Army on track to meet recruiting, retention goals

By Sgt. 1st Class Marcia Triggs

May 26, 2004

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, May 26, 2004) -- One of the Army’s most deployed divisions is on schedule to meet its retention goals for fiscal year 2004, and the rest of the Army appears to be on track as well.

Media coverage -- not always favorable of the war -- has apparently not deterred America’s youth from enlisting in the armed forces. Recruiting numbers so far have surpassed expected quotas.

Last week 15 Soldiers re-enlisted at Fort Drum, N.Y., boosting the numbers for the 10th Mountain Division this fiscal year to about 200.

“Retention is a priority because if you don’t keep skilled Soldiers in boots, you can’t go to war and fight as effectively,” said Sgt. 1st Class Randall Goodine, a Fort Drum career counselor.

The Army and Army Reserve retention goal for FY04 is 28,201, and the Army remains guardedly optimistic that it will achieve all retention goals for this fiscal year, said officials from the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, G1.

The active Army has achieved 98 percent of its year-to-date mission, the Army Reserve has achieved 96 percent of its YTD mission. The National Guard has retained almost 130 percent of its YTD mission. A percentage of the Army Guard retention numbers include involuntary extensions due to Stop Loss, National Guard officials said.

In order to continue to meet retention missions, it is important that the Army fund advertising, marketing, well-being programs and incentives at the highest possible levels, G1 officials said.

Drum Soldiers have deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, and Goodine said back-to-back deployments haven’t deterred Soldiers from re-enlisting because “We have a lot of professionals that enjoy what they’re doing and are here to protect America’s freedoms.”

One of those professionals is Spc. Elton Thomas who has been to Afghanistan twice since the Global War on Terrorism began in 2001. “I like the Army,” said Thomas, who recently re-enlisted for three years. “I like what it represents. It’s life for me.”

There is no one reason why Soldiers re-enlist. A Soldier from Fort Myer, Va., said he re-enlisted for professional development.

“I’m currently a male administrative specialist, and I’m afraid when I go back in the civilian world there won’t be very many jobs I can fill,” said Spc. Marques Washington.

The next move for Washington is changing military specialties and becoming a medical equipment repairer. “I’ve been around a lot of great people who have helped me along the way, and if I can help anyone it would be to say, `if you re-enlist give 100 percent and never regret your decision.’”

The announcement of the FY04 Present Duty Assignment Targeted Selective Re-enlistment Bonus -- for personnel assigned to units in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait, where Soldiers received a bonus of $5,000 along with updates to the regular Selective Reenlistment Bonus program -- have helped improve retention results, G1 officials said.

All Army components are working to preserve power and improve readiness, officials said, by developing and implementing new initiatives to enhance retention efforts. Legislative revisions are being monitored to provide greater flexibility in the types and amounts of incentives that can be given to Soldiers deploying to or returning from supporting GWOT, officials added.

While career counselors and G1 officials work at retaining qualified troops, recruiters continue to scout out potential recruits to put in fatigues.

Most people want to succeed in life, and that’s just what the Army offers, said Sgt. 1st Class John McClain, the station commander for the Winchester, Va., recruiting office.

The Army has enlisted 41,467 individuals so far this fiscal year – 115 more than expected. The Army Reserve has exceeded its YTD mission by 51 – recruiting 9,449 so far this fiscal year.

McClain said that recruiters at his Winchester station have already met 98 percent of their mission requirements for this fiscal year.

“Only a few recruits have asked if it’s a chance they may get deployed, and the fact is yes.” McClain said. “How can you not expect it. It’s like volunteering to be a firefighter, but not expecting to put out fires.”

1 posted on 05/27/2004 2:15:50 PM PDT by Ragtime Cowgirl

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Of course they are on track, just more media hogwash.

2 posted on 05/27/2004 2:18:50 PM PDT by CasearianDaoist

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Paging David "Hack" Hackworth. Were you misinformed, or did you just lie?

3 posted on 05/27/2004 2:19:42 PM PDT by Bahbah

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Hackworth: Draft Inevitable, Soldiers Voting With Their Feet

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1143197/posts

4 posted on 05/27/2004 2:19:55 PM PDT by Deadeye Division

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

More news to hide from the public.

5 posted on 05/27/2004 2:20:09 PM PDT by Mister Baredog ((The French can"t even build an airport))

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

THANK you, Rags. Good find - even if it IS Gannett.

6 posted on 05/27/2004 2:22:15 PM PDT by Old Sarge (It's not Bush's fault - It's THE MEDIA'S fault!)

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Jobs, jobs, jobs. It is all about jobs. I just know these people would not be in the military if they could find a good $100,00, all benefits, all retirement, all medical, 25 hour work week, all expenses paid, job down at Burger King or some place like that where they would not have to work hard and could have plenty of time off like the french and germans do. Jobs, jobs, jobs. It is all about jobs. It is Bush's fault that there are no good jobs. Outsourcing, jobs all gone, Bush's fault. Rummy's fault. Algore or John F'n Flip-flop-Fonda-Kerry would have good jobs for these people and we would not need a military to put these people to work. Why, we could have done away with the mean ole military if there were plenty of jobs. Yes, it is about jobs, jobs, and more jobs. 10 MILLION jobs according to Flip. He can create 10 million of those babies. (rant / sarcasm now off, maybe).

