Military woos Hispanic recruits

Jace Radke

Wednesday, May 29, 2002 | 9:55 a.m.

Air Force Gen. Lance Lord took time out of his schedule as head of Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colo., to do some recruiting in Las Vegas Tuesday.

Lord was at Bally's to speak at the annual conference of National Image Inc., a nonprofit organization committed to the improvement of education, employment and equal opportunity for Hispanics.

"It's important that our work force mirrors the makeup of the American people, so we have to continue to recruit and retain a diverse group of people," Lord said. "We want the best and the finest from all walks of life."

The Air Force, Marine Corps, Army and Navy are all courting Hispanics at the conference, which runs through Friday. Only about 8 percent of active military personnel in the Air Force are Hispanic, and the other services have similar numbers.

Alberto Rocha, chairman of National Image, represents 3,000 Hispanic members in 70 chapters across the country, with nearly 90 percent of those members working as federal employees.

"We're trying to build up a pool of employees that can serve in entry-level positions all the way up to policy-making positions," Rocha said. "This is an important resource that is not being tapped. It makes sense for the military, which is out to recruit people to help defend our country, to go through national organizations to get the word out."

Rocha said conference-goers will spread the word to others about the opportunities for learning leadership and life skills in the military.

Lord said there are opportunities for recruits to be a part of Operation Enduring Freedom and help safeguard the country from terrorism.

"We get these young people connected to satellite systems that facilitate information all the way up to the president," Lord said. "We have our share of technical problems in space command, but the real key is unlocking the human potential in these young people."