by Frank James
You know all those military recruiting ads you've been seeing during nationally televised sports events, like the one with the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon which, through the miracle of digital editing, appears to be going though its paces on Hoover Dam, by the Golden Gate Bridge and atop a giant desert butte? (It's one of my favorites. Sends patriotic chills up my spine.)
Apparently, such ads are doing the trick in terms of recruiting young men and women into the armed forces in more than sufficient numbers.
Once again, Defense Department officials reported that they outdid themselves in April in terms of recruiting.
This is from an American Forces Press Service story:
WASHINGTON, May 12, 2008 - All military services met or exceeded their recruiting goals for April, with the Marine Corps recruiting 142 percent of its goal, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said here today.
The Army reached 101 percent of its goal, and the Navy and Air Force met their goals.
In the re-enlistment arena, the Army, Navy and Marine Corps met or exceeded their active-duty retention objectives. "The Air Force still faces challenges, but they still seem able to meet their year-end strength goals," Whitman said.
All the reserve components also met or exceeded their recruiting goals, with the Air National Guard at 130 percent and the Army Reserve at 120 percent.
April "was another strong month for recruiting and retention," Whitman said.
The Army brought in 5,681 recruits and had a goal of 5,650. The Navy enlisted 2,905 new sailors, and the Air Force brought in 2,435 airmen -- both meeting their goals on the button.
The Marine Corps enlisted 2,233 recruits and had a goal of 1,577. One reporter on the Pentagon beat likened the Marine numbers as "recruiting on steroids." Whitman said it is an indication that the recruiting environment is strong.
Typically at times of economic weakness when jobs are hard to come by, the military benefits as the employer of last resort. Some of that is going on now, the military acknowledges.
But the military, especially the Army, increased the number of its recruiters it's deploying. And they are apparently having some success.
Here's another snippet from the Arms Services Press Agency story:
While a slower U.S. economy may account for some of the success, it only tells part of the story, a DoD personnel and readiness official said. "We had recruiting success when the economy was going at virtually full throttle," the official said, though he acknowledged that, when unemployment rates go up, the interest in enlisting also rises.
Still, the greatest single reason for the improvement in recruiting is the availability of recruiters, the official said. "The principal thing is the growth in recruiters and the increase in benefits -- money, education, mortgages and so on," the official said.
The Army and Marine Corps have increased the number of recruiters on the street. The services also have increased enlistment bonuses and the money spent on advertising.
"Overall, the services have doubled the amount of money spent per recruit," the official said. "When you turn up the volume on a resource, people listen."
Here's a Defense Department press release with the actual numbers.
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Comments
Jeff,
What are you waiting for?
Don't waste any more time, sign up for McCain's 100 years of war in Iraq while you still can!
-
http://www.goarmy.com/flindex.jsp?#?channel=&video=
Posted by: College Republicans rejoice | May 12, 2008 7:15 PM
Did they mention how they've lowered their enlistment standards drastically? Failed physical?, no ploblem. A few scrapes with the law? forget about it. Canon fodder comes cheap these days.
Posted by: dt | May 12, 2008 7:38 PM
And now they call our troops canon fodder. I thought Bill Maher's "low hanging fruit" was bad enough. Does it make you feel like a big man, DT, that this "canon fodder" just gave you the right to write what you did? Not your Ivy League education or your "community organizer" candidate, but the "canon fodder" who wears the uniform of the United States.
Posted by: Jeff | May 12, 2008 10:23 PM
What a pity they will be wasted in Cheney's corrupt war. McCain is four more years of Bush. Obama 2008
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | May 12, 2008 11:33 PM
Be all that you can be-- Join the US Army or Marines. Your body will no longer be your own. If you refuse to take any US military required immunizations, you will be court martialed. And, they'd want you to sign a disclaimer stating that you may become ill or die from any of the obligatory/experimental immunizations. You could be a guinea pig bc the US military might want to oblige you to take an experimental immunization for something the government might want to throw you in to the middle of. Or, come back from the US military with a known or unknown illness and the US government may or may not take care of you. Best yet, go to boot camp and let the four drill instructors standing there allow you to drown in the pool of the required swimming class bc one of the DIs thought you were acting like a baby--in the Arrr-rrrr-my or Marines. God help the young recruits. Many good kids score very high on the obligitory high school ASVAB test, yet the parents don't want the US military to get their callous hands on the kids. Lots of family sacrifice for college is going on in lieu of the current-day funny, maybe-after-your-second-reupment GI Bill. Ask McBush about all of this.
****Low dollar=High Gas Prices=Bad Economy=More Recruits=More Wars=Higher Defense and War Profits for the Connected.****
Posted by: Vivian | May 13, 2008 1:13 AM
Better them than us! hahaha
Posted by: Lou | May 13, 2008 3:05 AM
dt | May 12, 2008 7:38 PM
Not to mention I think the age limit has been raised from 26 to 42 or 45...correct me if I'm wrong.
They also give out a lot of freebies to even have the kids talk to them in our local high school.
Posted by: lochnessmonster | May 13, 2008 6:56 AM
Jeff, why are you slacking buddy? Don't you want to be a hero? Don't you want to earn the right to write what you want?
Come on friend, show us what you're made of. Show us that you really believe what you post.Show us how valuable you really believe military service is. Enlist. They need you.
Whgy haven't you already? Too scared? Are you too important Jeff? Are you too much of an elitist to patrol Baghdad Jeffy? If you believe in this war as much as you claim, you need to show that last full measure of devotion.
Posted by: Michael | May 13, 2008 9:01 AM
And now they call our troops canon fodder. I thought Bill Maher's "low hanging fruit" was bad enough. Does it make you feel like a big man, DT, that this "canon fodder" just gave you the right to write what you did? Not your Ivy League education or your "community organizer" candidate, but the "canon fodder" who wears the uniform of the United States.
Posted by: Jeff | May 12, 2008 10:23 PM
Jeff's outrage-o-meter is always set on high. Cannon fodder is sooo offensive of a term to him. Treating the troops poorly- unsanitary water, substandard weapons, poor medical treatment of the returning soldiers, dearth of services for the wounded-naw, Jeff's got no problem with that.
What makes you feel like a big man, Jeffy? Your braggadocio explains the non-stop whining and blow-hard behavior you exhibit in every post.
Posted by: Doug Goodyear | May 13, 2008 10:12 AM
Everyone wants to talk smack about the military and wars and you have the freedom to thanks to those that do stand up for your freedoms. But one day soon, you may see a change where this will no longer be the US and see what freedoms you have then. Talk smack now and it may bite you in the ass later.
Veteran of the US Army.
Posted by: Kenneth Sword | May 13, 2008 1:12 PM
Jeffrey, here is something that you (and McSame) don't want to know.
http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/5219
Posted by: Doug Goodyear | May 13, 2008 1:24 PM
And, for something completely different, see: "Army Wrong" http://www.armywrong.net
.
Posted by: Sgt Jon | May 24, 2008 7:00 PM