Adopt a Soldier
The co-production “Adopt a Soldier” grew out of a desire shared by the three producing companies to explore the public image of soldiers in the 21st century.
War is big business, but in the 21st century it must compete in the marketplace with every other product. Consumers are bored by political arguments and distant conflicts. A new strategy is needed to persuade the public to hand over their money and keep the wheels of warfare turning smoothly.
Welcome to “Adopt a Soldier”, a revolutionary concept in armed forces funding.
Combining public space theatre and sales promotional techniques, “Adopt a Soldier” brings war home and allows every consumer to buy their own little piece of the action.
In the New European Army (NEA) everything is up for sale. For a small fee consumers can sponsor everything from boots to bullets to body-bags and have their names stamped on the item of their choice. But the real money is on the soldiers themselves.
Adopt a soldier and you’ll get a ringside seat at the frontline with personal emails from your man or woman in uniform, personally selected war trophies shipped directly to your own home and 24 hour access to images transmitted directly from your soldier’s helmet-cam.
There’s a soldier to suit every pocket and you even get to choose the one you want when the “Adopt a Soldier” road show visits your home town. Exciting demonstrations and thrilling displays of military expertise show the soldiers off to their best advantage and make it easier than even to pick the perfect warrior to represent you on the battlefield.
Look out for the “Adopt a Soldier” roadshow in Leipzig and Schwerin (Germany), Amsterdam (Netherlands) and York (UK ), appearing in railway stations, markets and public squares.
Text fragments Eva K. Mathijssen (NL ) and Richard Hurford (UK )
Moderator
Have you ever noticed that it seems impossible to change your own life? But
changing somebody else’s life can be done just like that. A smile so someone
who lost the believe in the goodness of mankind. Lifting a buggy out of a
train for a mother who thought she was all alone. Donate money to a place
that seemed forgotten by the world. One deed and the heavens break open on
somebody else’s life. One deed and the balance of the world is better.
If it’s so easy to change somebody else’s life, why not change your life by changing
that of another? People are always talking about vicious circles. Vicious circles
don’t have to be vicious. By your adopting a soldier the circle of helping
and being helped will begin, saving and being saved, of supporting and being
supported. Of giving life and being given life. And isn’t that what we all want
to do? Live life?! I thank you.
Grandma sponsor
A very old woman walking with a frame is introduced by the Moderator
When you get to my age, people think you’re good for nothing and I have to say that’s how I was feeling. But now I’m back in the land of the living again and it’s all thanks to Adopt a soldier.
All it took was one phone call and the next day a tank rolled up outside my house. All the neighbors were watching and oh I could tell they were jealous, when the Adopt a soldier team climbed out and kicked my door down. They were so nice to me. they picked me up off the floor, cleaned up my cuts and then they showed me videos of soldiers I could choose and sorted out a payment plan I could manage on my pension.
That’s how I got to adopt Private Joe. He’s a lovely young man and I keep his photo on my mantelpiece. Such a lot of muscles and a nice, old-fashioned hairy chest, but he’s just a boy really. He calls me grandma, which is so sweet, because you see i don’t have any grandchildren of my own. He sends me letters and cards for Christmas and my birthday and thoughtful little gifts from the frontline. Last week he sent me an ear he found at a bomb site!
Private Joe is my own brave little soldier and I’m proud to spend my pennies to make sure he has blankets and food and bullets. Every time he shoots he shouts out “this is for you grandma”. Well, this is for you Joe wherever you are. God bless.
She blows a kiss at the camera.
I’m eighty-three years old, you know.
Children sponsors
Three 10 year old children are introduced by the Moderator. The speech is shared out between them.
Our class does fund-raising to adopt a soldier. Our soldier is called Wendy and she’s very brave. We sell cakes and recycle cardboard to raise money to send to her. Last month we made enough money to buy her a bullet-proof jacket, so now she won’t die.
One of the children begins to sniffle. The other children shove him and whisper “Stop it!” in embarrassment.
We love adopting our soldier because it means we are helping to protect the world. Why don’t you do it too and then the world will be a safer place for your children too?
All children together:
Adopt a soldier!
(Perhaps they sing a simple – and bad – song they have made up)
Sponsor
This is bob, my soldier. I’ve had him a month now and I must say, I never felt better. Beside the fact that he gives me absolute safety, I’ve got the feeling of newfound courage and confidence.
And let me tell you something funny: I lost 5 kilos in that month and I’ve almost got rid of all my acne. And all of that without doing anything for it but adopting bob. What are you waiting for?
