2008 Woodie Awards
Army recruitment stays strong to meet demand in Iraq
Praveen Sathianathan
Issue date: 4/16/07 Section: News
Second in a series
President George W. Bush said on Jan. 11 an upsurge of 21,500 troops are needed to assist U.S. armed forces already present in Iraq. With the impending surge in the number of troops, there is an increased amount of pressure on military recruiters to reach their goals.
Lt. Col. Bob Tallman, chief of personnel and resources team from the office of the chief of Army public affairs at the Pentagon, said: "For February 2007, the Army reached 103 percent of its goal of 6,000 enlistees with 6,196 new recruits.
The Army National Guard reached 81 percent of its goal of 6,308 enlistees with 5,105 recruits and the Army Reserve reached 94 percent of its goal of 2,387 enlistees with 2,254 recruits."
He said despite the war in Iraq recruitment and retention of soldiers was still strong.
"If you look at the numbers, we are meeting our goals," Tallman said. "Our fiscal year began in October 2006; to be six months into our fiscal year and to still be reaching our targets means that our recruitment and retention strategies are working."
Monica Talliferro, Vietnam-era Air Force veteran who also serves as the director of marketing and public information for Brookhaven College, said people join the armed services for many different reasons. She said people join for the sense of adventure, the educational benefits and many, like herself, who see it as a way out of a hard situation.
"For me, I had no place to go, no one was going to pay my way," Tallifero said. "It was a place to go for a way out. I was making $2.65 an hour working a dead-end job. The military is not for everyone, but I had no place to go."
She said many people have suggested the military was born on the backs of people from low socioeconomic status.
The U.S. Army Recruiting Command's Strategic Partnership Plan for 2002-2007 states "priority areas [for recruitment] are designated primarily as the cross section of weak-labor opportunities and college-age populations by both the general and Hispanic population."
President George W. Bush said on Jan. 11 an upsurge of 21,500 troops are needed to assist U.S. armed forces already present in Iraq. With the impending surge in the number of troops, there is an increased amount of pressure on military recruiters to reach their goals.
Lt. Col. Bob Tallman, chief of personnel and resources team from the office of the chief of Army public affairs at the Pentagon, said: "For February 2007, the Army reached 103 percent of its goal of 6,000 enlistees with 6,196 new recruits.
The Army National Guard reached 81 percent of its goal of 6,308 enlistees with 5,105 recruits and the Army Reserve reached 94 percent of its goal of 2,387 enlistees with 2,254 recruits."
He said despite the war in Iraq recruitment and retention of soldiers was still strong.
"If you look at the numbers, we are meeting our goals," Tallman said. "Our fiscal year began in October 2006; to be six months into our fiscal year and to still be reaching our targets means that our recruitment and retention strategies are working."
Monica Talliferro, Vietnam-era Air Force veteran who also serves as the director of marketing and public information for Brookhaven College, said people join the armed services for many different reasons. She said people join for the sense of adventure, the educational benefits and many, like herself, who see it as a way out of a hard situation.
"For me, I had no place to go, no one was going to pay my way," Tallifero said. "It was a place to go for a way out. I was making $2.65 an hour working a dead-end job. The military is not for everyone, but I had no place to go."
She said many people have suggested the military was born on the backs of people from low socioeconomic status.
The U.S. Army Recruiting Command's Strategic Partnership Plan for 2002-2007 states "priority areas [for recruitment] are designated primarily as the cross section of weak-labor opportunities and college-age populations by both the general and Hispanic population."
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