Last night, Representative Vernon Ehlers hosted "Academy Night" at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in downtown Grand Rapids in cooperation with the West Michigan National College Fair Coalition. The open house featured representatives of the five military academies in the United States: the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and the U.S. Naval Academy.

The evening began with a short introduction from Representative Ehlers. Ehlers welcomed the audience by saying that the event is an "honor to host" and that he is always happy to see students attending the voluntary event. Ehlers said that the military academies offer great opportunities for students. He told the audience that the academies are some of the "finest educational institutions" in the country. He said that past graduates of the academies have gone on to receive top military appointments and that they are some of the best students in the country. While speaking favorably of academies in general, Ehlers' only specific comment on the academies was that he would recommend the Air Force Academy because he loves flying. Other than that comment, Ehlers focused primarily on the importance of math and science skills and recommended athletics and band as extracurricular activities.

One of Ehlers' staff members explained the process of applying to the military academies, all of which require a Congressional nomination with the exception of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. In each state, Senators each have five nomination slots while each congressional district has five nominations. The offices of the Senators and Representatives determine their own nomination processes. Representative Ehlers has delegated the job to one of his staff members who looks through the nominees and selects those that are they believe are the most qualified. The nominees then go before a citizen nomination board for an interview that has been selected by Ehlers. After receiving a nomination, the candidates' information is sent to the academies where they are then selected.

The liaison officers from the five academies talked a bit about their respective academies. They primarily focused on the "opportunities" offered by both academies, most often discussing the academic requirements and the value of the education. The officer from West Point placed the value of an education there at $285,000, while the U.S. Merchant Marine said that receiving a nomination was equivalent to receiving an $185,000 scholarship. The officer from the Naval Academy touted the travel opportunities and the number of "exciting" choices offered--from being pilots to driving submarines. While it was obvious that the academies would require military service upon graduation, this was not specifically stated during the presentations. As an example, it is important to understand that attending West Point obligates a graduate to five years of active duty and three years of reserve duty service in the U.S. Army. Moreover, if candidates drop-out after a few years they often have to fulfill terms in the active duty military.

Among antiwar activists doing counter-recruitment organizing, military academies have largely gone unnoticed. Activists--from community members to high school students--have challenged military recruiters around the country on the lies and distortions used by recruiters. However, similar scrutiny has not been applied to military academies. From the glossy brochures to the touting of free education and travel by the liaison officers at Academy Night, it seems that military academies would be a worthy target. Moreover, the night was widely advertised in area high schools, showing that it is part of the military's overall effort to recruit high school students.