thedrifter
01-31-09, 08:08 AM
Always a popular choice here, military career gets added luster from tarnished economy
By LLUVIA RUEDA
January, 30, 2009
As more pink slips are handed to U.S. residents, the U.S. armed forces are fairly glowing with opportunity for would-be recruits.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, recruits for both active-duty and reserve forces hit a high of 21,443 individuals beyond the quota for October, November and December.
That climb in numbers is reflected in Southeast Texas regions, local recruiters said.
Recruitment levels in this area always have been high and remained stable throughout the years, said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Anthony Jones, 32, a recruiter for the Beaumont area. Even so, the recruiters have noticed a slight increase in numbers recently.
Pvt. Blake Hamilton, 20, a recent boot camp graduate and Orange native, said he joined the Marines for the schooling.
"They offer great educational benefits and they give you a chance to see the world," said Hamilton, who expected to work as a mechanic within that branch for the next couple of years. "Now that they are bringing the rest of the troops home, I thought it was a good time to sign up."
The U.S. Department of Defense reported that the Army had 80,517 new recruits, more than any other military branch during the 2008 fiscal year that ended in September.
The Navy came in second with 38,485 recruits, followed by the 37,991 Marine Corps recruits.
The Air Force goal was 27,800 people for active-duty forces during the fiscal year, and 27,848 actually enlisted. In the reserves, the goal was 6,963 but the numbers totaled 7,323.
Technical Sgt. Jose J. Figueroa, 37, an Air Force recruiter, said local offices in that service branch had experienced a 50 percent increase in recruits.
"We have seen more people come in to sign up. Some things, like the hurricane, slowed it (recruitment numbers) down last year, but it hasn't gone down overall," said Figueroa.
"We are doing well. The economy has certainly had an effect on recruitment numbers, according to our marketing analysts," said Chief William Grimes, of the Army's advertising and public affairs recruiting battalion in Houston.
Eileen M. Lainez, a representative for the Office of the Assistant of the Secretary of Defense, said the South contributed the most troops in 2007.
"About 42.6 percent of the new active-duty (non-prior service) recruits came from the South, followed by the West, at 22.5 percent," said Lainez.
Jones attributed that increase to the slowing national economy and the recent hurricanes.
"After the hurricane (Ike) we had a lot of people coming in wanting to sign up. They didn't have any jobs or any other training, so they decided that the military might be the answer," said Jones.
In spite of what might seem a windfall of recruits, the services are fighting some public relations problems.
Suicides involving recruiting officers within the Houston Recruitment Battalion prompted investigations from Army officials. The 2007 deaths of recruiters Larry Flores and Aron Andersson were among the most recent conflicts facing the branch. The high stress level associated with the job led the recruiters to depression and night terrors, family members and friends reported to the Houston Chronicle.
The Army refused to comment on the call for an investigation by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, but Beaumont and Orange recruiters said the negative effects do not extend to the local offices.
The second issue is more perception than truth, because the image of the desperate, non-educated individual is incorrect, Lainez said.
The local station "has been a steady performing station over the years. You'll find that today's military members are diverse …. statistically representative of society as a whole," Lainez wrote in an e-mail to The Enterprise on Jan. 22.
In 2008, the Department of Defense reported that 92 percent of non-prior service recruits had high school diplomas, and 70 percent of those recruits scored in the top half of U.S. statistics in math and verbal aptitude.
The rest of the recruit demographics have remained the same, local officials said. Most are men and high school graduates between the ages of 17 and 27.
Army officials did mention an increase in older recruits nationally, but it isn't happening here, said Grimes.
Jones said he expected the number of recruits to increase as the contents of S.22, also known as the new G.I. Bill and the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007, become more widely known. That legislation offers more educational assistance than the Title 38.
According to the bill's text, individuals who joined the armed forces on or after Sept. 11, 2001, can receive up to $80,000 in grants for higher education purposes, which includes housing and a yearly stipend for books, tuition and other related costs. The offer is good for a period of up to 15 years after the service member's initial enlistment.
"A lot of people don't know about this locally. But once they do, we think that it will make an impact on the community," said Jones.
Jones also said new U.S. leadership and the lowered number of casualties overseas could be factors prompting the new wave of signups.
Keith Kyzar, 17, from Orange, is a recent Army recruit who now attends Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School but will report to boot camp on June 29.
"I decided to join the Army to go to college, get out of Orange County and serve my country," said Kyzar.
Kyzar plans to put in 20 years, retire and make a civilian life using his Army training as a trade.
"I am looking forward to serving and making a tour overseas. That (casualties in Iraq) hasn't really concerned me. I want to say that I have done selfless service and seen a part of the world," Kyzar said.
Elisabeth McIntosh, 21, who recently moved to the area, said she enlisted in the Marines for more traditional reasons.
"My dad was in the military and he always recommended it highly, plus I never really knew what to do in school. I went to college for three years, and then signed up because I thought it would help guide my life," said McIntosh.
Financial benefits were never the issue, but they "certainly help," said McIntosh.