War is big business, but in the 21st century it must compete in the marketplace with every other product. Consumers are bored by political arguments and distant conflicts. A new strategy is needed to persuade the public to hand over their money and keep the wheels of warfare turning smoothly.
Welcome to “Adopt a Soldier”, a revolutionary concept in armed forces funding.
Combining public space theatre and sales promotional techniques, “Adopt a Soldier” brings war home and allows every consumer to buy their own little piece of the action.
In the New European Army (NEA) everything is up for sale. For a small fee consumers can sponsor everything from boots to bullets to body-bags and have their names stamped on the item of their choice. But the real money is on the soldiers themselves.
Adopt a soldier and you’ll get a ringside seat at the frontline with personal emails from your man or woman in uniform, personally selected war trophies shipped directly to your own home and 24 hour access to images transmitted directly from your soldier’s helmet-cam.
There’s a soldier to suit every pocket and you even get to choose the one you want when the “Adopt a Soldier” road show visits your home town. Exciting demonstrations and thrilling displays of military expertise show the soldiers off to their best advantage and make it easier than even to pick the perfect warrior to represent you on the battlefield.
Look out for the “Adopt a Soldier” roadshow in Leipzig and Schwerin (Germany), Amsterdam (Netherlands) and York (UK ), appearing in railway stations, markets and public squares.
Text fragments Eva K. Mathijssen (NL ) and Richard Hurford (UK )
Moderator
Have you ever noticed that it seems impossible to change your own life? But
changing somebody else’s life can be done just like that. A smile so someone
who lost the believe in the goodness of mankind. Lifting a buggy out of a
train for a mother who thought she was all alone. Donate money to a place
that seemed forgotten by the world. One deed and the heavens break open on
somebody else’s life. One deed and the balance of the world is better.
If it’s so easy to change somebody else’s life, why not change your life by changing
that of another? People are always talking about vicious circles. Vicious circles
don’t have to be vicious. By your adopting a soldier the circle of helping
and being helped will begin, saving and being saved, of supporting and being
supported. Of giving life and being given life. And isn’t that what we all want
to do? Live life?! I thank you.
Grandma sponsor
A very old woman walking with a frame is introduced by the Moderator
When you get to my age, people think you’re good for nothing and I have to say that’s how I was feeling. But now I’m back in the land of the living again and it’s all thanks to Adopt a soldier.
All it took was one phone call and the next day a tank rolled up outside my house. All the neighbors were watching and oh I could tell they were jealous, when the Adopt a soldier team climbed out and kicked my door down. They were so nice to me. they picked me up off the floor, cleaned up my cuts and then they showed me videos of soldiers I could choose and sorted out a payment plan I could manage on my pension.
That’s how I got to adopt Private Joe. He’s a lovely young man and I keep his photo on my mantelpiece. Such a lot of muscles and a nice, old-fashioned hairy chest, but he’s just a boy really. He calls me grandma, which is so sweet, because you see i don’t have any grandchildren of my own. He sends me letters and cards for Christmas and my birthday and thoughtful little gifts from the frontline. Last week he sent me an ear he found at a bomb site!
Private Joe is my own brave little soldier and I’m proud to spend my pennies to make sure he has blankets and food and bullets. Every time he shoots he shouts out “this is for you grandma”. Well, this is for you Joe wherever you are. God bless.
She blows a kiss at the camera.
I’m eighty-three years old, you know.
Children sponsors
Three 10 year old children are introduced by the Moderator. The speech is shared out between them.
Our class does fund-raising to adopt a soldier. Our soldier is called Wendy and she’s very brave. We sell cakes and recycle cardboard to raise money to send to her. Last month we made enough money to buy her a bullet-proof jacket, so now she won’t die.
One of the children begins to sniffle. The other children shove him and whisper “Stop it!” in embarrassment.
We love adopting our soldier because it means we are helping to protect the world. Why don’t you do it too and then the world will be a safer place for your children too?
All children together:
Adopt a soldier!
(Perhaps they sing a simple – and bad – song they have made up)
Sponsor
This is bob, my soldier. I’ve had him a month now and I must say, I never felt better. Beside the fact that he gives me absolute safety, I’ve got the feeling of newfound courage and confidence.
And let me tell you something funny: I lost 5 kilos in that month and I’ve almost got rid of all my acne. And all of that without doing anything for it but adopting bob. What are you waiting for?
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