Army Of None
by Tracy Wiegman
Tracy Wiegman weighs in on a counter-recruitment manual, "Army of None", by Aimee Allison and David Solnit.


I have just finished reading a very important book, "Army of None: Strategies to Counter Military Recruitment, End War and Build a Better World" by Aimee Allison and David Solnit. Wow! I want to jump up and down, do backflips and shout from the highest mountain top my absolute support of this endeavor. For this is more than just a book. Aimee and David are two exceptional people with deep compassion for the youth of our nation and the huge pressure that is put upon them to pick up arms and join the military. The indoctrination starts at a much younger age than most of us may even realize.

This book examines the realities of recruiting tactics, from uniformed U.S. army officers having lunch with students in elementary school cafeterias to physical education in middle schools being replaced with army training, complete with rifle and pistol instruction. Military recruiters are invading our schools with alarming unchecked access in an attempt to bolster a military crises. With 3.9 billion of our tax dollars spent on recruiting campaigns in 2006 alone, we are heavily invested in supplying our aggressive U.S. empire with more cannon fodder in the form of our children, sisters, brothers, neighbors, and friends.

"Army of None" does more than just throw out a bunch of unsettling and depressing statistics. Aimee and David have carefully backed what they say with extensive endnotes and resources for you to further investigate for yourself. They have laid out clear and accessible alternatives and strategies for young students who feel lost and confused, encouraging them to take charge of the power they possess and act on it. Along the way we are inspired with stories of successful actions and campaigns to show this is not just all talk.

For example, "On three occasions, Students Against War (SAW) at the University of California has prevented the military from recruiting at UCSC career fairs, meaning that the military hasn't been able to recruit there for almost two years. This is because each time, protesters have surrounded the recruiters, blocking their efforts, and twice have removed them from the premises. SAW activist Sam Aranke speaks of their campaign, ”Through direct action and education, we make it impossible for the campus community to ignore the role our University plays in war."

Please read this book as soon as possible! If you are already involved in the counter recruiting movement and want some inspiration and creative ideas to keep you going, this book is for you. If you are on the fringe, knowing things aren't quite right and want some more information to better understand what the "militarization of our society" means, read this book. And to those of you who think this is all just a bunch of hogwash, I challenge you to read this book, with an open mind, and counter the information with your own facts or reconsider what you are being fed by corporate, mainstream media.

"Understanding what military recruits are used for in the world, understanding war, and creating viable alternatives to both are essential if we want to break out of the deadlock of militarism." Thank you Aimee Allison and David Solnit!
Go to couragetoresist.org/armyofnone for more information on their national counter-recuiting tour or to order books.