Lots of Interest, Little Action at Recruiting Office

Despite a surge in interest in military service since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, there has not been an increase in enlistments, recruitment officials for the four services said Thursday.

Most of the people who inquired about enlisting did not follow through, and others were found unqualified. Much of the interest has come from people with previous military service.

The Marine Corps headquarters in Quantico, Va., received a gung-ho call from a 69-year-old former Marine who said he still had his service rifle and had kept it in perfect condition.

“He said he had his M-1 and was ready to go,” said Maj. Rob Winchester. “I said, ‘Sir, you’re overqualified. But what you could do for us is to go to your local recruiter and tell him you support his efforts.’ ”

In Los Angeles, Sgt. 1st Class Chong Byun, commander of the Army recruiting station near USC, said his recruiters have told enthusiastic veterans to consider giving blood to the Red Cross or volunteering at the Veterans Administration.

The services do allow veterans to reenlist, but there are restrictions for age and military specialty.

The Army, Air Force and Marine Corps have changed their television advertising since Sept. 11 to subtly pick up on President Bush’s call to arms for the fight against terrorism.

The Marine Corps’ latest ad shows a spinning globe and the slogan: “The Marine Corps. A force for stability.” The Air Force commercial has added the slogan “Freedom forever.”

The Army replaced its “Army of one” ad with one called “generations” that uses an instrumental version of singer Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” and has the slogan, “Every generation has its heroes: This one is no different.”

In the 16 days after Sept. 11, hits on the Army Web site, https://www.goarmy.com, rose 116%, said Douglas Smith, spokesman for the Army Recruiting Command at Ft. Knox, Ky. Similar increases were reported on the Web sites and toll-free phone numbers of the other services, but those inquiries have tapered off substantially, officials said.

The spike in interest--but not in enlistment--also occurred during the Persian Gulf War. Recruiters say it reflects the fact that it takes most young people a long time to decide to enlist.

“The days of young men walking in, raising their right hands and shipping out to basic training are over,” Smith said. “The World War II image doesn’t apply.”

Although recruiting is difficult during times of economic prosperity, all four services achieved their goals in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.

Since Sept. 11, recruiters have discouraged some qualified applicants for fear that those who enlist on a whim could become quickly dissatisfied.

“Military recruiters know all about buyer’s remorse,” said Chief Petty Officer Joe Winton, a Navy recruiter in San Diego.