thedrifter
03-25-08, 07:16 AM
Recruiting levels steady
By Mike Cronin
For The Valley Independent
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, entering their sixth years, haven't stopped the military from reaching or exceeding recruitment goals each year since 2003, according to data provided by the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.
News of 4,500 Americans being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and of veterans suffering psychological problems due to multiple redeployments have not deterred many western Pennsylvania high school and college students who have chosen to enter the armed services.
"I believe in the war; it's a good idea," said Brad Egan, 17, a senior at West Mifflin Area High School who plans to attend West Virginia University in the fall on an Army ROTC scholarship. "I support the president and the government. Whatever they say is right. I don't mean to sound like a robot. But they know what's right for the country and the world."
Some western Pennsylvania high school and college students join the armed services for traditional peacetime reasons: college tuition, job training, life experience or because they've always wanted to. None of the 12 young men and women interviewed for this article said they were joining the military specifically to go to war.
"That's unusual - to enlist very pointedly and obviously for reasons that overlook the fact that we're in a war," said Mark Grimsley, a military historian and professor at The Ohio State University. "But, once you get past the nightly news, how many cues are there to demonstrate that we're at war with anybody? It's not a wartime atmosphere. People are not being asked to sacrifice. Maybe it's not strange to ask young people to enlist for those nonwartime reasons."
Lane Murphy, 18, a senior at West Allegheny High School, said he plans to enlist in the Air Force "as a steppingstone" to becoming a science teacher.
"At first, my parents were worried," Murphy said. "But they talked to the recruiter. They compared what it was to what they thought it was and they felt better."
Speaking directly to parents is a strategy military recruiters say is becoming more common.
"We're recruiting the entire family, not just the soldier," said Gary Vezza, director of advertising and public affairs for the Army's Harrisburg recruiting battalion, which is responsible for recruiting in the Pittsburgh region. "We talk to the family a lot more closely so they know exactly what's going to happen."
That approach could avert a decline in recruits that some military analysts fear. In a 2007 Department of Defense youth poll, 67 percent of respondents said the war on terrorism made them less likely to join the military.
"In the past two years, there has also been a drop in 'positive propensity to serve' among American youth," said Lawrence Kapp, a military manpower policy specialist for the Congressional Research Service in Washington. "This decline in 'propensity' has generated concerns about the ability of the military, and especially the Army, to meet its quantity and quality goals in coming years."
Yet the war on terror is irrelevant to Western Pennsylvanian recruits such as Cynthia Sekscinski, 20, of Leechburg. She's a sophomore and Army ROTC cadet at Indiana University of Pennsylvania who will deploy to Iraq in the fall with the Army Reserve. After a year there, Sekscinski will return to graduate and be commissioned as a second lieutenant.
"I did this for myself," she said. "It's just something I did. I just wanted to join the Army. A couple people said I'd never make it, that I was too girly, that I was dumb. I proved them all wrong. Now younger girls who are joining the Army are like, 'if she can do it, I can do it.'"
As for whether America's men and women should be at war at all, Sekscinski said she doesn't have an opinion.
"When it comes to the war, I don't really like to make a statement about it," she said. "I like to keep it to myself. It's too much controversy for me."
Robert Citino, a military historian and professor at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, said he understands that way of thinking.
"That's the sort of person that does go into the Army," Citino said. "They are more trusting of government than perhaps another person. Maybe they're just getting ready for what they're going to have to do in the Army. It rarely goes well for the soldier when they occasionally step out and give candid views."
Mike Cronin can be reached at mcronin@tribweb.com or 412-320-7884.
Ellie
By Mike Cronin
For The Valley Independent
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, entering their sixth years, haven't stopped the military from reaching or exceeding recruitment goals each year since 2003, according to data provided by the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.
News of 4,500 Americans being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and of veterans suffering psychological problems due to multiple redeployments have not deterred many western Pennsylvania high school and college students who have chosen to enter the armed services.
"I believe in the war; it's a good idea," said Brad Egan, 17, a senior at West Mifflin Area High School who plans to attend West Virginia University in the fall on an Army ROTC scholarship. "I support the president and the government. Whatever they say is right. I don't mean to sound like a robot. But they know what's right for the country and the world."
Some western Pennsylvania high school and college students join the armed services for traditional peacetime reasons: college tuition, job training, life experience or because they've always wanted to. None of the 12 young men and women interviewed for this article said they were joining the military specifically to go to war.
"That's unusual - to enlist very pointedly and obviously for reasons that overlook the fact that we're in a war," said Mark Grimsley, a military historian and professor at The Ohio State University. "But, once you get past the nightly news, how many cues are there to demonstrate that we're at war with anybody? It's not a wartime atmosphere. People are not being asked to sacrifice. Maybe it's not strange to ask young people to enlist for those nonwartime reasons."
Lane Murphy, 18, a senior at West Allegheny High School, said he plans to enlist in the Air Force "as a steppingstone" to becoming a science teacher.
"At first, my parents were worried," Murphy said. "But they talked to the recruiter. They compared what it was to what they thought it was and they felt better."
Speaking directly to parents is a strategy military recruiters say is becoming more common.
"We're recruiting the entire family, not just the soldier," said Gary Vezza, director of advertising and public affairs for the Army's Harrisburg recruiting battalion, which is responsible for recruiting in the Pittsburgh region. "We talk to the family a lot more closely so they know exactly what's going to happen."
That approach could avert a decline in recruits that some military analysts fear. In a 2007 Department of Defense youth poll, 67 percent of respondents said the war on terrorism made them less likely to join the military.
"In the past two years, there has also been a drop in 'positive propensity to serve' among American youth," said Lawrence Kapp, a military manpower policy specialist for the Congressional Research Service in Washington. "This decline in 'propensity' has generated concerns about the ability of the military, and especially the Army, to meet its quantity and quality goals in coming years."
Yet the war on terror is irrelevant to Western Pennsylvanian recruits such as Cynthia Sekscinski, 20, of Leechburg. She's a sophomore and Army ROTC cadet at Indiana University of Pennsylvania who will deploy to Iraq in the fall with the Army Reserve. After a year there, Sekscinski will return to graduate and be commissioned as a second lieutenant.
"I did this for myself," she said. "It's just something I did. I just wanted to join the Army. A couple people said I'd never make it, that I was too girly, that I was dumb. I proved them all wrong. Now younger girls who are joining the Army are like, 'if she can do it, I can do it.'"
As for whether America's men and women should be at war at all, Sekscinski said she doesn't have an opinion.
"When it comes to the war, I don't really like to make a statement about it," she said. "I like to keep it to myself. It's too much controversy for me."
Robert Citino, a military historian and professor at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, said he understands that way of thinking.
"That's the sort of person that does go into the Army," Citino said. "They are more trusting of government than perhaps another person. Maybe they're just getting ready for what they're going to have to do in the Army. It rarely goes well for the soldier when they occasionally step out and give candid views."
Mike Cronin can be reached at mcronin@tribweb.com or 412-320-7884.
Ellie