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Navy Petty Officer Charles Jones (right) talks to Leonardo Rivera, 30,
Army National Guard recruiter Bradley Patty talks with recruit Michael Buffum, 17, of Fredericksburg at the armory in the city on Friday.
Recruit Robert Demmick, 24, of King George salutes the Navy's Nicholas Reese at a local recruiting station. |
BY RUSTY DENNEN
Anthony Parrish Jr. recently walked into the Navy recruiting office here and decided to join up.
Parrish, 22, is well aware that, with the war in Iraq winding down and the focus shifting to Afghanistan, it's still a dangerous time to be in the military.
But he figures that being on a ship will keep him out of harm's way, and he has other, practical concerns-- namely a better job and a career.
"The economy is not the big factor, but I wanted more of a secure job," he said. Interest in the military tends to rise with unemployment.
The Stafford County resident had been working at a local running store, and before that drawing blood as a phlebotomist.
Parrish is among the hundreds of mostly young men and women who have visited local recruiters in recent months. The Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard all have offices in a small strip shopping center off State Route 3 in Spotsylvania County.
"My dad was in the Air Force, and I wanted a military career. I decided to join the Navy because I wanted to move to travel," Parrish said. "And it's the perfect way to pay for school."
According to the Department of Defense, recruiting offices across the nation have been doing well in these uncertain times. During the last fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 2007, and ended Sept. 30, 2008, the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines all were at or above recruiting goals for the period, signing up a total of 184,831 recruits.
The "applicants," as the Navy calls them, typically are greeted by a recruiter who tells them about the process and what they need to do, and about the benefits of a Navy enlistment.
Petty Officer Charles Jones, 36, with 18 years in the Navy, is one of four recruiters. He likes to make a good first impression.
With close-cropped hair, a crisp uniform and a ready handshake, he is the Navy to walk-ins. "You don't want people coming in looking for a Cadillac and getting a Yugo," he says, smiling. "Mostly we try to make them feel comfortable, because it's a big step."
Tuition, steady job
Each of the recruiters might see 10 applicants a week. Their choice demographic is 17- to 25-year-olds, though some of the recruits are older. For the Navy, they can be no older than 35 at boot camp.
Generally, Jones says, "They're looking at educational opportunity, for a steady job, and some just want to get out of Virginia. I had a guy in here two days ago who was 18 years old, working two jobs."
Some of the goodies he can offer: signing bonuses, which can range from $2,000 to $40,000, depending on the person and skill, and education funds such as the Program Afloat for College Education, Tuition Assistance, and American Accreditation for Education programs. There's also the G.I. Bill, a longtime tuition-assistance aid.
"Some applicants come back, take their time, ask lots of questions. For others, it can be quick," Jones said.
All recruits are evaluated for the three M's--mental, moral and medical fitness. And they take a standard test, the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.
If everything checks out, they could walk through the door and be in the Navy within two days.
Edwin Cardwell, 22, of Spotsylvania joined the Navy last fall. He went to boot camp in Pensacola, Fla., in November, and was assigned to the aircraft carrier Harry S Truman in Norfolk. He'll be supporting aircraft operations.
Cardwell was back in town last week as part of the Navy's Recruiter Assistant Program. He accompanied recruiters to schools and other community functions to talk about his experience.
"Kids in high school are always told to go to college, don't join the military," Cardwell says. But for him, it was a good option.
"When I'm talking to the kids, it's like I'm looking in the mirror."
His uncle was in the Army. Another uncle is a retired Marine. Before signing up, Cardwell worked at Circuit City in Central Park and attended Germanna Community College. Like Parrish, he had planned to join the Air Force, but stopped by the Navy recruiting office and spoke to Chief Petty Officer Edwin Ngwa, who oversees the office, and another recruiter.
"I felt like the Navy was a good choice for me."
Cardwell says he doesn't know what to expect with sea duty, but that the Navy could be a career. And he wants to earn a college degree in criminal justice.
Still, the adjustment won't be easy.
