this federal law provides a new way for people in the military to pick up high school chicks :) Original Article Posted on Sat, Apr. 16, 2005 Abuse charges debated in recruiters access to students By Kimberly Hefling Associated Press EVANSVILLE A provision in a sweeping education overhaul law that allowed military recruiters broad access to students is under fire, fueled in part by charges of sexual abuse by military recruiters. Critics say the No Child Left Behind law is putting young people at risk by requiring high schools to give military recruiters access to the names, addresses and phone numbers of students unless a parent objects. At least eight recruiters have been accused of assaulting potential or new recruits in Indiana, West Virginia, Washington, California, New York and Maryland since the law took effect in 2002. These privacy privileges have been abused by certain recruiters who have used it to target vulnerable children, said Jay Staunton, communications director to U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif. Honda has proposed legislation that would require students to opt in if they want military recruiters to have access to their personal information and to contact them. Military officials, however, say No Child Left Behind helps them keep recruiting costs down and maintain an all-volunteer force particularly important with the strains on the military because of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also contend that recruiter abuse existed before the law took effect and say the legislation did little to change the way recruiters interact with schools. Most schools already had a positive working relationship with the military, said Douglas Smith, spokesman for the Army Recruiting Command at Fort Knox, Ky. The number of high schools denying the military access has dropped from 8 percent to 10 percent in January 2001, before No Child Left Behind passed, to less than 1 percent today, said Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a military spokeswoman. Recruiters receive rigorous training about inappropriate behavior with potential recruits, and reported incidents are rigorously investigated, Smith said. Clark Field, 68, a member of the June 1st Peace and Justice Coalition in Evansville, said that might not help students who are afraid to question recruiters authority. Children are very vulnerable at that age, said Field, who has a17-year-old son. If they tell them to do certain things, they do it. They dont think for themselves. Prosecutors say such vulnerability made seven young women prey for Indiana National Guard recruiter Sgt. Eric P. Vetesy. A Feb. 28 indictment accuses Vetesy, 36, of assaulting six young women he met while recruiting at Indianapolis-area high schools. The assaults included throwing one against a wall and attempting to kiss her and raping another on a countertop, the indictment states. Eight additional charges were added March 29 after a seventh young woman contacted authorities. Authorities said the alleged incidents occurred outside schools in automobiles, at a Guard armory or in a recruiting station. Vetesys indictment prompted the Indiana Guard to implement a policy that bars recruiters from being alone with prospective recruits of the opposite sex. Potential recruits also will receive cards that advise them whom they can notify if they find themselves in an unsafe or improper recruiting environment. Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, adjutant general of the Indiana Guard, said in an April 1 memo that the changes were needed to reassure parents and school officials that their sons, daughters and students will be in a safe and professional environment during the recruiting process. The new policy, he said, also would protect recruiters from false accusations of sexual harassment. No similar policy is being considered nationally, said Lt. Col. Mike Milord, a Guard spokesman. Recruiters are professional soldiers in the Army, said Smith, the Fort Knox spokesman. We expect them to hold the highest standards of professional conduct.