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Friday, Sept. 16, 2011 | 2 a.m.
Sun coverage
Brandon Smith wants to study finance at UNR and maybe become an accountant someday. But college is expensive, so last Friday, he and his mother, Carolyn Evans, dropped in on military recruiters in Las Vegas, in hopes of signing up.
“I’ve been thinking about it ever since I turned a senior,” said Smith, who graduated from high school three months ago and just celebrated his 18th birthday. “I looked into it because I want to go to college, and right now it’s hard for any of my family to give me money to go to college.”
Five years ago, someone like Smith would have been a perfect candidate for the military: A high school graduate with career goals and a passing aptitude test score could expect not just a helping hand with college, but signing bonuses in the tens of thousands of dollars.
That was then. With the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq winding down, the services are looking for fewer and fewer good men and women, and this selectivity is hitting Las Vegas youth especially hard.
While most urban areas have been slowly recovering from the recession, Las Vegas’ unemployment rate has remained stubbornly high, a nation-leading 14 percent. The military’s now-waning interest in recruits complicates an already critical problem.
“As a result of the number of enlistments we have to have going down, we have become more selective,” said Army 6th Recruiting Brigade Deputy Commander David Gilbert, who spoke to the Sun at the Army’s western recruiting command headquarters in North Las Vegas. “Even those who have completed their degrees, because of the economy, are finding it harder to find a job, so they’re coming and looking to the military as a way to gain employment.”
During the peak war years, the Army’s annual recruiting goal, or “mission” as it is called, was 80,000. But since 2009, it has started to fall off faster than would-be recruits’ interest. This fiscal year (Oct. 1 through Sept. 30), the Army needs 64,000 nationwide, 14,886 of whom have to come from the 6th’s district.
They passed that threshold in July.
“We haven’t turned anybody away,” Gilbert said. “But we used to give you money to leave within the month. Today when you sign up, you’re most likely heading off to training in six to nine months.”
The unofficial waiting period lets the military forward-count recruits, since they aren’t fully recruited until they head to basic training. But that means when the new recruiting year begins Oct. 1, the Army will already have signed up 35,000 of the 64,000 they’ll need to enlist in fiscal 2012.
“Some people, they don’t want to wait that long, so they self-disqualify, they ... walk away ... and even though they’re under contract, the government does not force that issue. Not when you have a six- to nine-month waiting period,” Gilbert said. “You need a job now, you really can’t wait six to nine months to go off and start employment. They’ll go to the other services, but the other services are in the same situation.”
Sgt. Jonathan Quarry, in charge of the Decatur Boulevard military recruiting station, talks with Brandon Smith, 18, about potential careers in the armed services. The military today is recruiting fewer young people and enlistment standards have become more competitive.
All four branches of the military, and the Army Reserves, have offices at the Decatur Boulevard recruiting station where Smith and his mother went to inquire about the recent grad’s options. Staff Sgt. Jonathan Quarry is in charge of the station.
“When I first got here, we had to put an average of 16 people on a month,” Quarry said. “Now, it’s down to ... six.”
In 2008, a comparison of Army recruiting figures and population estimates for 15- to 24-year-olds showed that Nevada ranked second nationally in recruits per capita, lagging behind only Alabama.
Seventeen- to 24-year-olds are the “prime market” for recruits, who average 21.4 years of age when they enlist — though Gilbert estimates that for Las Vegas, it’s younger.
“This city’s been a good recruiting town because most of the jobs around here that support the casinos require people to be 21 or older,” Gilbert said. “You can’t work in a lot of these places that serve alcohol or have gambling and stuff, so what do you do? If you don’t go to college in this state, you’re stuck working at McDonald’s. Not stuck, but your options are limited.”
The Labor Department does not keep state-by-state statistics for unemployed youth, but nationwide, it’s double the rate for the total workforce: 18.1 percent for 15- to 24-year-olds compared with 9.1 percent across the board.
In Nevada, which has one of the country’s lowest college-attainment rates, that number is likely higher, making the slow disappearance of the military option all the more noticeable.
