Intelligencer

Reporting for Duty

By Jada Yuan
Published May 21, 2005

Who enlists the week U.S. troops invade Fallujah? Jada Yuan stopped by the recruiting station in Times Square to find out.

David Chen
22, Construction Worker
Bush or Kerry? Can’t vote, Taiwanese citizen.
Why enlisting: Chen has been trying to get into the armed forces ever since he immigrated two years ago. “If I die, I am asleep and I don’t have to worry about anything. The government takes care of my family. They never have to work again.”

Marc Policastro
25, Electronics Salesman
Bush or Kerry? Didn’t vote, but liked Kerry.
Why enlisting: Policastro comes from a family of vets. “I’m not a fighter, I’m a lover. But I want to have a sense of accomplishment. Instead of being that schmuck walking down the street looking for a $10-an-hour job, you can come back and make $25 an hour.”

Fernando Blanco
30, Club Bouncer
Bush or Kerry? Didn’t vote, but likes Bush.
Why enlisting: “If you’re a Hispanic male between 20 and 30 in New York and you don’t have a college degree, you sell drugs or work in a department store. I just want to get out of the city. Working security here is too dangerous.”

Lukasz Przybylo
24, Civil Engineer
Bush or Kerry? Can’t vote, Polish citizen.
Why enlisting: Joining will speed up Przybylo’s citizenship. “In the real world, my job would be boring. I’d probably be sitting at a computer, designing buildings. This is for myself, for personal satisfaction, for helping the country. It isn’t for Bush.”

Moses Laboy
30, Bar Manager
Bush or Kerry? Nader. “I ﬁgured it didn’t matter. We’re not a swing state.”
Why enlisting: His brother is shipping out the day before Thanksgiving, “and no matter whether we have an asshole chief commander, he still needs our support. My parents will be fine with it. My friends are gonna freak.”