WASHINGTON -- Dedicated teamwork, commitment of Army leadership and an effective Web-based ad campaign were among the top reasons why droves of people are joining and staying in the Army, said Lt. Gen. Dennis Cavin, commanding general of the U.S. Army Accessions Command.
The Army announced that it has met all its recruiting and retention goals for fiscal year 2002 about six weeks early in a Pentagon ceremony Aug. 22.
The enlistment goals were 79,500 new recruits for the active Army and 28,825 for the Reserve. The retention goal was 49,000 re-enlistments for the active Army.
This was the third year of meeting all recruiting and retention goals after missing some of those goals from 1995 through 1999.
The U.S. Army Recruiting Command had a new goal this year -- accessing 400 recruits for Special Forces. Normally, "Green Beret" recruiters cull soldiers in the ranks of specialists and above directly from the active Army for additional training and eventual assignment to Special Forces units.
The recruiting command exceeded the Special Forces requirement with 445 recruits signed up as of Aug. 8. "As we gather here this morning, our nation is at war," said Gen. John M. Keane, Army vice chief of staff. "We, as a nation, can never take for granted the young men and women who step forward to take an oath to defend this great nation of ours."
Four soldiers took the oath at the ceremony -- one for commissioning as an officer, two for initial enlistments and one re-enlisting for a second tour of duty. They were: Cadet Walter D. Pridgen, who recently graduated the ROTC program at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va., and was commissioned as an Infantry second lieutenant; Pfc. Allen K. Hawkins Jr from Spartanburg, N.C., Regular Army; Pfc. Mayra A. Arisas from San Antonio, Texas, Army Reserve; and Sgt. Celena M. Marsh, a personnel specialist with the Military District of Washington, Washington, D.C., respectively.
While the four soldiers were announced to represent all recruits who had enlisted or soldiers who had re-enlisted this year, Hawkins' story of how he finally ended up as a private first class was unusual.
Following high school in 1996, Hawkins was about ready to sign the dotted line on his Army enlistment contract. Like his father, who had served eight years in the Army, and a grandfather, who had served in the Navy during World War II, Hawkins said he wanted to serve his country in uniform. However, a car accident left him with serious injuries and impaired judgment.
"I was in a coma for about two months and then stayed in the hospital for another three," Hawkins said. "As I slowly improved, the doctors told my parents that I would never recover beyond a second- or third-grade reading level at the time."
Time and hard work have paid off for Hawkins. Close to a bachelor's degree in political science, Hawkins enlisted at 26 to meet his personal goal of serving in the Army and at the same time get some help to pay off some college debts under the Student Loan Repayment Program.
Following basic and advanced training, Hawkins will serve in the Field Artillery as a fire support specialist.
With about 65 percent of high school graduates going on to some form of higher education these days, compared to 49 percent in 1980, Cavin said, many people perceive the Army as the last choice for young people to consider.
Cavin said he has been making progress in changing that perception. Programs like SLRP, Tuition Assistance, the Montgomery GI Bill and eArmyU allow soldiers to serve their country while getting resourcing to continue their education, either while on active duty or after they leave to pursue other goals, he said.
"The Army is not the last choice, it is the first choice for many Americans," Cavin said
-ends- Army Meets Recruiting, Retention Goals Early
