10 Excellent Reasons Not to Join the Military

So you're walking out of school and parked at the gate is a new, bright red Ford Mustang with a hulk of a man in the front seat. He's sporting a razor cut and wraparound shades. Before you can pass he's out of the car and blocking your path. "Mind if I take a minute"―he has you by the arm now―"to tell you about the great life in today's Army and why you should seriously think about signing up?"

The armed forces are having a tough time attracting new recruits lately, in no small part due to the mess in Iraq. Young people are getting wise to the many excellent reasons not to join the U.S. military, and this handy book brings them all together, combining accessible writing with hard facts and devastating personal testimony. Contributors with firsthand experience point out the dangers facing soldiers, describe the tricks used by recruiters, and emphasize that there really are other options, even in a sluggish economy. It's essential reading for anyone thinking of signing up.

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. She writes for the Washington Blade, In These Times, and Common Dreams. Cindy Sheehan became a leader of the antiwar movement after her son, Casey, was killed in Iraq. Her efforts to get answers from President Bush, including a vigil in Crawford, Texas, have received national media attention. Other contributors include members of Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, the National Lawyers Guild Military Law Task Force, Citizen Soldier, and Code Pink.