Enlistments grow despite slipping support for Iraq war
All branches of the military are meeting expected recruitment goals as young Americans look for work during the recession

Eric Seals/Knight Ridder Newspapers Recruits from Platoon 2004 at Parris Island, S.C., watch as Sgt. Johnnie Hughes shows them the proper way to march.

By Patrick S. Pemberton
Knight Ridder Newspapers

(KRT) San Luis Obispo, Calif-Lisa Fay doesn't agree with the war in Iraq, but she's joining the Army anyway.

A 4-year stint will allow her to receive the training she needs to become a mental health specialist, which could lead to a career in social services, the Oceano, Calif. teen said.

When he enters the Army next spring, Jason Scaroni will already have a degree in computer science from California Polytechnical Institute. But he would like the Army to pay off his student loans.

The Army will pay up to $65,000 in school loans. Scaroni has around $30,000, she said.

"So that will take care of all of my loan debt," said the San Luis Obispo, resident.

Even though support for military involvement in Iraq is waning (the country is now evenly split, according to several polls conducted last month), all branches of the service are meeting their enlistment quotas.

"Things have been going very, very well," said Douglas Smith, a spokesman for the Army Recruiting Command in Georgia. "We've made our recruiting mission for the year."

Last month, the Army's goal was to recruit 6,400 new enlistees nationwide. It signed up 6,594.

Critics say the war in Iraq has been too costly, has resulted in further instability in the Middle East and worst of all has resulted in the deaths of more than 430 U.S. troops as of press time.

The possibility of encountering danger has sparked questions from potential recruits and their parents, Cromer said. But the odds of getting killed in Iraq are slim, he said.

"It's concerning to a lot of people, of course," Cromer said. "But I don't see a big impact as far as enlistments."

To help keep the military supplied with troops, the federal government has increased expenses for recruiters.

This fiscal year, the Army spent $321 million-up $146 million from a decade ago-on travel, cell phones, laptops and other materials for recruiters. Meanwhile, its advertising budget has nearly doubled-to $227 million-in the past four years.

And the military has boosted incentives to join.

The Army, which has targeted college students and college-bound high schoolers, started experimenting with 15-month terms of service to appeal to those reluctant to commit to the previous minimum commitment of two years.

Meanwhile, the G.I. Bill will pay more money for schooling (up to $50,000) once a soldier finishes a stint. And those who have already graduated from college can have up to $65,000 repaid by the service.

In addition to that, some recruits receive cash bonuses of up to $20,000 (depending on factors like prior education and assignment), and many will receive training that could make them more marketable in civilian life.

All that can be appealing, especially when the economy is still recovering from a 2001 recession that put two million people out of work.

"Basically, the military is my last resort in life," said Jamie Gooch, 25, of Atascadero, Calif.

Gooch, who has a wife and 3-year-old daughter, said he can't find stable work and he cannot afford to go to school. So he'll get training in aircraft repair in the Army.

"Right now it's so tight with money-with all the bills and stuff-the Army is basically it."

The economy made significant gains in the third quarter of this year, but economists say job growth is still slow.

And many high school graduates are weary of having to spend years paying off loan debts.

While Lisa Fay, 17, is enlisting to receive training for a career, her 18-year-old sister, Susan, enlisted in the National Guard reserves last summer to earn money for school.

"We kind of looked around and were like, 'Darn, school's expensive,'" said Susan Fay's mother, Kelly.

Kelly Fay's husband took out a loan to pay for his own classes at Allan Hancock College and spent .

10 years paying off the debt. So, when her daughter talked to a recruiter, she said, it made sense to have the military pay for her education.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 64 percent of students have to take out loans for college. The average debt upon graduation is roughly $17,000.

Susan Fay hopes the National Guard will pay for her to become a psychiatrist.

While the Army will pay Scaroni's loan debts, he also will receive a $20,000 signing bonus and training as a linguist.

He's hoping to learn Arabic.

When the 24-year-old told his friends and family that he planned to enlist, they initially had a difficult time accepting why a college graduate with good prospects would possibly put himself in harm's way by joining the military.

"It took my parents a little while to warm up to it," he said. "And some of my friends were like, 'Wait, aren't you studying computer programming? Why don't you just get a job, where you're going to make lots of money?'"

There is a chance he could score a good-paying job upon graduation, he said. "But it's important to me to serve my country. And once you explain that to them, they're like, 'Well, that's pretty cool.'"

The downside, of course, is that he could be sent to a troubled area, and his life could be in jeopardy-generally not a concern for computer programming grads.

"I know what could happen," he said. "But if the Army decides they need me to go to Iraq, I'm fine with that."

Kelly Fay was OK with her older daughter joining the reserves. But she's more apprehensive to see Lisa go full time.

"They own her for however many years," said Kelly Fay, whose son, Bart, is also joining the National Guard. "If she gets shipped to Kuwait or somewhere over there, that'd be a little scary."

Lisa Fay isn't overly concerned, though.

"I'm not going to be trained in the infantry, so I don't have to worry about that," she said.

Though she doesn't support the involvement in Iraq, Lisa Fay said, she hopes to be able to help those who are there.

"I think it's important to support our troops, although what we're fighting for might not be the best thing."

At the Army recruitment office in San Luis Obispo, a few of the newest recruits, including Lisa Fay, Gooch and Scaroni, gathered recently to watch videos and DVD presentations about different programs available.

On one wall, photos of President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld hung side by side, near several motivational posters.

On those posters, the once ubiquitous "Be All You Can Be" slogan has now been replaced with a new one: "Army of One."

Many enlistees, Cromer said, will take advantage of the incentives offered for schooling. But for some, the service provides an opportunity no one else has offered.

After struggling to make ends meet, Gooch is ready to move his family out of California, hopefully to better fortunes.

"I'll finally get to pass the Mississippi River for once," he said.

To enlist in the armed services, recruits must:

*have a high school diploma or GED
*pass an aptitude test
*be drug free
*pass a physical test
*pass a background test

Some criminal offenses can be overlooked with a waiver from a review committee.