Posted on 08/22/2005 8:55:16 AM PDT by KeyLargo
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Monday, August 22, 2005 10:40 AM CDT
Region taking lead in military recruiting BY CHRISTINE KRALY Times Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON | Last month, 19-year-old Nichole Weber did something military officials say hasn't been done often enough this year.
The Hobart native decided to become one of the Army's newest "future soldiers," as recruiters call them.
"I needed to do something to better myself and better my future, and to do something for my country," Weber said.
She is one of roughly 1,500 Hoosiers who have signed on in what's become a dismal year of recruiting for the Army and its fellow armed services.
With a little more than a month before the end of the fiscal year, the Army has recruited roughly 60 percent of its year-end goal of 80,000 enlistees, a number officials have acknowledged they will not reach. It fell short of its end-June goal, as well, reaching 86 percent.
The last time the Army had a national goal of 80,000 was in 2000, and this is the first year since then that it had missed monthly recruiting goals.
Certain pockets of the country have experienced better Army recruitment success than others, and Indiana has fared well, meeting 77 percent of its year-end goal as of July 1.
Numbers vary within the region. Recruiters in Highland have achieved 51 percent of their goal, while those in Merrillville have attained 61 percent, and those in Valparaiso have reached 67 percent.
Officers at the Chicago Recruiting Battalion, which covers Northern Illinois and Chicago, expect to achieve about 50 percent success, as compared to 63 percent from last year.
Updated estimates through the end of July for both states were not yet available.
Last month, Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Franklin Hagenback told the House Armed Services Committee that the Army, Army Reserve and National Guard likely will miss this year's national recruiting goals.
"Recruiting soldiers who are confident, adaptive and competent ... is highly competitive and very challenging," Hagenback said.
The armed services have suffered low recruiting numbers across the board this year, with the Army experiencing the smallest percentages.
Military officials hope that the number of new recruits will spike by the end of the summer, months when recruiting is usually higher.
Sgt. Jeff Stensrud, a recruiter from the Army's Merrillville recruiting station who enlisted Weber, said that while he has seen a decline in the number of people visiting his office during the past few years, it's possible he and his colleagues will meet their year-end goal.
The key, he said, is in continuing to educate the community about the military's benefits and by helping assuage fears about fighting in a war. Stensrud said he has worked hard with local youths and their families
"They don't want to lose a son or daughter," he said.
Stensrud, who served overseas in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, said hearing from soldiers who have served in conflict-ridden areas is important. He and returning soldiers from the region try to remind high school students that people can be hurt or killed anywhere, not just in a war zone.
"If you go outside and you're in Gary somewhere, you have a high percentage of either getting in trouble or getting hurt, too," he said.
Justin Ward, public affairs specialist with the Chicago Battalion, said the war in Iraq hasn't hurt recruiting in the Chicago area much and that some new recruits have been propelled by patriotism to enlist.
"I think the war spurred some people to join the military," Ward said. "I don't believe that there is one thing you can point to that has changed things dramatically for us."
Merrillville High School counselor Michelle Sulich agreed.
"A lot of kids come in now and say, 'I'm ready to go,'" Sulich said. "A lot firmly believe they were born to be soldiers."
One factor that has affected recruiting throughout the Chicago area to some extent is a relatively low unemployment rate, Ward said.
"For us to try to convince someone who already has a good job to join the military makes our job a lot harder," he said.
A report released from the Bureau of Labor Statistics earlier this month showed that Illinois and Indiana have slightly lower or about the same unemployment rates from this time last year.
To help boost their numbers, the Army last month offered a slew of incentives to new soldiers, including bonuses of as much as $14,400.
And the sales pitch doesn't stop at the federal level.
To drum up interest, local recruiters visit schools, malls, community centers and more scouring for interested young people. They also hold events like one last week at National Tire and Battery in Merrillville. Recruiters spoke to teens and answered questions about the Army from some high school freshmen attending the event.
And although recruiters didn't sign up any new recruits, events such as these are important to raise awareness within the community, said Sgt. Cynthia Reed, of the Merrillville office.
For Weber, it wasn't the war or a cushy job that kept her from enlisting. After spending a year studying nursing at Indiana University Northwest and after watching her brother and boyfriend enlist in the Army, she decided to follow suit.
She plans to finish her nursing degree while she serves, and she's nervous and excited about boot camp starting Aug. 25 at Fort Jackson in South Carolina.
"I definitely think this is a good opportunity for people to make a difference in their lives and the futures," she said.
It is even hard to believe it was published by the Hammond Times, considering how biased they are.
As a Hoosier I am proud and not at all surprised!
I'm a Hoosier too, and our young men and women make me mighty proud.
Hoosiers Lead the Way! We need a banner!
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