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Military Commercial - The Army has turned off comments on a series of new recruitment ads designed to attract potential recruits from all backgrounds after being bombarded with criticism that the service is "woke".

The new series "The Calling," which premiered on YouTube May 4, features real-life soldiers and their stories in an animated format. One clip shows the corporal discussing his "fairly typical childhood" where he took ballet and played the violin, as well as "marching for equality" with both of his mothers. He was looking for a challenge, he said, and "a way to prove my inner strength" when he decided to join the military. Another video shows a first lieutenant who moved to Florida with his family from Haiti as a child. He joined JROTC at school and decided to join the military during an emotional ceremony on the anniversary of 9/11.

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"Now I am determined to protect this nation that I call home," he says in the video. "Not only a citizen, but also a soldier."

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But just a week after the series began, the Army announced it had to turn off comments on the videos on May 12 after seeing "a significant increase in negative comments that do not align with Army values," Laura DeFrancisco said. Speaker Laura DeFrancisco. Army Enterprise Marketing Office.

It's unclear exactly what the comments say, but the series has been used by conservative news sites and others as another example of the military's "vigilance." However, the Pentagon sees it differently. Amid concerns that America's recruiting talent pool is shrinking, the military services have worked to recruit and retain service members of all backgrounds, genders, and ethnicities.

The new ad series aims to "close the affinity gap between gender Z and the military by offering a rare glimpse of the people behind the uniform," DeFrancisco said.

"It is important that the Soldiers participating in the campaign reflect the incredible diversity of both the Army and the American public, and not just ethnic diversity, but diversity of influence, upbringing and experience," he continued. Each soldier in The Calling has their own unique story and history. The army is its people and is made up of soldiers from different backgrounds and experiences. Providing an honest, unfiltered account of these experiences is essential to these efforts. "

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But that hasn't stopped people like right-wing radio host Dan Bongino from posting a video on Facebook comparing the series to a Russian military recruitment ad.

"This is not good, folks," said Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who never served in the military.

On Thursday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) shared the same video, saying that maybe "a vigilante, physically fit military might not be the best idea...".

Holy crap. Maybe an awakened, fleshed-out military isn't the best idea… https://t.co/8aVFMW98NM — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 20, 2021

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"Army Recruiting Video Shows Lesbian Wedding," read a Fox News headline comparing it to a CIA recruiting ad that also drew criticism from conservatives for "woke propaganda." The Washington Times made a similar comparison, saying, "CIA may rival military for 2021's most 'woke' recruiting ad."

The criticism followed Fox News host Tucker Carlson's abuse of women in the service and the military's push to make changes to uniforms and body armor to actually fit the women who volunteered to wear them.

"While China's military is becoming more masculine because it is building the world's largest navy, our navy has to become, as Joe Biden says, more feminine, whatever feminine it is, because men and women don't exist anymore," Carlson said. in March.

Notably, the Army recently changed its policy to allow women to wear ponytails in all forms except earrings and nail polish. The Pentagon is still standing and the military is still functioning for now.

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"The Calling" series is one of several recruiting series the Army has released over the years, following last year's "What's Your Warrior" series, designed to highlight the various jobs Soldiers have in the service. Maj. Gen. Alex Fink, head of Army Enterprise Marketing, said earlier this month that research shows that young people view the military as a "distant star," a place that requires an almost superhuman level of discipline that is beyond them. : daily life", and that they often do not see a common language with the people who are currently serving.

"The Calling shatters these misconceptions by showing that we are all soldiers," Fink said. "Real people with hopes, dreams, fears, aspirations, families, friends and obstacles to overcome."

Haley Britzky joined Task & Purpose as Army Correspondent in January 2019. He previously worked for Axios covering news. It reports on important developments at work, from new forms to new policies; the realities of military life faced by soldiers and their families; and broader cultural issues that go beyond the military and affect all military services. Contact the author here.