War Protesters Arrested

War protesters rallied in Northeast Philadelphia. They are angered over an army recruiting center that they say uses video games to lure teenagers to enlist.

“If you're not old enough to drink, you're not old enough to kill,” cried a protestor into a microphone at a rally outside St Luke’s United Church of Christ in Northeast Philadelphia.

The anti-war activists gathered are angry. They don't like the Army's latest recruiting tool -- a $12 million gaming center at Franklin Mills Mall.

“Stop this pilot project,” cried another peace activist.

The protestors say the Army is attempting to bolster low recruitment rates, with high-drama video games, that lure impressionable teenagers to enlist.

"To try to deceive these young people to think it's just like it is in the video games is unconscionable, it's obscene," said Rev. Bob Moore with the Coalition for Peace.

Chanting, “War is not a game!” They marched up Knights Road to Franklin Mills Mall.

An Iraq war veteran, among the crowd, doesn't regret serving his country, but wants recruits to join for the right reasons.

"You can't simulate the heat. You can't you know the cries of people who are getting killed. You can't simulate the noise when things are exploding around you," said Jesse Hamilton, an Iraq War Veteran who served in the Army.

The Army Experience Center allows teenagers, who are 13 and up, to play video games and learn about the military. Recruiters say it's a soft-sell and if it's successful here, it may be tried elsewhere.

“We don't contact you unless you want to be contacted. You get to touch and feel about the Army here…plus we have 23 active duty soldiers here who can share their Army story with you,” said Capt. Jared Auchey the commander of the Army Experience Center.

Anti-war protesters are suing. They claim the Army Experience Center is endangering the welfare of children.

Seven people were arrested at the protest.