Article

Bush spurs patriotism in youths

“We’re a nation of patriots…we have a renewed spirit of patriotism” George W. Bush, President
Dana Milbank - The Washington Post

WASHINGTON – The choir in Wootton High School in Rockville, Md., home of the Wootton Patriots, sang “God Bless America” and ”This is My Country.” The students, in school colors of red, white and blue, said the pledge of allegiance and chanted “U-S-A.” An enormous American flag made by the children covered one wall of the auditorium. When a school official said some among them would join the “military defense of our country.” the students cheered.

“I am proud to be standing with the Patriots,” said the assembly’s guest of honor, President George W. Bush, to a roar of approval from the suburban teenagers. “We’re a nation of patriots…we have a renewed spirit of patriotism.”

That scene from earlier this week represents the type of sentiment the White House is seeking to spread among the nation’s youth following the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes. The Bush administration has backed a series of initiatives aimed at boosting children’s patriotism and enlisting the young in the effort to counter anti-American propaganda abroad.

The administration has thrown its weight behind a mass pledge of allegiance by the nation’s 52 million schoolchildren, a pen-pal exchange between U.S. children and Muslim children overseas, lectures by veterans in classrooms, $1 contributions from American children for Afghan children, and other efforts to aid children’s psychological trauma from the terrorist strikes.

Far broader programs are under consideration. The White House is mulling legislation, to be introduced next week by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Evan Bayh, D-Ind., that would quintuple participation in AmeriCorps, the national service program, to 250,000. The legislation would direct that half of the new slots be in the areas of homeland security and public safety.

Child psychologists generally endorse the administration’s efforts as a way to help children, who are likely to be disproportionately traumatized by the terrorist attacks. Recent events make many people feel powerless and frightened, but “children don’t have a history of experiences of coping that they’re able to borrow from,” said Russell Jones, a psychology professor with Virginia Tech’s Stress and Coping Lab.

At the same time, psychologists said there is a danger that enlisting children’s help in a war effort, even if through peaceful means, could frighten them further. The president, in speaking to children, talks plainly about the conflict. “You’re the first students who’ve had to learn the reality that we’re having to fight a war on our own land,” he told the Wootton students.

Teri Elliott, a child psychologist at the University of South Dakota’s Disaster Mental Health Institute, said the Bush initiatives could help children. But, she added, “I don’t like the idea of us trying to rile them up into war recruits. Instead of getting our kids worked up with the national anthem, I’d rather see them talked to about creating a peaceful environment in their own schools and families.”

Children have always been part of war efforts, often in nefarious ways such as the Children’s Crusade of 1212 or Nazi Germany’s Hitler Youth. The Bush administration’s role for children is different: patriotic, but peaceful. “We are in a war unlike any previous war, and it will have a profound impact on future generations,” said Bush spokesman Scott McClellan. “It’s important for our children to learn about compassion for those in need, tolerance for those from different backgrounds and gratitude for those who sacrifice at home and abroad defending freedom.”