While at the Blackhawks v. Blue Jackets game the other night, a group of nervous/confused looking teenagers were sworn into the U.S. Army. Certainly no one can doubt their courage and love of country, and their choice to enter into the service is an honorable one.
Their induction, however, felt very Orwellian. During intermission, right near where the cannon (fired for every Blue Jackets goal) sits, and broadcast on the center score board monitor, about a dozen men and women raised their right hand, repeated the words, and became America's newest soldiers. I had an easy time imagining Proletariat officers roving around town looking for wayward youths with cropped hair, reminding them of their duty to serve, and their devotion to their nation, inducting them on the spot, and whisking them away. The decision to join the military, which these days will almost guarantee a trip to a foreign, inhospitable land that most kids and adults could not find on a map without words and lines, was hopefully not taken lightly. To cement what should be a solemn and dignified occasion, should be done in the right place and at the right time. During the first intermission of an NHL game (in a blatant recruitment effort) is neither.
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