“I don’t see as much recruiting for the last two years,” said Ricky Taylor, a guidance counselor for the past six years at Mojave High School.
Taylor, who administers the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test to students each December, says the military isn’t the option it used to be. “My problem now is there are so many people out of work on the outside, they can pick up a 21- or a 22-year-old who’s mature, before they pick up an 18-year-old.”
It’s a message that some in that in-between age range have gotten loud and clear.
Cristian Castellanos, 19, graduated from high school a year ago, and has since worked at McDonald’s, and now takes jobs as a cook at casinos when he can get them. He’s been thinking about the Air Force for a while.
Castellanos is clean-cut, fit and articulate. He says he “got serious junior year” and did well in school, and has about a year of college though it got too expensive this year to keep going. That might seem to be a good time to think about the services again, but with reduced enlistment incentives and tougher entrance requirements, he’s taking his chances at finding a job through Nevada JobConnect.
“I wanted to get some college credits first, then I could go in as an officer,” he said as he waited for an appointment with a career services counselor. “I’m just looking out for anything, anything to take care of my family.”
Requirements for getting in as an officer have gone up too.
“In 1990, you had to have a two-year degree ... today we take nobody but a four-year bachelor’s degree,” Gilbert said. And even with a degree, “if you’re going to seek the Army to serve as an officer, you’re going to have at least a 3.0 (grade-point average) or better. It’s become very competitive.”
That trickles down to the enlisted soldiers too. The official minimum ASVAB score to enlist is 31, but recruiting officers say there are no guarantees for anyone who scores lower than a 50, and the average recruit is scoring around 66.
“It’s 10th grade-level stuff but the way the education system works here, a lot of people don’t pass it,” Quarry said.
Sgt. Jonathan Quarry, in charge of the Decatur Boulevard military recruiting station, talks with Brandon Smith, 18, and Smith's mother, Carolyn Evans about opportunities in the armed forces.
A Las Vegas native, Quarry explained that because scores are based on national percentiles and not the percentage of correct answers, it puts Southern Nevada hopefuls at a disadvantage. “You’d be really surprised how many kids can’t score above a 30. But if their scores aren’t there ... you gotta be honest with them,” he said.
Parts of the test came as a rude shock to 19-year-old Clarisse Ruiz, who came to the Decatur recruiting center with her mother and grandmother, thinking she could easily parlay her two years of nursing school into a medical staff position with the Air Force — a branch of the service she said she was drawn to because it “isn’t as involved in the wars ... and I don’t want to be deployed.”
“I did good in math and English,” Ruiz said. “But I don’t know a lot about the mechanical stuff.”
Ruiz’s misconceptions about the enlistment requirements are all too common, said Kip Kowalski, a retired Army officer who runs a Junior ROTC program at Mojave High School.
“The military is becoming very technical ... Kids today, they think just because they have an Xbox, ‘I can be a computer scientist,’ ” Kowalski said. “But more than the kids, it’s the parents. The parents are seeing things are tough out there, so they say well ‘here’s a job, think about the military.’ Then all of a sudden, they’re not qualified.
“I tell the kids don’t join the service just for the benefits,” Kowalski continued. “There is a very good possibility you will go to war. It’s like having a cop down the street from you — hopefully we don’t need ’em ... but that’s just the nature of the military.”
It’s a reality that gave Smith, the would-be accountant, pause as he considered his future.
At the Decatur recruiting station, Smith was told that the Navy recruiter he had come to speak to wasn’t in — and to come back later.
That’s when Quarry rushed to offer Smith and Evans an alternative: Try the Army Reserves instead, if college is what you want. “They pay for your college, but it’s also part time ... and they’re the only ones that are actually offering higher enlistment bonuses.”
“That’s what he wants to do, live the campus life, major in accounting,” Evans said, turning to her son. “That’s another option that wasn’t made available to you at first. But now you know ... why are you hesitating?”
Smith looked at the ground and didn’t answer.
