By Jerry Phillips
Back in the early 2000s, I was employed as a contract special investigator for the United States Office of Personnel Management. My primary responsibility was to interview individuals who had applied for security clearance that was required for their employment. The majority of these candidates were young, recently enlisted military personnel who had experienced some questionable criminal or financial issue — none of the criminal charges were of a serious nature and the financial issues usually involved various delinquent debt.
While conducting these interviews, I discovered a common pattern of behavior in most of these young adults: They had all gotten themselves into some kind of trouble and felt lost. Most had come from broken homes and were on their own at a very young age; they often admitted joining the military primarily to find stability, security and discipline in their lives. They needed someone to make decisions for them. They were smart enough to know that if they continued “life” on their own, they were headed for more serious trouble.
Although it was not my job to recommend approval or denial of their security clearances, I believe most of these young adults received those clearances and continued on with their basic and specialty military training and career. Over time, I would sometimes run into a few of these individuals who would remember me. I was amazed at their transformation into disciplined, mature, responsible young adults.
When I initially began conducting these interviews, I couldn’t help but think, “Why are we wasting taxpayer dollars on trying to discipline and train these incorrigible teenagers?” However, I soon realized that the money and time spent on their basic training was invaluable. These kids were getting a second chance and receiving the disciple, guidance, and training that they never received from their parents.
As a result, I began thinking more and more about all of the constant and endless violence associated with the gang lifestyle in our cities. Every night on the news we hear about someone being shot and killed, smash and grabs, car jackings, assaults and robberies.
Children and young adults have no opportunity to escape the destiny of gang participation and dependency, ultimately leading to either death or incarceration which subsequently results in more violence. I can’t help but think of the lyrics from the Elvis Presley hit song In the Ghetto, which talks about this hopeless, endless cycle. All the suggested solutions (more police, better education, affordable housing, job opportunities) sound good, but they only treat the symptoms and fail to address the root cause and break that cycle.
