http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=54730
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 10, 2009 – May was a banner recruiting month for
every military service, but especially for the Marine Corps, which
topped its active-duty goal by 42 percent and attracted nearly 1,200
recruits to the Marine Corps Reserve, more than double the goal of
565, Defense Department officials announced today.
The Marine recruiting successes represent a particularly high point
among across-the-board recruiting successes in which every service
met or exceeded its May active-duty goal, officials said.
The reserve components reported similar progress. The three
components that fell short of their projected May goals did so
because only because they already have reached 112 percent of their
year-to-date goals, officials explained.
The Army exceeded its active-duty goal by 4 percent, recruiting 4,044
soldiers. The Marine Corps reported 2,146 active-duty accessions, 42
percent above its goal of 1,516.
Meanwhile, the Navy and Air Force met their monthly active-duty
goals, with 2,542 and 2,289 accessions, respectively.
In the reserve components, the Marine Corps Reserve reported 1,196
accessions, 212 percent of its May goal. The Air Force Reserve
exceeded its goal by 7 percent, with 770 accessions. The Navy Reserve
met its goal, recruiting 574 sailors.
Three reserve components that reported lower-than-initially-expected
May recruiting figures all have achieved 112 percent of their
year-to-date projections, officials said.
The Army National Guard signed on 3,026 members, 83 percent of its
initial May goal. The Air National Guard, with 766 accessions, met 95
percent of its original goal. The Army Reserve recruited 3,178
members, 96 percent of its initial goal.
Officials noted that the May statistics represent the last monthly
recruiting efforts before the 2009 high school graduations. This is
expected to usher in a busy recruiting month as new graduates join
the military.
Marine 1st Lt. Brian Block, a Marine Corps spokesman, called the May
recruiting statistics particularly noteworthy because they were
achieved without sacrificing quality.
"It says a lot about the organization of the Marine Corps and the
tradition we have carried since we were originally founded," he said.
"We take the best and the brightest. And what ultimately attracts
people to the Marine Corps is the honor of carrying the title 'Marine.'"
National Guard Bureau spokesman Army Col. Jamie Davis called
recruiting successes in the Army and Air Guard an encouraging sign of
"the level of support and patriotism that American citizens have for
their country."
Army Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve, lauded
continued recruiting successes in the Army Reserve. He noted that the
Army Reserve reached its new 206,000-member end-strength objective a
year ahead of schedule. During fiscal 2008, the Army Reserve exceeded
its goals by recruiting more than 44,000 soldiers and re-enlisting
more than 16,000 soldiers, he said.
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