7 posted on 05/27/2004 2:23:12 PM PDT by RetiredArmy ( I am a Vietnam Vet, thus I am a war criminal according to Flip Kerry.)

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Great news! Maybe the liberals will stop whining about the draft for a little while.

9 posted on 05/27/2004 2:25:26 PM PDT by GaltMeister (This is not my tagline. My family has it. The tagline belongs to my family.)

ARNEWS is not Gannett. ARNEWS is part of the Army Public Affairs department.

10 posted on 05/27/2004 2:26:07 PM PDT by aft_lizard (I actually voted for John Kerry before I voted against him)

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Staff Sgt. Jose Salazar, with Alpha Company, 1st Engineer Battalion, pets a cow while on patrol in Ramadi, Iraq, on Wednesday.

Soldier petting cow photo. Actually, SSG Salazar is checking this dude out for possible steaks for dinner!!!!!!!!!

11 posted on 05/27/2004 2:26:48 PM PDT by RetiredArmy ( I am a Vietnam Vet, thus I am a war criminal according to Flip Kerry.)

Okay - saw the Army Times photos. Don't get me banned! (G)

12 posted on 05/27/2004 2:28:02 PM PDT by Old Sarge (It's not Bush's fault - It's THE MEDIA'S fault!)

To: TEXOKIE; xzins; Alamo-Girl; blackie; SandRat; Calpernia; SAMWolf; prairiebreeze; MEG33; ...

Media coverage -- not always favorable of the war -- has apparently not deterred America’s youth from enlisting in the armed forces. Recruiting numbers so far have surpassed expected quotas.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Good news for the good guys!

To America's Soldiers

~ { ~

Thank you!

13 posted on 05/27/2004 2:35:00 PM PDT by Ragtime Cowgirl

To: Deadeye Division

I can't see why real soldiers wouldn't want to to be in now. They actually get to do the real thing instead of just practice like the peacetime military.

There won't be a shortage until there is a need for millions upon millions of soldiers to fill the ranks.

14 posted on 05/27/2004 2:36:34 PM PDT by glorgau

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Twin .50s --mmmmmm.....

15 posted on 05/27/2004 2:36:38 PM PDT by jjm2111

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

BULLSH!T

I for one can't believe this.... Possibly the lack of job for "lackluster" mos's (military occupation specialty) such as an admin clerk or other jobs which the civilian counterpart doesn't pay as well will stay in. However as a member in the military intelligence corps I for one will be leaving the military as soon as I can, as will pretty much every other military intelligence personnel that I know.

Anyway, the topic of this post is to inform you, the citizen of the problems that lie within the retention ratio per MOS. The "important" MOS's (I base this conclusion on the deployment tempo per MOS for the needs of the army, which are at the moment Military Intelligence personnel and Military Police personnel) are the most deployed soldiers in the military today. In the last 21 months I have been deployed for 18 of them. This is the sole basis of my use of the term "important". The important MOS's are all leaving!!!! They are not staying in by any stretch of the imagination. This will cause a very big problem i.e. the army will need to fill these "important" positions much more quickly then other "non important MOS's" meaning that by the end of the 05 fiscal year it will probably be easier to get a job in the military intelligence corps then any other corps in the army... meaning.. they will be accepting "everyone and anyone" to meet their quota's. Think about this for 2 seconds as the standard for the military intelligence corps goes further and further down because no one is willing to re-enlist... you are going to have a bunch of deviates that will soon be occupying the entire corps. A couple reasons for this 1) the deployment tempo... we're never in the states... ever... and the pay and benefits of the civilian counterpart.

One more question for that article that I just saw... if the retention is "meeting their goals and in some cases over achieving their expectations" why is the army implementing stop loss and even considering activating the inactive reserve for future deployments.... I only have one answer... it's a bunch of hogwash.

16 posted on 05/27/2004 2:40:42 PM PDT by Antomine

Maybe the liberals will stop whining about the draft for a little while.

Not a chance. It's up to us to spread this good news and take the battle to the Libs.

17 posted on 05/27/2004 2:42:06 PM PDT by capydick ("Vigilance, not appeasement, is the byword of living freedoms.")

People are joining and staying in more and more, not for financial reasons, but for patriotic reasons.

18 posted on 05/27/2004 2:54:10 PM PDT by gilliam

To: Deadeye Division

Use to have a grear deal of respect for "Hack", read most of his books, even have one signed by him. Hack has had a whole string of bad calls going back to March of last year. He was getting a lot of "talking head" time which dropped off considerably after he was proven wrong so many times, his expert opinion on military matters in Iraq was badly tarnished. This in turn caused the troops to lose confidence in him ... which means his main source of inside info aren't talking to him. That's bad for Hack ...

19 posted on 05/27/2004 2:54:26 PM PDT by BluH2o

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Media coverage -- not always favorable of the war -- has apparently not deterred America’s youth from enlisting in the armed forces. Recruiting numbers so far have surpassed expected quotas.

How can this possibly be? David Hackworth says that we're going to need a draft because the military is not able to keep it's soldiers because they all hate the war in Iraq! /sarcasm

20 posted on 05/27/2004 5:00:46 PM PDT by SuziQ (Bush in 2004/Because we Must!!! (Bombard))

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794