Teen researcher studies the views of Maine high school students about the war in Iraq and a possible draft.
Children and teens, or “today’s youth,” are often referred to as “tomorrow’s leaders” and “the future,” sending a message out that soon they will be in important positions in our country.
Does anyone really know how young people feel about certain topics? Have youth voices ever been a deciding factor on big issues?
Everyone has an opinion.
A survey I conducted in late May and early June examined Maine’s high school youths’ opinions about the current war in Iraq, a military draft and their knowledge of their nationally elected representatives. The survey was distributed to nearly 3,400 9th- to 12th-grade students from rural, suburban and urban areas of Maine. At least one high school in each of Maine’s 16 counties participated in the survey.
According to the survey results, 70 percent of Maine’s high school youth (78 percent of girls and 61 percent of boys) do not agree with the current war in Iraq.
Patrick Stephens, a freshman from Hampden Academy, supports with the war. “We are doing a good thing by installing peace and a good democracy in Iraq,” he says.
In President Bush’s speech at Fort Bragg, N.C., on June 29, he continued to tie Iraq and Saddam Hussein to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The idea is shared by 62 percent of the Maine’s high school youth I surveyed, who said the main reason we went to war in Iraq was to stop terrorism.
However, when asked if it has been explained well enough to young people as to why we are in the Iraq war, 70 percent (76 percent of girls and 62 percent of boys) thought it had not. In fact, 12 percent of the students thought we were in the war for “oil.” One student wrote the reason we are in war is to “Americanize the world.”
Nationally, military recruitment has lagged behind targets. The number of volunteers have decreased. Recently, financial incentives have been added for the armed services, such as full college tuition, a signing bonus of as much as $12,000 and a gratuity of $100,000 if a family member dies in combat, an increase from $12,400.
Reinstatement of the draft is not popular with Maine’s students.
Almost 53 percent of Maine’s high school youth (62 percent of girls and 42 percent boys) responded that they would not participate (“would not go”) if there a draft were implemented. A junior from Jonesport Beals High School wrote that she agrees with the war, but believes a draft is not necessary. She says, “Some families start pretty young and if a father is drafted and dies, it will be very hard for the kids growing up because a father is very important in their lives.”
On one survey a student who, if drafted, said that he would flee the country illegally wrote, “I don’t want to get drafted for a war that is unnecessary. I would, however, be glad to serve my country if my family and home were in danger. I would fight on my own, not under anybody’s command.”
The poll showed that of Maine’s high school students, 13 percent (20 percent of boys and 6 percent of girls) were willing to volunteer for military action. Of those who were willing to participate in either the draft or voluntary military service, 35 percent were ready to serve in combat.
If called up for the draft, 25 percent of Maine’s high school students said they would flee the country illegally and 14 percent said they would be willing to serve jail time if it came to that.
If a draft was reinstated, as of now, it is unlikely that women would be included. Still the survey shows 44 percent of Maine high school girls polled believe they should be included in the draft compared to 60 percent of boys who believe women should be included. One student wrote that women should be included in the draft because, if not, it would be “sexist.”
U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska is proposing an alternative, the idea of two years of non-military, mandatory public service as a substitute for those who would not choose military service. A question on the survey asked this: “If necessary, would you be willing to participate in one year of non-military mandatory public service – including manufacturing of military goods (and producing) supplies for troops?” Half of the students responded that they would be willing to take this route.
Two questions on the survey were used to see how well government officials involved themselves with Maine’s youth. U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe (11 years a senator) was known to 53 percent of Maine’s high school students polled, and 47 percent knew U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (9 years a senator). However, only 15 percent could name Mike Michaud and Tom Allen, Maine’s two members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The schools surveyed are all public, secondary schools. The schools and counties they represent are: Bucksport (Hancock), Carrabec (Somerset), Dirigo (Oxford), Hampden Academy (Penobscot), Hodgdon (Aroostook), Jonesport Beals (Washington), Lewiston (Androscoggin), Mt. Abram (Franklin), Mt. View (Waldo), Piscataquis (Piscataquis), Richmond (Sagadahoc), Scarborough and South Portland (Cumberland), Traip Academy (York), Vinalhaven (Knox), Winthrop (Kennebec) and Wiscasset (Lincoln).
This survey communicates some of the ideas of Maine’s high school student. But essentially this is America’s youth voice. Every student in Maine is a part of the national voice. We, the youth, ask adults to take interest in our voice and ideas because soon you will be watching us make the decisions of importance.
Harvey Shue, 15, a freshman at Hampden Academy, started working on the Iraq war-military draft survey project six months ago. He sought financial assistance from foundations, prepared a grant application, and received funding from an anonymous donor through the efforts of the Maine Community Foundation (MCF). Shue then reached out to high school principals, staffs, faculty and other students to find willing participants. Using the financial assistance arranged by the MCF, he was able to order printed computer readable surveys and have them tabulated by gender and school. Shue’s tabulation covered 3,382 9th- to 12th-grade high school student survey reports.
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