He had said earlier that the Navy could be a four-year commitment or maybe even a full-fledged career. That he wouldn’t likely be going into battle made enlisting easier.
The Army Reserves though, would be geared toward being combat-ready, and tack at least another six years of service onto four years of school he hadn’t started yet — and who knows what happens then.
“My son kind of has butterflies in his stomach,” Evans said. “He wants to do this but he wants to make sure once he does it and signs up, he’s making the right decision. And I don’t want to force him.”
Discussion: 5 comments so far…
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I wouldn't worry, they'll be hard up for recruits again soon. Just wait them out. They'll come to you!
Most Americans don't realize that the very reason we have our public schools is to have a citizenry ready for military service to defend and protect our nation. Inventions and technological advances made it necessary, even over a hundred years ago.
Before you contemplate a career in the military, might I suggest you really do your research: besides what currently qualifies you, salary and benefits, travel, housing, DO YOU have the ability to take orders from others in authority 7/24?; visit a Veteran's Hospital and talk to some Vets; visit a local soup kitchen and/or shelter and talk to a few Vets from there; go to a local Vet's Hall and talk to them; go to a bar or Vet's bar and talk to some Veterans.
Before YOU permanently change YOUR life, do YOUR homework and research!!!!!
This is the best advice and plan of action going for you. DO IT.
And Good Luck, Success, and Prosperity be yours.
Blessings and Peace,
Star=)
I am sure if your MOS (military occupational specialty) were infantry or some other area that involved actually doing the dirty work i.e. fightin', warrin' and killin' they could probably find a spot for you. If you're joining just to grab benefits and get out and to keep your butt safe in some rear echlon position where you don't have to worry about getting your hands dirty and dodging bullets then I am sure the military already has plenty of those types of members.
High unemployment rates always increase the re-enlistment rate. During such times, there are very few jobs that provide benefits and pay as good as the military for the occupational skills to which the enlistee has been trained. Combined with the coming cut-backs in military spending, new recruits will need a higher skill set and improved personal traits over recruits of past years to pass the entrance exams.
You might want to check and verify that the benefits are what you think they are before you sign on the line.
Some politicians seem to think a job where you put your life on the line and could die at any minute leaving your wife and family behind should have a "Main Street" 401(k) retirement program. Yeah, that and cut those disability benefit "entitlements."
Things ain't what they used to be, Jody.
im nervous for you guy, but you are already ahead of the game.
dont doubt yourself, you will have times of regret,so what!
it can be worse.
making a decision like you are making will fulfill your life in ways that cannot be explained until you grow old.
i agree with other comments..
DO IT!!!
and dont look back.
RHG58,
Not sure about the other services, but in the Marine Corps, infantry is one of the toughest fields to get into right now. Kids are waiting 9-12 months to ship. I guess then again, the Marine Corps generally attracts a different type of recruit than the other services. It's less about benefits, ducking deployments, and all the other shenanigans the other branches deal with and more about team, country, and challenge. To each their own I guess.
Military service should be mandatory. Three or Four years after high school for everyone. It should not however be an entitlement for people that want only for taxpayers to fund their education.
This seems like reverse psychology recruiting to me. Think about it. The Pentagon tells everyone that recruiting standards are at an all-time high and that very few people are getting accepted now. This gets the average person to think that they are special for getting accepted, because it's a challenge. Boom, they've got you! Gotta admit, this is a great sales tactic by the Armed Forces.
BTW, I can't stand the Marine Corps. I'm not anti-American or anything, but seriously, it's a cult like Apple is. The Marine Corps attracts a different kind of recruit? LOL, hilarious. I think you meant to say the Air Force. Their recruits are usually exceptional. That is followed by the Navy. I actually think the Marines get the worst, based on my experience with them.
Samjung23,
It's okay, guy. You obviously have a limited understanding of how the military works.
This is in no way reverse psychology. Unfortunately it is reality. It is much harder to get in to the Armed Forces compared to just a couple years ago. Standards are being raised due to high unemployment and the influx of people coming in to join. Specifically here in Las Vegas given how poor our education system is, recent graduates as well as current seniors have a hard time getting a passing score on the ASVAB. I wish I could help every young man and woman who wants to serve their country however I am regulated by standards.
