Thread: Recession, patriotism boost National Guard numbers

Recession, patriotism boost National Guard numbers

By Ben Jones and Emily Bazar, USA TODAY

The Army National Guard witnessed a recruiting surge in small-town Waupaca, Wis., when the Zalusky sisters decided to enlist.

Rachel, Amanda and Julie are 17-year-old triplets and high school seniors. They joined together in the fall, the last of six siblings to sign up.

"It opens a new doorway to our life," Rachel says.

"I wanted to help the country a little bit," Julie adds.

The wave in Guard enlistments isn't unique to Waupaca. After years spent scraping for recruits, the Army National Guard has a surplus of soldiers nationwide. National Guard members respond to emergencies in the USA and serve combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The reason for the growth may be as much pocketbook as it is patriotism. In this faltering economy, National Guard benefits that include monetary bonuses and tuition assistance are reeling in applicants, recruiters and recruits say.

"There are more people calling me right now who are searching for jobs," says Master Sgt. Nathan Breese, a recruiter for the Arizona Army National Guard. "We're probably one of the only places still accepting applications."

"Tons" of people are trying to sign up, Breese says, but his office rejects 75% because the National Guard has too many soldiers.

Standards, too, have been tightened as demand has grown. The maximum enlistment age has been reduced from 42 to 35, Breese says, and candidates with GEDs are no longer eligible.

Kirk Downing, 25, of Fort Myers, Fla., starts basic training on July 8. He gets a $10,000 bonus and hopes to use tuition benefits to train as a firefighter and paramedic.

The federal government provides up to $4,500 annually to help National Guard soldiers pay tuition and fees at accredited institutions, says Randy Noller, spokesman for the National Guard Bureau. States may also provide additional tuition aid.

"I never, ever dreamed I'd join a branch of the military until I got laid off from two jobs consecutively," Downing says.

A year ago, Downing was let go from his marketing job at an auto sales magazine. He got a sales job at a furniture store, but that lasted six months.

"The economy got worse and worse," he says. "They had more salespeople than they had customers."

In Pennsylvania, tuition benefits are the biggest lure, says Lt. Col. Chris Cleaver, spokesman for the Pennsylvania National Guard.

Budget cuts are forcing recruiters to take on other jobs in the organization, but the need for them has decreased anyway because they have been "overly successful," Cleaver says.

"If I were to isolate one economic reason why people join … it would be in response to the skyrocketing cost of tuition," he says.

The Zalusky triplets are among recruits who plan to take advantage of tuition aid. They want to work as cooks in the National Guard. After four months of training, which starts in September, they plan to go to school.

"They have really good benefits," says Rachel, who along with sister Amanda, wants to become a chef.

The triplets' brother David, 19, is serving in Iraq and brother Dan, 20, is in advanced training. Their 18-year-old sister, Sarah, attended basic training in August but was discharged because of her asthma, Rachel says.

The triplets say their siblings' service, more than the economy, is what inspired them to join.

For Pfc. Salvador Montecillo, 21, of San Jacinto, Calif., service to his country was his primary motivation to join the California Army National Guard in April. He had enlisted in the Army in 2005, but was discharged to care for his grandmother.

He says it's "an honor" to serve his country again.

"I have a long family history of men serving in the military during wartime, and I wanted to continue my family heritage," Montecillo says.

Jones reports for The Post-Crescent in Appleton, Wis. Contributing: Dennis Wagner, The Arizona Republic in Phoenix; Laura Ruane, The News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla; Stefanie Frith, The Desert-Sun in Palm Springs, Calif.; Andrew Seaman.

Recruiting surplus

National Guard units throughout the country are surpassing their recruiting goals, as improved bonuses and a worsening economy have stimulated recruiting. percentage of National Guard 2009 recruiting targets met, compared with jobless rate, by state:

State

March 2009 jobless rate

Percent of recruiting target met

Alabama 9.0% 112.6%

Alaska 8.5% 115.6%

Arizona 7.8% 108.1%

Arkansas 6.5% 107.7%

California 11.2% 97.6%

Colorado 7.5% 123.0%

Connecticut 7.5% 109.4%

Delaware 7.7% 126.9%

District of Columbia 9.8% 112.8%

Florida 9.7% 117.1%

Georgia 9.2% 154.1%

Hawaii 7.1% 101.5%

Idaho 7.0% 186.7%

Illinois 9.1% 93.1%

Indiana 10.0% 107.2%

Iowa 5.2% 109.1%

Kansas 6.1% 108.1%

Kentucky 9.8% 88.0%

Louisiana 5.8% 100.1%

Maine 8.1% 125.3%

Maryland 6.9% 124.3%

Massachusetts 7.8% 111.0%

Michigan 12.6% 116.2%

Minnesota 8.2% 116.2%

Mississippi 9.4% 118.4%

Missouri 8.7% 111.2%

Montana 6.1% 131.7%

Nebraska 4.6% 119.4%

Nevada 10.4% 164.7%

New Hampshire 6.2% 122.9%

New Jersey 8.3% 81.4%

New Mexico 5.9% 118.0%

New York 7.8% 107.6%

North Carolina 10.8% 109.7%

North Dakota 4.2% 87.0%

Ohio 9.7% 123.3%

Oklahoma 5.9% 93.1%

Oregon 12.1% 109.8%

Pennsylvania 7.8% 89.3%

Rhode Island 10.5% 126.7%

South Carolina 11.4% 132.3%

South Dakota 4.9% 147.4%

Tennessee 9.6% 109.4%

Texas 6.7% 116.9%

Utah 5.2% 115.5%

Vermont 7.2% 121.3%

Virginia 6.8% 95.4%

Washington 9.2% 115.2%

West Virginia 6.9% 94.0%

Wisconsin 8.5% 131.7%

Wyoming 4.5% 156.7%

United States average 8.5% 114.8%
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Put all of the extra troops on the Mexican border to stop the invasion of our country by Mexican drug gang members and MILLIONS of other illegal aliens from Mexico