National Public Radio did a story on Army recruitment at a state fair, Who’s in the Army now? A pitch switch aims to get more military recruits that shows the results of our culture that downplays masculinity, duty and service to a country worth fighting for. What does the Army expect? And who do they have left for them try to recruit into the military? Women and recent immigrants (aka illegal aliens trying to get citizenship).
From the article:
. . . . .Behind Spearman is a small grass lot with a few pop up canopy tents, a pull-up bar and some weights for dead lifts. A Humvee has its door propped open. It’s all designed to lure in prospects.
Finally, college student Andrew Magneson takes the bait. He’s a hulking guy with a Minnesota T-shirt and a crown of reddish curls. He nails the deadlift 20 times and gets an Army T-shirt.
But the Army doesn’t get him.
“It’s not for me,” he says. “I know that much. I don’t know. I don’t like fighting.”
And his friends? They’re not buying the pitch either.
“So have you guys ever thought about the Army?” asks Sgt. Robert Pederon.
“Not particularly,” says one.
“When someone says ‘Army’ what’s the first thing that pops into your head?” he asks them. “War,” says one of the young men.
Pederon pushes on, trying to down play the notion of war, make the Army sound like a regular job, something they can easily fit into their lives.
“There’s a part-time option,” he says. “You only do the Army one week a month, two weeks during the summer. But we’ll pay for your college, room and board.”
But they all say, “I’ll pass.” . . . . .
. . . . . So how is the military trying to make up for those lost numbers?
They’re increasingly turning to who recently arrived in the United States — and hiring more immigrant recruits like Sgt. 1st Class Nouella Lacson to talk to them.
Lacson’s family came from the Philippines. She’s standing nearby at a card table, covered with brochures, lanyards and dog tags.
“Most of my applicants are immigrants. I kind of relate to them,” she says with a laugh. “A lot of them they just got here from Mexico or different countries.” . . .
. . . . It also helps that she’s a woman. She says most of her applicants are female. “I can relate,” she says. “Because a lot of people will tell you, you can’t do this or that, certain stuff. So I tell them ‘Are you going to let people tell what you can and can’t do?'”
About 16 percent of the Army is now female, a number that keeps edging up. Women tend to be a higher-quality recruit, score higher on tests and have fewer brushes with the law.
And now all ground combat jobs are open to women, so the Army is pushing that in some of its ads, including a woman spotting a target inside a Abrams tank. . . . . (read more on NPR)
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