thedrifter
08-21-07, 06:52 AM
Published: August 20, 2007 12:00 am
It was no retreat; Military recruiters like new downtown digs
By Jason Tait , Staff Writer
Eagle-Tribune
HAVERHILL - The Main Street storefront they once occupied is empty, but the Army and Marines did not retreat from Haverhill.
"We don't run away," Marine recruiter Sgt. Wesley Scott said. "We find a new place to live and go on from there."
Both military branches moved from their recruiting offices in a strip mall across from City Hall to a centralized Washington Square storefront downtown.
The Army's office is on the ground level at 5 Washington Square, the home of a former dance studio. The Marines are in the basement.
The move takes advantage of heavy pedestrian traffic and gives both branches more exposure when recruiting during wartime can be difficult - though the local Army and Marine recruiters said they are making their goals.
The Marines sign two or three candidates a month from the Haverhill office, Scott said.
"We do well" in Haverhill, Scott said. "We don't fail. We make our mission."
The Marines also have an office in Lawrence, but the Army station is the only one servicing communities from Andover to Newburyport along Interstate 495.
Army Sgt. 1st Class John Gianni, who runs the Haverhill station, said he slightly exceeds his recruiting goals, signing between five and 10 soldiers a month.
They tell the soldiers the truth - there is a good chance they will go to war in either Iraq or Afghanistan, he said. All six of his full-time recruiters are veterans of the Iraq war and can answer all the questions recruits and their parents have about life in a wartime military.
Local recruiting goals are being met, but the Army has been struggling nationally.
In June, the Army failed to meet its recruitment target for the second month in a row, although it apparently met its goal to recruit 9,750 troops in July and is on target for 80,000 for the year that ends Sept. 30. The service spent nearly $1 billion last year on recruiting bonuses and ads.
As part of a push to make its 2007 goals, the Army is boosting the size of its 8,000-member recruiting force with 1,000 to 2,000 assistants - including some former recruiters.
The incentives for joining are getting better for recruits under an Army proposal that military leaders said is needed to fill its ranks during wartime.
Under the plan, men and women who enlist could pick from a variety of incentives, including up to $45,000 tax-free that they accrue during their career to help buy a home or build a business.
The Army also is loosening rules on age and weight limits, education and drug and criminal records.
The percentage of young people who said they plan to join the military has hit a historic low - 16 percent by a Pentagon survey.
Past incentives that helped recruiting numbers include increasing to $20,000 the bonus for troops who join by Sept. 30 and leave for basic training before that date, raising the enlistment age to 42 and allowing recruits to come in with non-offensive tattoos on their hands and neck.
Army Maj. Mark Spear, Gianni's company commander, said the Haverhill recruiting center is one of the most successful in New England.
Spear expects being downtown will help recruiting because of increased pedestrian traffic, and the soldiers will be able to interact better with the local business community.
Uniformed soldiers downtown are a positive addition to an area on the rise, he said.
"With any promotional campaign, it's always about visibility," Spear said.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
They want you
The Army is offering these incentives to new recruits:
$20,000 bonus for troops who join by Sept. 30 and leave for basic training before that date.
$6,000 bonus for recruits with bachelor's degrees.
$5,000 for associate's degrees.
Up to $36,864 for college with a two-year enlistment.
Ellie
It was no retreat; Military recruiters like new downtown digs
By Jason Tait , Staff Writer
Eagle-Tribune
HAVERHILL - The Main Street storefront they once occupied is empty, but the Army and Marines did not retreat from Haverhill.
"We don't run away," Marine recruiter Sgt. Wesley Scott said. "We find a new place to live and go on from there."
Both military branches moved from their recruiting offices in a strip mall across from City Hall to a centralized Washington Square storefront downtown.
The Army's office is on the ground level at 5 Washington Square, the home of a former dance studio. The Marines are in the basement.
The move takes advantage of heavy pedestrian traffic and gives both branches more exposure when recruiting during wartime can be difficult - though the local Army and Marine recruiters said they are making their goals.
The Marines sign two or three candidates a month from the Haverhill office, Scott said.
"We do well" in Haverhill, Scott said. "We don't fail. We make our mission."
The Marines also have an office in Lawrence, but the Army station is the only one servicing communities from Andover to Newburyport along Interstate 495.
Army Sgt. 1st Class John Gianni, who runs the Haverhill station, said he slightly exceeds his recruiting goals, signing between five and 10 soldiers a month.
They tell the soldiers the truth - there is a good chance they will go to war in either Iraq or Afghanistan, he said. All six of his full-time recruiters are veterans of the Iraq war and can answer all the questions recruits and their parents have about life in a wartime military.
Local recruiting goals are being met, but the Army has been struggling nationally.
In June, the Army failed to meet its recruitment target for the second month in a row, although it apparently met its goal to recruit 9,750 troops in July and is on target for 80,000 for the year that ends Sept. 30. The service spent nearly $1 billion last year on recruiting bonuses and ads.
As part of a push to make its 2007 goals, the Army is boosting the size of its 8,000-member recruiting force with 1,000 to 2,000 assistants - including some former recruiters.
The incentives for joining are getting better for recruits under an Army proposal that military leaders said is needed to fill its ranks during wartime.
Under the plan, men and women who enlist could pick from a variety of incentives, including up to $45,000 tax-free that they accrue during their career to help buy a home or build a business.
The Army also is loosening rules on age and weight limits, education and drug and criminal records.
The percentage of young people who said they plan to join the military has hit a historic low - 16 percent by a Pentagon survey.
Past incentives that helped recruiting numbers include increasing to $20,000 the bonus for troops who join by Sept. 30 and leave for basic training before that date, raising the enlistment age to 42 and allowing recruits to come in with non-offensive tattoos on their hands and neck.
Army Maj. Mark Spear, Gianni's company commander, said the Haverhill recruiting center is one of the most successful in New England.
Spear expects being downtown will help recruiting because of increased pedestrian traffic, and the soldiers will be able to interact better with the local business community.
Uniformed soldiers downtown are a positive addition to an area on the rise, he said.
"With any promotional campaign, it's always about visibility," Spear said.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
They want you
The Army is offering these incentives to new recruits:
$20,000 bonus for troops who join by Sept. 30 and leave for basic training before that date.
$6,000 bonus for recruits with bachelor's degrees.
$5,000 for associate's degrees.
Up to $36,864 for college with a two-year enlistment.
Ellie