Memorial Day: A Time to Remember

Memorial Day is the day we set aside to honor those who have fought and died for our country. This day of remembrance is said to have it's beginnings in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania - specifically, on May 5, 1866. The day was celebrated from that date forward. General John Logan is given credit for helping to spread the celebration nationwide. It was not until 1882 that the day was called Memorial Day, and it was not until 1967 that the government decided to declare Memorial Day as the holiday's official name. Originally observed on May 30th, the holiday is now celebrated on the last Monday in May.

I was trying to think about how Memorial Day related to Urban Education and then, when watching one of the endless news reports on the upcoming election, I heard Hillary (aka Hill-dog for South Park fans) talking in Puerto Rico. She was campaigning in the projects in Puerto Rico and while talking to a local man said (in reference to his son) something to the effect of: If he (the son) plans on entering the military after high school he will be safer, it is my plan to be out of Iraq by 20xx...I forget the exact date she said. But after the brief clip, I realized how Memorial Day may be related to urban areas/schools.

For students from urban areas, joining the armed forces may seem like their only route out of the life they are living. In Obidah and Howards article, Preparing Teachers for "Monday Morning" in the Urban School Classroom, they state that "More so than in other communities, urban citizens' hope for a better life lie in their youth. For many of these youth, education is the only viable way to overcome the sobering circumstances in which many of them live. Unfortunately, the schools they attend also suffer to some degree from the circumstances of their location." What I envision is a student who is being taught by inexperienced teachers and is experiencing consistent failure every day of their educational career. These students become "reluctant to participate...because of their established pattern of academic failure." (Simpson, Choices for Urban Art Education) Each class period involves endless battles; teacher vs. student, student vs. student, teacher vs. entire class, teacher vs. administration, you get the point.
Perhaps the armed forces provide the structure and direction that these students may need? I really do not know, I am trying to make a connection but my inexperience in the subject makes it difficult. According to the Executive Summary regarding Population Representation in the Military Services, "Over the years African Americans have been overrepresented, whereas Hispanics and "Other" minorities have been underrepresented. However, the proportion of active duty accessions with Hispanic and "Other" backgrounds has increased during the past 18 years. "
(http://www.defenselink.mil/prhome/poprep2001/summary/summary.htm)

"Most Army recruits are from urban areas...metro counties account for the most recruits as they contain around 85% of the population."
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/Publications/Military-Recruiting-2005-2.html


I guess I am making the assumption that the armed forces provides something for urban citizens that the school/community/homelife may be lacking - what exactly, I do not know. I plan on doing some more research, so I will return to this post later on. Until then, feel free to comment - I'm interested in what others have to say on the topic.