LOS ANGELES—The United States Army has an annual mission to recruit 65,000 people. This year, it’s on track to exceed its mission. Currently, including the 488,000 soldiers on active duty, along with the Army Reserves, the Army alone numbers 688,000. In a wartime period, why are more people joining the all-volunteer Army?
We sat down with Mark Howell, Chief of Public Affairs—Los Angeles Recruiting Battalion, to find out.
Jobs Amidst Sour Economy
Historically, during tough economic times, more people join the Army. With the U.S. unemployment rate near 9.5% and California’s at 11.5%, more people are looking for jobs, but there are fewer jobs available, so the military is an appealing option. The Army doesn’t have lay-offs, for instance.
Howell notes, “You’ve got job security in the Army. Now older people are joining - people in their 30s and 40s who’ve experienced foreclosures and business shutdowns.” Of course, if rules are broken or enlistees fail to do their job, they might be discharged, he adds. The Army offers stability, competitive wages, and educational benefits, according to Howell.
Obtain Degree, Army Pays
The Montgomery GI Bill is the military’s basic educational benefit available to anybody in the Armed Forces. In August 2009 it is scheduled to be replaced by the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, or simply the “:New GI Bill.” The New GI Bill, together with the Army College Fund, can offer up to $81,756 for college, depending on one’s length of active duty service.
There are a few options for Army enlistees to receive financial support for their education. One is to serve four years and then attend college, and another is to take college classes while serving. A third way is to attend college as a member of the ROTC and complete service after graduating.
Like many others, Howell joined the Army to pay for college. “And on top of it,” he adds, “they also give you money for your apartment based on the location you live.” If someone attends Berkeley, for example, he or she would receive $2,300/month for rent, food, and other expenses. One thousand dollars per year is also given for books. “So, you can just go to school and not have to worry about anything else,” says Howell.
But what if you already have a degree? “If you already have your degree, you can come straight in as an officer and they’ll help you get your master’s degree,” says Howell. In addition, an Army serviceperson’s spouse or children can receive the free college tuition if the serviceperson has already obtained his or her degree(s).
Citizenship Within Closer Reach
MAVNI, or Military Accessions Vital to National Interests, is a new program piloted in New York and now in Los Angeles that offers accelerated time to obtain a green card for non-citizens who are in the United States legally, have been in the US at least two years, and who choose to serve in the Army.
“People were actually flying to New York to join the Army when the program was initiated there, so they decided to expand it to Los Angeles,” says Howell. Applicants, however, need to speak a language that is “on a list of approved languages that are to help the military,” according to Howell. “Like I said, it’s vital to national interests. Chinese, Korean, Hindi, a lot of the Middle Eastern languages, [and] some Russian languages [are on the list],” he adds.
There are 35 languages on the approved list. “The thought behind this program is that they want to have more people in the military, but [we] want them to have language skills.
“There are students who are here on Student Visas. Recently we had two students with masters in engineering from USC who joined into the program to get their citizenship,” says Howell.
Are there English requirements, too? Yes. In order to enlist, one must take the Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), and the test is in English. It tests applicants’ math, English, and reading skills. Based on one’s score, certain jobs are available in the Army.
Soldier vs. Infantry
Perhaps the biggest fear people have of joining the military is the notion that they will go directly to the front lines of battle once enlisted, but that’s not the case. In regard to military jobs, Howell states, “A lot of people don’t know about it. They think that when you go into the military, they go into the infantry and all they do is go to war. There are doctors, engineers, journalists, suppliers, administrative, [and more]; there are over 150 jobs in the military that you can join for.
“You could go a lot of different ways. There’s the aviation branch, finance branch, there’s infantry, artillery, signal (communications). So there are a lot of different ones, and they match with what your skill-set is.”
Starting pay for enlistees is between $1,400 and $1,800 per month based on his or her amount of education. In addition, enlistees receive housing and food allowances, and their healthcare is paid free. This is rare for somebody just out of high school.
What about for those who already have their bachelor, masters, or even PhD?
Howell offers an example. “So, let’s say you wanted to be a journalist, and you already have your master’s degree. You would start off as a Specialist in Los Angeles making $52,836 per year. After a couple of years, you could be a sergeant making almost $60,000 per year.
“Another benefit of the military is that you can retire after 20 years of service. And the thing with military retirement is that you can receive it upon retirement; you don’t need to wait until you are 65. You get a check, every month, until you die. It’s usually 50% of your last base pay,” says Howell.
So, with the plethora of benefits, why aren’t all high school graduates flocking to the nearest recruiting centers to enlist?
Howell understands, explaining, “The thing with the military—with any job in the military, you have a chance to go [to Iraq or Afghanistan]. With any job in the military, we don’t want to hide that. You’re with the United States Army.
"Everyone has the chance to go. I can’t tell you a percentage, but it is part of your responsibility as a soldier to be prepared to go. You may be a broadcast journalist; you may be a helicopter repair person, but you are always a soldier first. People think, ‘Could I join the army and not go to war?’ It may happen; you may not go, but it depends on the operational needs of the military.”
