Remember, politeness, I know it was about 60 years ago. . .

It's called a "cold call". Recruiters have to do it, and it is not usually a terribly thrilling time. However, we must call, and no, it is not soliciting. No, we are not on the banned list. I don't care if you are on a "do not call list". That does not apply to me. I'm from the Air Force, and I want to enlist your son or daughter (or you, if you are the son or daughter) and I'm really actually okay with most people not joining the Air Force. I would probably like for one student from your school to join. That's it, one. If one student joined from every high school that I work with, my job would be all but done. All that I ask is that you are cordial, or polite (for those parents who don't know what cordial means, usually the same ones who think it's illegal for me to call them). And to the kids, at first I was really upset because you sound so happy to answer the phone (someone actually called to talk to your sorry butt) and then you find out it's a recruiter and you sound disappointed. Yes, I can hear the disappointment, and that is rude. Then I realized that this generation is so busy typing and texting that they probably honestly don't even know that other people can hear those things in their voice. That actually goes for parents as well. Getting me off the phone in under 20 seconds should not be your goal. If you treat a military recruiter like a telemarketer, then you need to walk outside, take the "support our troops" magnet off of your car and try to remember next time that it's a human on the other end of the line. -Daniel