"I really wanted the Marines because of their tradition and the honor that comes with it," she said.
Ellie
By LLUVIA RUEDA
January, 30, 2009
As more pink slips are handed to U.S. residents, the U.S. armed forces are fairly glowing with opportunity for would-be recruits.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, recruits for both active-duty and reserve forces hit a high of 21,443 individuals beyond the quota for October, November and December.
That climb in numbers is reflected in Southeast Texas regions, local recruiters said.
Recruitment levels in this area always have been high and remained stable throughout the years, said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Anthony Jones, 32, a recruiter for the Beaumont area. Even so, the recruiters have noticed a slight increase in numbers recently.
Pvt. Blake Hamilton, 20, a recent boot camp graduate and Orange native, said he joined the Marines for the schooling.
"They offer great educational benefits and they give you a chance to see the world," said Hamilton, who expected to work as a mechanic within that branch for the next couple of years. "Now that they are bringing the rest of the troops home, I thought it was a good time to sign up."
The U.S. Department of Defense reported that the Army had 80,517 new recruits, more than any other military branch during the 2008 fiscal year that ended in September.
The Navy came in second with 38,485 recruits, followed by the 37,991 Marine Corps recruits.
The Air Force goal was 27,800 people for active-duty forces during the fiscal year, and 27,848 actually enlisted. In the reserves, the goal was 6,963 but the numbers totaled 7,323.
Technical Sgt. Jose J. Figueroa, 37, an Air Force recruiter, said local offices in that service branch had experienced a 50 percent increase in recruits.
"We have seen more people come in to sign up. Some things, like the hurricane, slowed it (recruitment numbers) down last year, but it hasn't gone down overall," said Figueroa.
"We are doing well. The economy has certainly had an effect on recruitment numbers, according to our marketing analysts," said Chief William Grimes, of the Army's advertising and public affairs recruiting battalion in Houston.
Eileen M. Lainez, a representative for the Office of the Assistant of the Secretary of Defense, said the South contributed the most troops in 2007.
"About 42.6 percent of the new active-duty (non-prior service) recruits came from the South, followed by the West, at 22.5 percent," said Lainez.
Jones attributed that increase to the slowing national economy and the recent hurricanes.
"After the hurricane (Ike) we had a lot of people coming in wanting to sign up. They didn't have any jobs or any other training, so they decided that the military might be the answer," said Jones.
In spite of what might seem a windfall of recruits, the services are fighting some public relations problems.
Suicides involving recruiting officers within the Houston Recruitment Battalion prompted investigations from Army officials. The 2007 deaths of recruiters Larry Flores and Aron Andersson were among the most recent conflicts facing the branch. The high stress level associated with the job led the recruiters to depression and night terrors, family members and friends reported to the Houston Chronicle.
The Army refused to comment on the call for an investigation by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, but Beaumont and Orange recruiters said the negative effects do not extend to the local offices.
The second issue is more perception than truth, because the image of the desperate, non-educated individual is incorrect, Lainez said.
The local station "has been a steady performing station over the years. You'll find that today's military members are diverse …. statistically representative of society as a whole," Lainez wrote in an e-mail to The Enterprise on Jan. 22.
In 2008, the Department of Defense reported that 92 percent of non-prior service recruits had high school diplomas, and 70 percent of those recruits scored in the top half of U.S. statistics in math and verbal aptitude.
The rest of the recruit demographics have remained the same, local officials said. Most are men and high school graduates between the ages of 17 and 27.
Army officials did mention an increase in older recruits nationally, but it isn't happening here, said Grimes.
Jones said he expected the number of recruits to increase as the contents of S.22, also known as the new G.I. Bill and the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007, become more widely known. That legislation offers more educational assistance than the Title 38.
According to the bill's text, individuals who joined the armed forces on or after Sept. 11, 2001, can receive up to $80,000 in grants for higher education purposes, which includes housing and a yearly stipend for books, tuition and other related costs. The offer is good for a period of up to 15 years after the service member's initial enlistment.
"A lot of people don't know about this locally. But once they do, we think that it will make an impact on the community," said Jones.
Jones also said new U.S. leadership and the lowered number of casualties overseas could be factors prompting the new wave of signups.
Keith Kyzar, 17, from Orange, is a recent Army recruit who now attends Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School but will report to boot camp on June 29.
"I decided to join the Army to go to college, get out of Orange County and serve my country," said Kyzar.
Kyzar plans to put in 20 years, retire and make a civilian life using his Army training as a trade.
"I am looking forward to serving and making a tour overseas. That (casualties in Iraq) hasn't really concerned me. I want to say that I have done selfless service and seen a part of the world," Kyzar said.
Elisabeth McIntosh, 21, who recently moved to the area, said she enlisted in the Marines for more traditional reasons.
"My dad was in the military and he always recommended it highly, plus I never really knew what to do in school. I went to college for three years, and then signed up because I thought it would help guide my life," said McIntosh.
Financial benefits were never the issue, but they "certainly help," said McIntosh.
"I really wanted the Marines because of their tradition and the honor that comes with it," she said.
Ellie