Army National Guard recruits decrease 30%
By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Recruitment numbers for the Hawai'i Army National Guard have decreased 25 percent to 30 percent in recent months, and local commanders are trying to figure out why.
"They suspect, but don't know for sure — it's just a hunch, really — that it might have to do with the increase in mobilizations," said Maj. Charles Anthony, spokesman for the Hawai'i National Guard.
Guard recruiters are wondering if the possibility of deployment is the reason for the decline or if they are hamstrung by Army policies that prevent people from leaving when their normal enlistment time is through, Anthony said.
Because more people are being kept in the service and more of them are also fighting the war on terrorism, the pool of available new Guard personnel is smaller, Anthony said.
But the lack of people coming through their doors in the past three to four months has been offset by lower than normal losses, Anthony said.
"There is definitely something different with the numbers," he said. "Our recruiting is down between 25 and 30 percent, but our retention is up about 25 percent."
That means that while recruiters are signing nine or 10 fewer people a month, the Guard also is retaining nine more a month than normal, Anthony said.
"So although statistically it is a wash, it is something our recruiting and retention guys need to track very carefully because it does show a decreased trend in recruiting," Anthony said.
Guard commanders suspect that the Army's current "stop-loss" policy is a contributing factor. People who would normally be joining the Guard are not being allowed to leave active duty.
At any given time, the Hawai'i Army National Guard has about 3,000 people. About 200 of them were activated in January for 18 months of duty, including a year in Iraq. They have several months of training before they deploy.
But that kind of time in a dangerous place isn't necessarily a deterrent.
"You have some people scared off," Anthony said. "And you have some people who want to join because of that."
Military recruiters for the other branches of the service say that their Hawai'i numbers have not been affected by frequent U.S. casualties and 12-month deployments to Iraq, and some are reporting modest gains.
The new signups come at a time when nearly 9,000 men and women stationed in Hawai'i — or, in the case of the National Guard, live here full time — are being sent to Iraq and Afghanistan to fight the nation's war on terrorism.
They are patriotic and savvy about the dangers they may face, recruiters say.
"The applicants I see definitely point to current events, and especially the Middle East, and say what are the odds I will be heading over there?" said Navy recruiter Lt. Mike Giglio. "The question is there but it is more of an awareness of the current situation, not so much a fear of it."
The Navy has not seen any dramatic change in the number of new recruits, but like the Air Force and Army, is experiencing a small surge. The Marines have not improved their numbers, but they are not losing ground, either.
"There may be a slight surge, but the numbers here are always so good," Giglio said of the Navy's numbers. "There is certainly no negative effect."
Last year, the Navy signed up 313 people from Hawai'i but recruiters predict that number could be 384 this year.
So far this year the Army is ahead of its recruiting numbers from last year when about 1,200 people in this recruiting region — Hawai'i, Guam, American Samoa, Korea and Japan — joined the service. Last year's total also reflected a slight increase over the previous year.
The Air Force is on pace with last year's total of nearly 250 recruits, which had been a slight improvement over the previous year.
The Marines are holding steady at about 130 recruits annually, a number that has stood for several years.
When the United States launched its war on Iraq last March, Hawai'i recruiters initially saw a rush of applicants, although many of them were too old.
"When the war effort kicked off, we had those people coming out of the woodwork," said Air Force recruiter Tech. Sgt. Edward Solomon. "It hasn't hurt recruiting at all."
What helps them, recruiters here say, is that Hawai'i is a pro-military state where recruiters annually take home awards for new signups.
"The young men and women here seem to be drawn to the military as a viable option," said Marine Master Sgt. Stephan Castonguay. "We have a tremendous success rate with the kids from Hawai'i."
The Army says it has enjoyed this success the most, even though the major Army presence in Hawai'i — the 25th Infantry Division (Light) — is playing a large role in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And the closer it got to actual deployment dates, the more Army recruiters noticed concern among their new enlistments, said Army Maj. Nestor Colls-Senaha.
"When the reality hits closer to home, there is still interest in joining but at the back of their mind there is concern about putting themselves in harm's way," Colls-Senaha said. "It is always a concern. It is an issue. We are very honest with them about the possibility of deploying."
Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8012.
