Mo. National Guard reports heightened interest in signing up

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- With America's war on terrorism, Missouri National Guard recruiters have been busier than normal in the past two weeks fielding inquiries from prospective soldiers. But the heightened interest hasn't translated into more recruits.

"There has been considerable interest across the state in military service, and we have seen a rise in that interest," said Lt. Col. William Johnson, the Guard's recruiting and retention manager. "But like in any effort, we probably won't see the fruit of those efforts for at least 30 to 60 days."

Johnson said that until the terror attacks of Sept. 11, the Guard's 63 full-time recruiters in Missouri hadn't seen this level of patriotism for 10 or 15 years. But neither have they experienced the animosity toward the military that was prevalent following the Vietnam War.

"But we do see, because of recent events, more awareness of patriotism and citizenship, particularly in smaller, rural communities, and that's good," Johnson said.

Within days of the attacks, the Guard finalized its recruiting theme for the federal fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The theme is "Answer Freedom's Call."

Johnson said the Guard is also stepping up its presence around the state.

"You are seeing uniformed service members out in the community a lot more than you have in the past," Johnson said. "That is kind of a security blanket for folks. They like to know we are there whether they need us or not."

Though recruits are demonstrating a heightened sense of duty, Sgt. 1st Class Michael Pyrtle, a recruiter, said most gravitate to the Guard for the same reason they always have -- the Guard's college tuition assistance program.

"Though they may be very patriotic, and they will go serve if there is ever an issue that would require them to serve, their main goal is still to be a citizen soldier," Pyrtle said.

After experiencing a steady decline in numbers during most of the 1990s, the Guard has been at or near its authorized strength of 8,250 members in recent years. As of Monday, the Guard was actually slightly above its authorized strength with 8,254 members.

"The state of readiness of the Missouri National Guard is at its highest," Johnson said. "We have folks who are trained and ready to go off and do whatever they need to do for both our state and federal missions."

Johnson attributed much of the rebound to the Guard's offer of 100 percent tuition reimbursement based on the University of Missouri's per-credit-hour price. In fact, the Guard got so many recruits that it had to scale back its tuition reimbursement to 50 to 75 percent, although it still offers other financial incentives.

"The program was so successful when we offered 100 percent tuition reimbursement that we got so many young kids -- young soldiers -- into the program that it outran the funding that was available," Johnson said.

Johnson hopes additional funding will be available to allow an increase in the reimbursement rate.

Replacements needed

Even though the Guard is at full strength, it still requires a steady flow of recruits to replace members who retire or leave for other reasons.

Lt. Gov. Joe Maxwell is a major booster for the Guard. He spent 18 years as an enlisted man in a Guard field artillery unit, rising to the rank of 1st sergeant. He was later commissioned as a lieutenant and served three years as an attorney in the judge advocate general's office before retiring.

"It is a big part of who I am," Maxwell said. "To be honest, I would not be the person I am today without that military background."

With its dual mission of being called to active duty overseas if needed and responding to emergencies in Missouri, Maxwell said keeping the Guard strong has become more imperative in recent weeks.

"Because the current war we are involved in is one of terror, our state needs to have a well-trained state militia to be able to respond to a disaster within our state borders," Maxwell said. "We need good men and women."

Those interested in the Missouri National Guard can contact their local recruiter's office or call 1-800-GO-GUARD.

mpowers@semissourian.com

(573) 635-4608