More interested in joining Army

Mathis Winkler

Friday, Sept. 14, 2001 | 10:07 a.m.

In more than six years as a recruiter for the U.S. Army, Sgt. 1st Class Ken Reineke has never seen as many people interested in serving their country as he has since Tuesday's terrorist attacks.

Usually, recruiters at his office receive about 30 calls a day and just a couple of people a week drop by the recruitment center on Green Valley's East Warm Springs Road.

Since airplanes crashed into New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Reineke and his six recruiters have talked to at least 100 people on the phone each day.

Although none of the potential volunteers have yet met the Army's requirements, about 20 people have visited the office, he said. Other Army recruitment centers, he said, have experienced a similar increase in calls and visitors as an American counterattack becomes more likely.

"They're pretty motivated," Reineke said of the callers and visitors. "They want to go right now."

That's a natural reaction, said Jeffrey Kern, a psychology professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

"Everyone feels patriotic, everyone wants to be able to do something to help their country," he said, adding that blood donations are another way for people to express patriotism.

Anger also plays a role, Kern said.

"Some people get scared or get angry and they want to do something about it," he said. "At the start of major wars, there's always been a large number of people volunteering to enlist."

But swift enrollment is not possible because recruits have to meet the Army's requirements, such as holding a high school diploma or equivalent, passing criminal background checks and physical exams, Reineke said.

Of the people who have called, not a single one has qualified, he added.

"They seem to think that we're going to let everybody in," Reineke said. "We appreciate the interest, but the standards haven't changed."

He added that it takes between 10 days and several months to enlist new recruits. Even those who have already joined can't speed things up.

Kate Belova, 18, who is scheduled to begin basic training on Oct. 25, visited the recruitment center right after Tuesday's attacks.

"I wanted to go early, because of what happened," Belova said. "I want to help people."

A Russian native, Belova came to this country with her parents three years ago and will work as a Russian interpreter for military intelligence.

Spokesmen for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps declined to comment on any increase in interest to join. U.S. Air Force representatives could not be reached Thursday.

First-time callers and visitors to Reineke's office have ranged in age from a 13-year-old to a 60-year-old, who offered to help out at the office with clerical work. Some people just want to express their support for the military or get information on how they can help, Reineke said.

Reineke added that his recruiters also take down phone numbers for people who don't qualify at the moment. That's in case the Army changes its requirements because more soldiers are needed.

Recruiters have also had some bad experiences over the last few days. One woman blamed the Army's existence for the attacks. Some parents, whose 17-year-old kids have already enlisted, didn't want recruiters to talk to their children.

Not so Jim Fuller, who accompanied his 17-year-old son, James, a senior at Silverado High School, to the recruitment center Thursday afternoon to get information about enlisting.

"Just joining the military doesn't mean you get killed," Jim Fuller said, but added that James' mother was "not real excited" about her son's plans in light of the attacks.