On Nov. 11, 2024—Veterans’ Day—friends, family, students and fellow veterans gathered in Rocky 200 in support of Assistant Professor of Education Jaime L. Del Razo’s talk entitled “The School-to-Military Pipeline: An Updated Report.”
As attendees settled into their seats, Del Razo’s wife Maritza Del Razo took the podium. She introduced Del Razo, providing his background as a first-generation high school and college graduate, whose parents immigrated to the United States with only an elementary school level of education. Del Razo’s life’s work has come to focus on two important topics: College access and equity for undocumented students and the school-to-military pipeline, the latter of which Del Razo himself is a product. Del Razo served for four years in the Gulf War, and upon completing his service, left as a decorated sergeant. Outside of his professional roles, Del Razo highlighted her husband’s passions for his roots, community and family, officially introducing him as her favorite person aside from their two children before handing over the mic.
Many who know Del Razo recognize his altruism and charisma, even in the face of difficult conversations. His humility shines through in each space he is present in. When stepping onto the podium he began by commenting on the surreality of listening to someone introduce him for a talk. ”Oh wait, that’s me! I better get up and say something,” he remarked. Del Razo continued with a list of thank yous to all who helped bring the event together, as well as the students in the audience.
The informational part of the talk began with a history of Veterans’ Day, dating back to its origins as Armistice Day. Del Razo then provided a brief introduction to his work with the school-to-military pipeline and how his lived experience affected his desire to study the experiences of veteran students.
“I see you, I am one of you, and I hope wherever you are that you are cared for and you are loved and you are seen,” he shared earnestly.
When U.S. military conscription ended in 1973, the armed forces became an all-volunteer service (AVF) entirely composed of voluntary military ensigns, with the Selective Service program in place for all eligible male U.S. citizens in the event of the draft being reinstated. The institution of an AVF military meant that recruitment became a central priority for the Department of Defense. In order to attract prospective military personnel, recruiters marketed enlistment as a vocational choice and career stepping-stone, increasing payments and benefits for servicepeople, accelerating promotions within the military hierarchy and using federal programs like the GI Bill as enticements for service. As Del Razo explained in his lecture, the U.S. military has used aspirational career messaging to recruit recent graduates from public high schools to enlist, offering students alternative economic pathways to success in a process Del Razo termed the “school-to-military pipeline.”
Del Razo used a mixed-methodology study employing both quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to gain the most expansive view of the situation possible. Responses from the survey ultimately found that low socioeconomic status was the unifying factor within the recruitment of all military personnel, with military recruiters targeting lower-income high schools where students have fewer career alternatives and connections which would dissuade them from military participation. Race and class are highly correlated variables within the United States. Minority populations generally have diminished access to institutional resources and possess less generational wealth, so military recruitment of low socioeconomic status populations is also a racial issue. Akin to how mass incarceration of Black Americans has been used to form a carceral economy run on exploitative penal labor, the school-to-prison pipeline is another way the state leverages institutional racism in order to objectify working-class and minority populations. As Del Razo argued, the institution of an AVF led to an unequal selection of those who joined the U.S. military.
However, Del Razo’s interviews with military personnel and veterans presented an alternative perspective to the troubling aspects of the school-to-military pipeline. In interviews, Del Razo unearthed the plethora of reasons that veterans enlist: looking for educational opportunities they would not otherwise have, not being able to afford higher education or find other stable work, being in and out of homelessness or escaping from a challenging home environment. Another contentious and surprising answer came for Del Razo in asking his sample if parental permission should be required for military recruiters to contact children, a rule that is not currently in place. While the educators Del Razo interviewed overwhelmingly said parental permission should be required, responses were mixed from veterans themselves. One veteran expressed gratitude that his parents were not involved in contact with military recruiters. He felt being able to meet the recruiters was necessary to his career trajectory and that no one else came to his school hoping to improve his economic situation. Of course, nationalistic spirit prompted some respondents to enlist—many veterans in Del Razo’s sample sited post-9/11 military fervor, patriotism and the desire to serve and sacrifice for their country—but many others said enlisting was important for them to escape the realities of their socioeconomic struggles.
With these revelations in mind, Del Razo broached the central question: Is the school-to-military pipeline a harmful force? While originally viewing it unequivocally as a source of societal inequity, Del Razo’s research made him realize the situation was far more complex. “The study and the spaces I have shared have given me a moment of pause. I have come to realize, ‘it’s not that simple, Jaime,’ and my privilege was showing,” Del Razo expressed. Although the school-to-military pipeline still expressly targets the minoritized populations of the United States through selective recruiting, it serves as a critical pathway for these same populations to uplift themselves and escape the conditions they previously existed within. The real issue lies within the systemic inequities which cause institutionalized poverty for minority populations, and the fact that these populations have dramatically less post-graduation career options than peers with greater socioeconomic status. The school-to-military pipeline is simply a symptom of a greater phenomenon created by the military’s transition to an all-volunteer force.
Del Razo concluded his lecture by urging attendees to think critically about the findings of his study and the conclusions they inspired for him. “It’s ok if you don’t agree with a lot or a little of what I said, that’s perfectly fine,” Del Razo began. “I want my students to be critical, independent thinkers… You make up your own mind.” These words were especially prescient considering that Vassar students are afforded the knowledge and institutional resources to make informed decisions, a privilege school-to-military pipeline recruits don’t always have. “Do your research on this topic and find out where you stand.”