[4 articles]
Military Services Meet or Exceed January Recruiting Needs
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53028
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2009 – All active duty U.S. military services
and reserve components met or exceeded their January recruiting
needs, Defense Department officials reported today.
The Army signed up 9,658 new active-duty soldiers, 107 percent of its
target number of 9,000 enlistees.
The Navy signed up 2,948 new active-duty sailors, 100 percent of its
target number.
The Marine Corps signed up 3,720 new active-duty Marines, 109 percent
of its target number of 3,406 enlistees.
The Air Force signed up 2,600 new active-duty airmen, 100 percent of
its target number.
The active Army, Marines, Air Force and Navy also met or exceeded
their retention goals for January, officials said.
Guard and reserve forces met or exceeded their January recruiting needs.
The Army Reserve signed up 3,223 new soldiers for 103 percent of its
target number of 3,128 enlistees.
The Navy Reserve signed up 712 new sailors, meeting 100 percent of its goal.
The Marine Corps Reserve signed up 879 new Marines, for 155 percent
of its target number of 567 enlistees.
The Air National Guard signed up 896 new airmen, for 127 percent of
its target number of 703 enlistees.
The Air Force Reserve signed up 683 new airmen, meeting 100 percent
of its goal.
The Army National Guard signed up 4,913 new soldiers in January.
Although that number is listed as 88 percent of the monthly goal,
there's more to the story, a National Guard Bureau official said.
"It's not just about the monthly recruiting goal," Randy Noller, a
Guard Bureau spokesman, said. "Right now, we are over our end
strength and can slow down on recruiting."
The Army National Guard now has 366,009 soldiers in its ranks, which
exceeds its authorized end strength of 358,200 troops, Noller said.
Since the Army National Guard is recruiting fewer new soldiers each
month, it can "increase the quality of people coming in," Noller said.
Attrition losses in all reserve components are within acceptable
limits, officials said.
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Army Recruiting Remains on Track Despite Challenges
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53075
By J.D. Leipold
Special to American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2009 – Despite challenges in recruiting 17- to
24-year-olds, Army leaders said yesterday the service is on track to
meet recruiting goals this year, and will not lower standards to do so.
The Army faces major challenges in recruiting from the under-24
demographic group, due to education, health and conduct deficiencies,
said Lt. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, commanding general of U.S. Army
Accessions Command.
Those challenges, he told reporters at a Pentagon media roundtable
discussion, disqualify seven of 10 military applicants.
"We think education is a strategic issue for the country," Freakley
said. "Nationally, we have a 70 percent high school graduation rate.
We have not lowered our standards, but the goals from the Office of
the Secretary of Defense are that 90 percent of those who come in the
all-volunteer force have graduated from high school."
Last year, 83 percent of Army recruits were high school graduates.
"Our second challenge is with health," Freakley said. "Of 32 million
17- to 24-year-olds, 3.2 million of them are childhood obese --
that's 10 percent. Several years ago, one in 20 Americans was obese,
but that's closing in soon on one in four."
Freakley said many of those 3.2 million have childhood diabetes or
muscular skeletal issues and that the youth of today have 8 percent
less bone mass, which translates to stress fractures from running and
more youth using prescription drugs.
The third issue the Army is facing is bad conduct. Young people
disqualify themselves from entering the military because of events
that happened in middle or high school.
"We're trying to change the landscape as we look and work in this
environment," the general said. "Educationally, we have a program,
'March to Success' which helps young people get online and do better
with standardized tests.
"We have a 'Planning for Life' program where we go into schools and
talk about strong bodies, strong minds, strong souls and try to keep
them focused on completing high school," Freakley added. "Our
recruiters are getting into schools, serving as role models and
counselors, setting standards and examples, so we're working on this
in every way we can."
To put the matter in context, Freakley cited two famous war heroes.
"Audie Murphy, World War II Medal of Honor awardee, and Alvin York,
World War I Medal of Honor awardee, would not be eligible to come
into today's Army," he said.
Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick, commander of U.S. Army Recruiting
Command, said the Army took in 170,000 men and women last year, which
is about the size of the population of Newport News, Va.
So far in fiscal 2009, which began in October, the regular Army is at
about 105 percent of goal, and the Army Reserve is at 112 percent of
its goal, Bostick said.
"It's the best start we've had in about six years," he said. "I'm
fully confident we'll accomplish the 78,000 mission for the regular
Army and 26,500 mission for the Army Reserves."