After 30 years of service in the Navy and Marines I can tell you the most valuable part was opportunity. The services will allow men and women to assume all the responsibility you can handle. They'll provide the best training, experience, leadership and guidance. Many service schools are college accredited and degree opportunities exist for those who want them. One will experience things in the military that virtually only a handful of civilians ever will.
Today I have financial security, stability and the choice to live where and do what I want. I have decades of aviation experience. Was it ever dangerous? Sure. Was I gone from my family for extended periods on occasion? Absolutely. Were the Marines loyal to me and my family? In ways most can't imagine. They are today.
So, while the military is not for everyone, it offers tremendous opportunity, challenge and security for those who are take advantage of what it offers. Two of my sons served, one in the Navy, the other in the Air Force. Both are secure and successful today and both benefitted greatly from their service. One is employed in an unrelated field and the other is employed doing essentially the same thing he did while in the service. Both will gladly give credit to their military experience as the foundations of their success.
Unlike past decades the pay and benefits are terrific. The value of the opportunity to live, learn and work with the best; to become a leader, become technically proficient and professionally skilled can't be underestimated. As members of elite organizations doing important work that benefits the nation, whose stock and trade is integrity, loyalty and professionalism the worth of that service can't be assessed by ordinary means. All one has to do is keep an open mind, work hard, be honest and loyal. What a deal.
If it doesn't turn out to be your life's calling, so what. Anyone who gives an honest effort will reap the benefits of their experience for their entire life in return for their investment.
Semper Fidelis
LOL, yeah, whatever guys!
I believe you!
Samjung 23
What do I gain from lying to you? I am very curious. I Grew up here in Las Vegas. Graduated from Palo Verde High School in 2004 and made a decision to join the Army. No one lied to me to convince me to join. I am blessed with the opportunity to talk to young men and woman and give them the same opportunities that I have been given. If they choose to take that path great, if not that is ok also. There is a difference between fact and perception. The awesome thing is Facts can be proven and perception is based on nothing but theory
@JQuarry, you're a recruiter, I assume? You guys are full of tricks. This is one of them.
Yes, However I started my career as an airborne infantryman, going from 2/75 to 1/17inf. Then in August of 2008 i was selected by the Department of the Army to come back to my home town and do the job am doing now. I am normal guy just like anyone else I Grew up in Vegas most of my life and have seen this city change in so many ways. Yes i do have a job to do, but i will not sacrifice my morals or violate my integrity to do get a job done, its not worth it. You can take what I am saying for what its worth I do however appreciate the opportunity to speak with you. Have a great evening and God Bless
I've never served in the military and I, too, once thought of the Marine Corps as a bunch of retentive cult members.
Today, I am married to a former Marine and my views have changed. Simply put, Marines are trained to be dissatisfied with the status quo and unwilling to accept compromises or the easy way out of situations. While I wouldn't send a Marine to do the job of a diplomat, they excel in situations that require absolute loyalty and uncompromising tenacity.
What is missing from this story is the increased use of contractor employees working for the military overseas. In the last 10 years contractors outnumber military forces. In 2010 there was almost 210,000 private contractors vs 175,000 uniformed personnel.
Most of these contractors are providing support roles for the military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Examples of this include food service, laundry, mechanics, fire fighting, construction, facility maintenance, supplies, water service, janitorial, engineering, etc. Then you need supervising and supporting staff to provide for these workers. To provide services like transportation, billeting, HR, IT, tools, materials, inspections, safety, and required paperwork.
There were several reasons for this. I keeps the military force number lower. So the military can concentrate on the fighting. While the contracting force is not debated in or counted in politics. It reduces the number of military casualties. Contractor deaths are hardly a news story and not reported by the pentagon. Civilian contractor deaths in Afghanistan totaled 763 as of March 31, 2011 by the Department of Labor. In 2010 contractor deaths exceeded ISAF deaths.