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October 16, 2008

Recruiter: Armed forces meeting goals

T. J. ROYAL

A U.S. Army recruiter told the Tarboro Golden K Club Wednesday the armed forces division had surpassed its national recruiting goal for fiscal year 2008.

Staff Sgt. Jeremy Walker, 29, said that the U.S. Army surpassed its recruitment goals by 2 percent this fiscal year. The goal for active duty sign-ups was 80,000 and 27,000 reservists, Walker said.

Currently, Walker said there are 1.2 million active duty members of the U.S. Army, with around 250,000 reservists and 70,000 National Guard troops enlisted.

He said the Army accepts people between ages 17-42, with the target group being people ages 17-24.

Charles Hill asked Walker if a 32-year-old recruit would have any problems if they enlisted. Walker said there wouldn't be any problems with an older recruit fitting in, and that he knew a 37-year-old who was set to join the infantry.

He did note, though, that out of the U.S. population, around 290 million, only 30 percent are qualified to join the armed forces, because of physical or educational qualifications. Recruits must have at least a high school diploma or a GED to enlist, he said.

The biggest challenges with finding qualified recruits in the Nash and Edgecombe county area, he said, are with the physical requirements, but also with education and criminal backgrounds. He said a recruit can have up to five misdemeanors. For a person with one felony on their record, he said they could obtain a waiver from a superior officer if the officer saw that they were morally fit to join the Army.

As part of his recruitment schedule, Walker said he spends four days each week going to high school, community college and college campuses in Edgecombe and Nash counties. The other days, he will go prospecting around shopping centers, stores and around communities.

A few Golden K members asked him about the reception he gets on school campuses as a recruiter. Overall, he said schools are "really friendly" to him on campus, and that giving away free items like coffee mugs and calendars helps.

Walker added that if a school receives federal aid, he has to be allowed on campus at least once a week.

When asked about his current recruitment goals, he said they run between three to five active duty sign-ups, and one to two reserve sign-ups, each month.

When one member mentioned a sign-up bonus for a recruitment referral, Walker elaborated. He said that if an active or retired member of the armed forces referred someone to an army recruiter, and the recruit signs up, the person who gave the referral receives a $2,000 bonus.

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