This applied research study investigated depressive symptoms in military-dependent high school athletes vs. non-athletes who have a parent on active duty during Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom. The sample consisted of 332 adolescents who either did or did not participate in athletic activities and either did or did not have a…

Many American high school students from lower socio-economic backgrounds see military service as a vehicle for advancement. Various branches of the Armed Forces have consistently provided underprivileged youths enlisting in the military with a means to escape poverty. Generous benefits, adequate pay, college tuition, and specialized training in…

In recent years, military recruitment has failed, with rare exceptions, to meet its quotas. The nations's high schools have thus become battlefields for the hearts and minds of young people as recruiters dangle gifts and promises of future benefits before teenagers in an effort to fill the ranks of an all-volunteer military. In this article, the…