Sears, Roebuck & Co. to Sell Officially Endorsed Military Paraphernalia

September 9, 2008

PLEASE DISTRIBUTE TO FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND PLACES OF GATHERING!

Through a licensing deal signed with the U.S. Army, Sears, Roebuck & Co. will begin selling clothing from All American Army Brand’s First Infantry Division collection.  The clothing, for men, woman, and BOYS, will be available in October.  This is a first, as the U.S. Army has never before officially licensed its marks and insignias.(1)

J.E. McNeil, executive director of the Center on Conscience & War, views this first as yet another sign that our government is looking to recruit children under the age of 17.  “We see yet again the military targeting younger and younger children, particularly young boys, as they aggressively seek to ensure more bodies for our current military conflicts and conflicts of the future.  This is an illegal tool in the recruiting arsenal.   This is unacceptable for our country, and it is in violation of international law.  We signed the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and we should honor that.  We can pretend that marketing isn’t recruiting, but the reality is that recruiting is marketing, and marketing is recruiting.”  McNeil said.

The Center on Conscience & War (CCW) calls upon all supporters to boycott Sears, Roebuck & Co until they stop marketing the military to children.  As an organization dedicated to extending and defending the rights of conscientious objectors, it is the Center’s position that children should be free to develop their consciences without the military bombarding them through targeted marketing campaigns.

Please help us stop the illegal recruitment of children by boycotting Sears and signing our online petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/No_to_illegal_recruitment/

Also, please contact Sears’ headquarters directly at 847-286-2500.  Let them know you are opposed to a boy’s clothing line marketing and illegally recruiting boys into the military.

For further reading and information please visit:
http://adage.com/article?article_id=130798
http://adage.com/article?article_id=130696
http://www.aclu.org/intlhumanrights/gen/35245pub20080513.html
http://www.armybrand.com/

Thank you for your continued support!  And please remember to check our website frequently for updates.
https://www.centeronconscience.org/

(1)  Natalie Zmuda: “Are the Army’s New Marketing Tactics a Little too Kid-Friendly?” Adage.com, September 8, 2008, http://adage.com/article?article_id=130798