklin Mills may be desensitizing kids to killing.
Like most 14-year-olds, Richard O’Neill is not quite sure what he wants to do with his life.
So, when he has free time, and he has plenty since he is on summer vacation from school, he goes to Army Experience Center at Franklin Mills in Philadelphia to play video games.
The Army Experience is a regional high-tech way to enlist new recruits, but offers a relaxed atmosphere with no pressure to sign on the dotted line, according to Capt. Jared Auchey, who is the company commander at the Franklin Mills site.
There’s no question, though, that the place belongs to the Army. Recruiters at the center’s reception desk are dressed in street clothes – black golf shirts with an Army insignia. Mannequins on display are clad in military clothing from many years ago, representing different wars. Tables hold various Army insignia clothing items for sale. Behind the reception desk is a large waiting area with comfy, neutral-colored leather couches. And a cannon from the Civil War, with a mannequin dressed in a period uniform, sits nearby.
O’Neill was playing a non-violent video game at the center on a recent Friday afternoon. He was surrounded by a maze of computers and monitors, which gave the impression he was working in a traffic control center for a major airport.
A nearby, dimly lit room held 20 computers, a giant television and six other monitors surrounding it.
Army spokeswoman Amy Lindstrom said the Army Experience Center cost taxpayers $13 million. But, she said a significant part of the expense was for development of new content “that is scalable to the rest of the marketing and recruiting enterprise at negligible expense,” she said.
Additionally, five other recruiting centers were closed and that was a major savings, she said.
A wall-mounted computer showed the Army’s 174 different jobs available to a new recruit. The pay scale by rank also showed on the computer. And testimonials could be heard from soldiers in each of the different jobs, so potential recruits can get an idea of what to expect.Then there are the computers and three simulators, which make the Army Experience much more informational than years ago.
“This is a laid-back experience and is designed to teach those who may be thinking of joining the Army. We don’t wear uniforms, which makes it less intrusive when someone walks in. We don’t walk up to someone and say sign here. There is no obligation whatsoever,” the 28 year-old Auchey said.
Protesting the method
Still, the center troubles the Bucks-Mont Coalition for Peace Action and a former Army staff sergeant.
“The Army center is another example of desensitizing our kids to killing. It’s like an indoctrination to teaching our kids to kill. It makes it seem so easy and fun,” Bill Deckhart of the group said. “And they do this with our taxpayer money.”
Deckhart said kids think they are walking into a video game place. And Jesse Hamilton, 30, who served in Iraq from 2005 to 2006 and was a staff sergeant when he got out of the military, said he is not against recruiters doing their job but is against what the center represents.
“My job was being a soldier. Winning war is not about killing. Service to your county and defense of our Constitution is,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton said the center has plenty of military heritage, but what draws kids are the simulators, which he says do not accurately portray what war is really about.
O’Neill, of Philadelphia, said he visited the center for a look. Knowing his family probably won’t be able to pay for college, he thought he would check out Army opportunities, even though he can’t join until he has a high school diploma, which Auchey said is now required.
“I like Greek mythology,” said the sandy, long-haired teen as he played a video game he called a role-playing game.
Another potential recruit at the center was Volodymyr Yefymenko, 29, from Ukraine, who scored an 82 on the Army entrance test and is a master’s degree candidate majoring in microbiology at Thomas Jefferson University.
“I was a student in pharmacology and now the master’s program has run out of money, so I have no choice but to join the Army. I think it will be a great experience,” he said, but hadn’t signed on the dotted line yet.
Pilot program
Auchey said the 14,500-square-foot Army Experience at Franklin Mills is a pilot program and the only one in the country, but others are planned. He said Philadelphia was chosen because it has strong ties to the Navy through the Philadelphia Naval Yard, but not the Army.
Other reasons Philadelphia was chosen include the city’s rich history during the Revolutionary War and a Philadelphia school system that has a 57 percent dropout rate. The mall was chosen because of its urban location and blend of retail and entertainment facilities. So far, it’s been working, said Douglas Smith, a public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command.
So far in this fiscal year which runs through October, 140 people have committed to the Army based on a trip to the center, said Smith. That’s 18 more than last year, when the center opened. Of those, 17 were “quality” enlistments, Auchey said, meaning they scored 50 or above on the enlistment test. A score of 31 is needed to pass the test, he said.
In 2006, 2007 and 2008, the Army has exceeded its mission for recruiting, Smith said. In those years, the goals totaled 240,000 recruits. The Army recruited 1,562 more people than the Army’s “mission” for those years, Smith added. In fact, the Army exceeded its mission every year since 2000, except 2005, when it fell 6,627 short, Smith said.
“They want to serve their country, it’s a guaranteed job, the benefits are great and, with the new Montgomery G.I. bill, college tuition is mostly paid,” Auchey said as reasons people sign up.
The legislation provides a monthly living allowance and can be passed on to a spouse or children. It also pays up to the tuition cost of a state school, such as Shippensburg, Millersville and West Chester in Pennsylvania.
A 17-year-old can join the Army and earn more than $34,000 the first year, the Army said. The average high school graduate who does not attend college earns half that, an Army study shows. The $34,000 figure starts with a base salary of about $18,000, but does not include food, housing and other allowances. Anyone, age 17 to 42, who enlists in the military gets free medical coverage with no co-pays. After 20 years, the pay goes as high as $92,000 for an enlisted soldier, not an officer.
Violent games
While the Peace Coalition’s Deckhart understands that recruiters are doing their job, he doesn’t believe young teens should be playing violent games.
“I have been in there and seen them walk over from the skate park [next to the Army Experience Center] and kids as young as 13 and 14 are playing violent video games,” he said.
Deckhart said his group has had protests inside Franklin Mills in front of the center and at Woodhaven and Knights roads, where they pass out literature speaking out against the center. Several protesters have been arrested, said Deckhart, adding they paid fines and were released. Auchey disputed Deckhart’s claims.
“This is a non-threatening atmosphere. We don’t force anyone to visit and we encourage parents to come along. If anyone below 17 is here, they cannot watch any videos with blood or violence,” he said. “Anyone under that age cannot watch a mature-rated game. Anyone from 13 to 17 needs an ID card that we give them. That card restricts them access to a mature video game.”
But it does offer an education on what the Army offers, said Lindstrom.
“The Army created the Army Experience Center to provide Americans with a state-of-the-art educational facility that uses interactive simulations and online learning programs to educate visitors about the many careers, training and educational opportunities available. The experience center makes a connection between the Army and today’s youth and communicates the value of service to their country and America’s Army. The U.S. Army respects the rights of those who may have differing opinions of the experience center. However, the majority of visitors have found that the AEC provides them with valuable resources to make an informed decision about a potential career in the Army,” he said.
August 04, 2009 02:10 AM