Bostick said recruiting has gone especially well in the medical and
Special Forces areas, adding that in 2008 a medical recruiting
brigade consisting of five medical battalions scattered throughout
the country was stood up. He also said the Army has achieved 100
percent success with Special Forces recruiting and created a special
missions brigade. Recruitment of chaplains and warrant officers also
has been high.
While the poor economy has created hardships on soldiers as it has
every American, Bostick said, historically, as unemployment rises,
the Army tends to see improvement in some areas of recruiting. Yet,
"less than three out of 10 young men and women are qualified to
serve, so we still must deal with that, whether it's education,
obesity or misconduct as they were growing up."
Even so, he said, the quality of the U.S. soldier has never been better.
"Everyone who serves in the Army is fully qualified to serve. One
hundred percent of our soldiers have high school diplomas or GEDs,"
Bostick said. "The aptitude of our soldiers is higher than the
average American walking the streets throughout the cities and towns
across America, and eight of 10 soldiers require no waivers."
The general added that the Army has what he considers a very sound
process that looks at young Americans and makes the determination
that if they made a mistake in their lives and recovered from it,
they deserve an opportunity to serve.
For potential recruits who've made more serious mistakes, Bostick
said, the applicants go through a 10-level decision process ending
with him or another general officer who makes the final determination
on suitability, whether the waiver is for medical or character reasons.
Maj. Gen. Arthur M. Bartell, who is charged with recruiting officers
as commander of U.S. Army Cadet Command, said the Army was on track
to meet its mission of commissioning 4,500 officers for fiscal 2009.
For fiscal 2010, that number will increase to 5,100, and in fiscal
2011, officer growth will top out at 5,350.
"More than 60 percent of our lieutenants come through the ROTC
program," he said. "In a word, what makes the ROTC experience special
is diversity – that's geographic, educational, gender and ethnic
diversity. Diversity exposes young Americans to a community of ideas
that we find in our traditional college campus environment."
Characteristics of athleticism, high mental aptitude and leadership
are characteristics the Army wants its future officers to possess, he
said, adding that ROTC is present at 273 colleges and universities
and represented in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Bartell said the Army hasn't had to change its standards of quality
for new officers, nor does he see that changing in the future,
despite recruiting challenges.
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Military seeing more applicants
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20090207/NEWS01/902070332/1001/NEWS
Less violence in Iraq, economy triggering appeal
Ryan Loew • rloew@lsj.com • February 7, 2009 •
From Lansing State Journal
Steve Irwin's career options would be pretty slim if he wasn't about
to ship out Tuesday to boot camp.
The 22-year-old's most recent job was in Grand Rapids, where he
worked as a restaurant server.
Irwin earned the minimum wage, until a consistent cut in hours
prompted him to quit and move back to Lansing.
With serious doubts about his ability to find another entry-level
job, let alone afford tuition at a community college, Irwin enlisted
in the Army two weeks ago.
"It's probably the only guaranteed job I know of, joining the Army,"
Irwin said.
As the economy continues to bleed civilian jobs, recruiters say
interest in the military is up. Recruiters are seeing more
applicants, and they're seeing more who have at least high school
diplomas and higher education
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levels.
"We have an influx of personnel coming in all the time, and it's
ranging from people with master's degrees, bachelor's degrees and
high school seniors," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Billy Montgomery, who
works as a recruiter in Lansing.
The Defense Department can't say what percentage of the increased
traffic at recruitment centers is due to job losses.
People might be responding to enlistment bonuses that can reach
$40,000, a better GI Bill to pay for college and up to $65,000 to pay
off existing student loans.
Adding to the appeal of joining now is the reduction in violence in
Iraq and the possibility of U.S. forces withdrawing in a year or two.
All branches
All branches of the service met or exceeded recruitment goals in
fiscal 2008, the first year they have done so since 2002, the Defense
Department said.
The trend continued through October, November and December, the first
quarter of fiscal 2009, and is expected to hold when January figures
are tallied.
"It goes right back to the economy," Montgomery said. "The economy
alone has caused a lot of individuals to rethink their future and
rethink what they have planned for themselves and their families. The
military can offer them something where they gain, get from point A
to point B, in possibly three to four years."
The Army Great Lakes Recruiting Battalion, which covers the Lower
Peninsula, met its recruitment goals in the first four months of the
2009 fiscal year. Army spokesman Jake Joy attributed that to a number
of factors, including the state of the economy.
