So sixteen year olds are allowed to sign contracts which legally commit them to the military for up to 8 years?
Isn't this odd considering that (as I understand it) sixteen year olds aren't allowed to vote, drink alcohol or marry without parental consent?
17, with parental consent, which, in this case, appears to have been given ...
"Her mother thought it was a good idea. Cristie was shy and quiet, with an innocence that Sendio thought needed to be tempered with confidence. A dose of the Army might do her good."
Recruiters have to spend too much time meeting their recruitment targets to keep going back and talking to people who have told them "No" in the first place. From the way it sounds, this little petunia kept stringing it along, maybe hoping that something better would come along .. like a husband or an out-of-the-blue college scholarship or maybe winning the lottery .. until it became time to sh*t or get off the pot. I always avoided recruiting duty because of the stress and long workdays involved .. and because I'm not really a people person .. but I have worked for and supervised ex-recruiters.
A firm "No" usually ends any recruitment contacts; a less-firm "No" can mean maybe one more approach. "Maybe's" and "possiblies" will continue the process but most contacts after two or three would be done by mail or telephone .. maybe email now. Anything more than that is a contact usually initiated by the potential recruit toward the recruiter.
So sixteen year olds are allowed to sign contracts which legally commit them to the military for up to 8 years?
I had to go back and reread the article – I thought I had missed something.
I still could not find anything about her being 16 when she signed up. The last I heard, the youngest a person can enlist is 17 with parental consent. At 18 they can enlist on their own.