Iraq War Veteran Says Love of Country Undergirds Good Recruiting, Retention Rates
by Chad Groening and Jody Brown
December 14, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A U.S. Army general who commanded troops in Iraq says despite the continual deployments to places like Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is meeting its recruiting and retention goals. The military leader says the current force structure of the Army is "very good," with thousands of new soldiers enlisting during the past year. Associated Press reports that, according to the Pentagon, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force met their recruiting goals in November while both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marines exceeded theirs. The Navy and Air Force signed up 2,887 and 1,877 recruits respectively last month; during the same time period, the Army enlisted 6,485 new recruits (105 percent of its goal), and the Marines added 2,095 (104 percent) to its ranks.
Overall, the Army -- with different recruiting goals for each month -- has been recruiting about 80,000 people annually, says AP, noting that that particular branch is bearing the brunt of the load in Iraq.
But the Defense Department notes that while recruiting into the active services has been going well, it has lagged for the reserve forces. In November the Army Reserve signed up just 79 percent of its goal (1,888 vs. 2,376), and the Navy Reserve fell nine percent short of its goal (687 vs. 755).
Motivation? Patriotism, Says General
Brigadier General Leon Collins is Director of Mobilization Forces with the U.S. Army Forces Command. He believes that most young people enlist in the military because they love their country.
"I think patriotism is number one," the Army general says. "I think the citizens of this great country understand that the price for freedom is not free, and they're willing to get out there and roll up their sleeves and do what it takes to keep our nation free."
He notes that despite the risks associated with many current military assignments, those young patriots are electing to serve their country.
"We're still recruiting at very high levels, and we're still retaining a lot of our soldiers, even though they've been downranged [deployed overseas, usually in a war zone] and served a tour in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, the Horn of Africa," he states. "So the state of the Army is still very good."
Collins, who served as commander of a brigade combat team in Iraq, says it is very important for America to stay the course and finish the job in Iraq.