"It does seem to be at least affecting the willingness of people to
consider the Army as a viable career," he said.
Meeting those goals signals what recruiters hope to be the beginning
of a more promising recruitment year. The battalion has not met its
yearly goals since before 2001.
Still, not all recruiters see the economy as the primary motivator
for potential recruits.
"Everybody joins the military for one reason or another, whether it's
service to the country or to get a little bit more money," said Sgt.
Frederick Joseph, a recruiter for the Michigan Army National Guard in Lansing.
'They are patriotic'
External factors such as the economy play a role in how potential
recruits make decisions, according to Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Donald Bohanner.
But, he said in an e-mail, "we have not seen any trends linking
particular economic factors to a young person's decision to enlist in
the Marine Corps."
Recruitment numbers at the Marine Corps' Recruiting Station Lansing
have consistently surpassed yearly goals - something he attributes to
hard-working recruiters and patriotic recruits, not the economy.
"They are patriotic; they want to give back to their community," said
Bohanner, "and that's what the Marine Corps is built on."
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Attractive job option
http://www.pal-item.com/article/20090207/NEWS01/902070301/1008
During tough economic times, military pay, benefits draw enlistees
BY BILL ENGLE • STAFF WRITER •
February 7, 2009
East-central Indiana's faltering economy, which is wreaking havoc on
business and industry, is a plus for military recruiting.
Recruiters say that laid-off employees have joined an already strong
number of young people coming to local recruiting offices inquiring
about careers in the military, many interested in educational and
other benefits.
"Yes, our numbers are up, and I suspect some of it is people who have
lost their jobs and don't have a lot of alternatives," said Sgt. Greg
Lynch, a U.S. Army recruiter in Richmond.
But there are other reasons, said U.S. Navy Senior Chief Cesar Diaz,
in charge of recruiting for the zone that includes eastern Indiana.
"One is certainly the benefits. The incentives are there," Diaz said.
"The young people are coming in for better opportunities, to learn a
skill or get an education. They are also looking at money for
college. We're doing well and the quality (of recruits) has improved."
Jessica Clark, 18, recently came to the Army Recruiting Center in
Richmond to talk to Lynch. Clark, a 2008 Lincoln High School
graduate, is looking at the Army as a way to complete her studies in nursing.
"It's a way to better myself and help pay for college," she said. "I
would also like to travel the world, but ultimately I'm interested in
the medical field."
The New York Times reported in January that recruiting for all active
service and reserve forces met or exceeded recruiting goals during
the first quarter of this fiscal year, the first time since 2004 when
violence in Iraq was intensifying.
Early numbers for 2009 suggest that enlistments will continue to grow.
Lynch said older men and women are inquiring about careers in the
Army, including workers laid off from companies such as Visteon in
Connersville and Astral Industries in Lynn.
He said, "The recession and unemployment does help with recruiting,"
but added "Indiana is a patriotic state."
"There are a lot of young people who are ready and willing to serve,"
he said. "And this area has been traditionally strong in recruitment.
Young people are willing to step up. It says a lot about the community."
Lynch would know. He is a Richmond native, a 1993 Richmond High
School graduate and a member of the RHS boys state basketball
championship team.
The son of Harlos and Peggy Lynch of rural Richmond, he is a 12-year
veteran of the Army who served infantry tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"I'm excited and very passionate about what I do here," said Lynch,
35. "It's an honor to be a part of the team here and an honor to be
working here in my hometown."
The Indiana Army National Guard, which recently returned more than
3,300 soldiers from Iraq, also has seen continued interest in enlistment.
"There are more people who just walk in off the street," said
Richmond recruiter Sgt. Todd O'Neal, who lives in Eaton, Ohio. "Some
are older. Some are ones laid off from jobs."
O'Neal said he transferred from Connersville, where he helped enlist
a 37-year-old woman with a bachelor's degree and another woman who was 40.
The Army in 2006 increased the age of enlistment from 35 to 42.
"You get people from everywhere," O'Neal said. "It has been up
recently. The Guard's big thing is paying for people's college."
Marine Corps recruiting also has increased, though Sgt. Jay Edwards,
public affairs director in Indianapolis, said the choice to serve is
individual and typically much more complex than one issue.
"What the Marine Corps offers young people does not change based on
any external factor," Edwards said. "Our image of a smart, tough,
elite warrior continues to resonate with the young people seeking to
join the Corps ... "
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