Army recruiter challenges “Keyboard Warriors”, sparking controversy

Amid the surges of individuals calling for action against terror in the post-Paris attack climate, one army recruiter is calling out an entirely different demographic- the citizenry, encouraging them to “put their money where their mouth is.”

Springfield, Missouri- based recruiter SGT Stephen Smith took to the net with a satirical 44-second video, depicting his expectation of high recruitment numbers based on the amount of people in social media calling for combat against the Islamic State- only to find no one lining up to join the military.

“A lot of keyboard warriors out there”, he said in the video.

While many (including his superiors) support the video, some citizens (including Springfield locals) feel he has gone too far.

“You just can’t make it a black and white issue, really” said Javan Simpson, a Springfield local. “It’s not everybody’s calling in life to go overseas and pick up a gun no matter where their support lies.”

Some active duty troops and veterans also shared negative sentiment, claiming SGT Smith was acting outside of his professional bearings. However, reports indicate that his Public Affairs Officer cleared the video.

“The main focus of it was to motivate the people of Springfield and definitely got the point across,” stated Smith, who went on to claim the video helped sway several people who were on the fence when it came to enlisting.

“Definitely didn’t think it was going to take off like that. Didn’t expect the support I received from it, either.”

Sgt. Smith created this follow-up video to clarify what he meant in his original video.

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