CHAPEL HILL - Last year, the Chapel Hill Town Council called for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Today, some residents will demand the immediate withdrawal of the Army from Franklin Street.

A new Army recruiting station is scheduled to open today at 1502 E. Franklin St., and protesters plan to be there. Citing recent news reports of recruiters lying to potential enlistees, they say they'll march at 3 p.m. from UNC-Chapel Hill's campus to the station, where they have planned a 4 p.m. rally.

"We really tie the construction of this facility to the war in Iraq and the difficulties that the military is having recruiting youth and students," said Ben Carroll, who is involved with UNC-CH Students for a Democratic Society, one of the march's organizers.

Newest in the state

Tucked between a Mexican restaurant and a dentist's office, it is the Army's newest recruiting station in North Carolina. Initially, three recruiters will work out of the rented office, with a December goal of enlisting three recruits, said Bob Harrison, public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion in Raleigh.

To some, left-leaning Chapel Hill seems like an unlikely spot to find soldiers. But there has been steady, if modest, interest locally in joining the armed forces, said Linda Parker, the career development coordinator at East Chapel Hill High School. If anything, that interest has increased in recent years, she said.

"I am actually surprised at the interest," she said.

About 9 percent of East Chapel Hill High School students enlist each year, go to work or take a year off to decide what career path to take. Parker could not say exactly what percentage enlist each year.

Last year, East students scored higher than those at other North Carolina public school on the SATs, and 86 percent headed to four-year colleges.

Still, those who choose the military are often supported by their peers, Parker said.

"The students respect the choices that their peers are making. They are not necessarily driven by the stereotype of the peace protester," she said.

Deceptive tactics?

But Carroll said the military overstates the money recruits can get in bonuses or toward education. He said recruiters often exaggerate how easy studying would be and misrepresent the likelihood of war deployment as well.

"We are not just saying we don't want military recruiters in Chapel Hill," Carroll said. "We don't want them in our schools and targeting our youth."

The Army admits that a few recruiters try to deceive potential recruits, Harrison said, and the Army does offer recruiters financial incentives to enlist as many people as they can.

Still, the Army doesn't want to dupe people into enlisting, he said.

"It is important to the Army that everyone coming into the Army makes an informed choice," he said. "They need to make [their decisions] with more than just the information they get from the recruiter. They need to make it in counsel with their family ... and make an informed decision."

Visits to schools

Parker tells students to just say "no" if they aren't interested in the military and said recruiters who routinely visit the school respect its rules.

Staff Sgt. Bruce Hall stops by East Chapel Hill High to recruit for the N.C. Army National Guard about once a week. He said he is honest with recruits because he will see them for years to come during monthly weekend training.

"There are some recruiters, their tactics are definitely in question," he said.