To the editor:

Congratulations to Lawrence High School and Principal Dick Patterson for giving former Marine Chris White time equal to that given military recruiters in the school (J-W, Feb. 26). Because it is these students who will be asked to die for us, they must be given all the information available to make this important decision.

Our children should know that a 1990 study found that veterans could expect to earn 85 cents less per hour than non-veterans; that the Veterans Affairs Department estimates that one-third of homeless people are veterans; and that an Ohio State University study found that only 12 percent of male and 6 percent of female veterans used skills learned in the military in their current jobs.

Our children should also know that few qualify for the $50,000 promised for college and that for most, GI benefits are inadequate to finance a college education. According to the American Friends Service Committee, only 15 percent of those who pay in have graduated with a four-year degree and only 35 percent of those who pay into the program have received any benefits at all!

Military recruiters target those bright children who will be most vulnerable to their deceptive sales pitch. They want to recruit our children into the military, not send them to college or prepare them for the civilian work force. Mr. Patterson has assumed his legal responsibility to admit Mr. White’s point of view, and he has taken the moral high ground as well. We owe them both our thanks.

Jane Gibson,

Lawrence