"It will be very hard being away from my family. I've got close friends here. That's why I chose Norfolk, rather than [duty in] San Diego or Japan."
Looking for diversity
Lisa Kedig, spokeswoman for the Navy Recruiting Command office in Richmond, said that last year, for the first time in five years, the Navy achieved its recruiting goals for enlisted personnel and officers, and for active-duty Navy and the Reserve.
The focus for this year is attracting a more diverse officer corps, and more women. Those with experience in medical fields, nuclear engineering and special operations are especially in demand.
"We are in a difficult environment due to an uncertain political environment and the corresponding instability of the military's size and role in the [Obama] administration's strategy," she said.
As for the millions of jobs lost, "Obviously, when the economy is in a downturn, some people who wouldn't have normally considered the Navy as a first choice do think again about the opportunity to serve."
The National Guard and reserves are options for those who want to keep their jobs and also be in the military.
Army Sgt. Maj. Christopher Brock, with the Virginia National Guard recruiting command at Fort Pickett near Blackstone, said it's an attractive alternative.
"You have people in civilian employment, but like the concept of being in the military," said Brock. While these citizen soldiers have been heavily involved in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, another appeal of the National Guard is its domestic role, he said.
"We're the ones who are going to be helping neighbors out if there are natural disasters, floods, hurricanes, snowstorms."
Armory connection
The Virginia Army National Guard currently has about 8,000 troops in its ranks. That's up from a post-9/11 low of about 7,000 in 2005. Since then, the Guard has doubled the number of recruiters.
Five work at the Fredericksburg National Guard Armory.
"We do have one of the more active [Guard] recruiting stations," said Master Sgt. Houston Smith, recruiter in charge. While many armories sit in out-of-the-way spots, "We do have a certain amount of visibility on Route 1," he said, and there are lots of walk-ins.
On Friday, Michael Buffum, 17, a James Monroe High School student, stopped by for a follow-up visit with recruiter Staff Sgt. Bradley M. Patty.
Buffum, a volunteer with the Fredericksburg Rescue Squad, wants to be a medic.
"I've always been interested in the military. For a while I wanted to be a pilot, then a sniper," he said, until he volunteered with the Fredericksburg Rescue Squad.
"I want to be a medic."
He sees that possibly leading to a medical career in the Army, or as a paid paramedic when he gets out.
Because he's a minor, he needs his parents' signature. Enlistment time for the National Guard is three to six years' part-time service, depending upon the job.
Tuition money, training, life insurance and retirement are among the incentives.
In 2006 the Guard doubled enlistment bonuses, which can run as high as $20,000, and soldiers can earn $2,000 by referring a friend.
Smith says that with Guard ranks full, a slumping economy and deployments dropping, "there's more demand, but fewer places to put people."
Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431
Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com
| Despite the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, military recruiters did well last year, according to the Department of Defense.
DOD reported that in its last fiscal year the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force and their reserve components met their goals. The Army and Marine Corps had raised their recruiting goals for the year, the department said, to increase their ranks because of the wars. President Barack Obama has said he supports increasing the size of the Army by 65,000 soldiers, and the Marine Corps by 27,000. For fiscal 2008 the Army recruited 80,517, making 101 percent of its goal of 80,000; the Navy, Marines and Air Force reached 100 percent of their goals with 38,485, 37,991 and 27,848 recruits respectively. Recruits must have at least a high school diploma to join. Twenty percent of Army recruits required a waiver for medical or conduct reasons. Incentives such as signing bonuses, the recession and lower standards are among factors contributing to the sign-up numbers. |
All branches of the service find ways to reach their prime target audience: All have online teasers that complement TV and radio ads and walk-in recruiting stations around the country. The Army, for example, has a traveling interactive exhibit, the Virtual Army Experience, with games and activities for players as young as 13. Actor Gary Sinise, "Lt. Dan" of "Forrest Gump" fame and more recently of "CSI: NY," is the Army's latest celebrity pitchman. Last fall, DOD launched its "Conversations" TV campaign, which asks parents to talk with children who are considering military service.
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