JACK ARMY, scanning my sector!
Jack...sorry but I have to agree about the recruiting benefits the Marine uniforms. You just can't discount the cool-factor and the chance to pick up girls.
I want to know why far, FAR more hot chicks join the Air Force rather than the Army. That's the only real recruiting shortfall I'm concerned about.
Um. I'm afraid Tanks get me hot. *wink* It's an 1AD thing.
The propensity to enlist is a factor of how assertive a recruiter must be. Lower propensity doesn't/shouldn't necessarily mean less new contracts per Recruiter. All recruiting stations are manned based on an recruiter assignment factor which at the minimum considers accession data and primary market data. I am a firm believer that a majority of applicants aren't "buying" the service as much as the Recruiter him/herself. Army has hurdles to overcome that other services do not - first and foremost is the perception that "The only people who join the Army are the ones that can't get into any other service"
Too many years the Army has excepted Cat 4s and even D-cells (3b's without diplomas). I think in the end, when it comes to recruiting all services should recruit for all services - Combined the Recruiting Commands!
NCCM CRF (ret)
A couple of thoughts. Back when I joined the army, it was for adventure, service and the college money, which was better in the army than the other services. However, if I wanted tech training I was headed AF. My father, a retire navy PO1 used to say that navy A schools and the AF have th ebest training available anywhere but the quality of life was better in the AF. In fact, he really pushed the AF for that reason. BAsed upon my experience at Ft. Rich, which is co-located with Elmendorf, he was right about that in a big way. The AF has regular hours, comp time, "dorms", better food. all you can eat chow halls. You name it, they have it better than the army.
Secondly, there is a perception that everyone in the army, and marines for that matter, are grunts. Even among those with technical training.
In response to the comment about women in the AF, it varies quite a lot in the army. At a post with a combat unit, the numbers of women were quite small. However, a post like Rucker had a lot more women! But I think the quality of life issues and the perception of the AF as a clean job versus being a grunt leads to more women joing as well as men wanting technical training.
When I joined (navy) it was with the thought of travel and technical training. I don't think I have to tell anyone here about military travel. From the standpoint of the navy you will never see a more beautiful sunset/sunrise than you will at sea. When night time ops are over it is a very tranquil enviornment also, the glow of the stars and the wake are a true sight worth seeing. To see all these things you have to take a few moments to pause which isn't too often because you are too tired from working 16-18 hour days seven days a week. But when you can they are impressive sights. Now on to the technical side. I was a aviation mechanic and would have worked on whatever they told me to. Wound up on helicopters and loved every minute of it! As far as them being sexier than jets, guess that's in the eye of the beholder. To take and transition that into a career outside the military you go to commercial aviation. I worked for a helicopter service, commuter airline, air freight airline, and a major US passenger airline. Of all those the major passenger airline would probably be the best, but guess what profession fixes the toilets when they break? The same mechanic that fixes everything else on the plane. Enough said for now I guess.
I think that the Army is the best service, and everyone should join it.
I am clearly utterly unbiased in this.
*Grin*
Commenting by HaloScan
