Sunday, May. 24, 2009

Students to go from graduation to boot camp

By Joe Chapman, Herald staff writer

Uncertainty about the future is common for young people graduating from high school, especially when a rocky economy may dim job prospects and make college unaffordable.

But there's a specific group of graduates who will swap caps and gowns for berets and uniforms not long after their commencement. And they may feel uncertainty of a different kind -- about the rigors of boot camp or deployment to war.

But a military commitment will give them an assurance few other career tracks can offer right now -- a freedom from economic worry.

In Central Washington, Army recruiters have seen a spike in enlistments. In the first quarter, recruitments were up 43 percent over last year in the area stretching from the Cascades to Ritzville and from Washington's northern border down past Pendleton.

For the past month, the area signed up 24 Army recruits -- an 84 percent increase over the same period last year.

"Clearly the economy and unemployment levels are having an effect," said Scott Lawrence, public affairs chief for the Army's Seattle recruiting battalion. The economy has caused people who weren't previously looking at the Army -- or the other branches -- as a career to take another look, he said.

That was the case for Mitchell Hunter, 18, of Hermiston, who's headed into the Navy after his graduation Saturday.

"The economy kept getting worse, and I wasn't going to put the strain of college on my parents," Hunter said. "I looked at everything, and the Navy just seemed like the best fit."

But the military also has a lot to offer recruits regardless of the national economy, Lawrence said, noting the educational, dental, medical and retirement benefits.

In each of the branches, an eight-year minimum commitment includes four years of active duty and four years with the possibility of being called back to active duty.

Recruits generally can expect to receive $1,300 to $1,500 in monthly base pay when they report for basic training. They also may be eligible for sign-up bonuses, depending on their chosen career field.

In the Army, sign-up bonuses range from $2,000 to $20,000. Also, students who commit to the Delayed Entry Program, in which they enlist but delay starting training for up to 365 days, get $500 a month plus an extra $500 when they graduate.

"The Army offers benefits and opportunities ... that can't be competed with on the civilian side," Lawrence said.

Sign-up bonuses are available in the other branches too, but Marine Staff Sgt. Virgil Richardson of the Seattle recruiting station downplayed their role in the Corps. Because it's a smaller branch than the others, the Marine Corps can be selective and doesn't have to offer as many incentives as the other branches, he said.

In fact, the Marine Corps has been a model of recruiting consistency -- securing 54 new contracts in the Central Washington area over the first five months of this year, the same as last year.

The Corps' best incentive is an intangible, Richardson said.

"The opportunity to earn the title of United States Marine," he said.

Richardson admitted that reasoning might sound hokey, but it seems to have rung true for Morgan Baker, 18, of Waitsburg. His reasons for joining weren't tied to the economy, he said.

"I never really thought of it economically, not having a secure job," Baker said. "I've never experienced my parents being laid off or having an insecure job."

Rather, he grew up always thinking about the Marines, partly because his grandfather and great-grandfather both served in the Corps. He also was impressed by his recruiter, Staff Sgt. Jason McConville, whom Baker described as having "the persona of the Marines."

"Looks you in the eye when you shake his hand -- he's pretty cool that way," Baker said.

And just growing up in Waitsburg seems to have given Baker a healthy dose of patriotism.

In the small town of 1,200, the high school secretary said nine out of 10 students' MySpace pages list service members as among their heroes. When the school flies its flag at half-staff, residents aren't shy about calling to ask why.

And people downtown can hear the students each morning saying the Pledge of Allegiance from the loudspeaker that hangs on the outside of the school building.

The graduating class at Waitsburg has 26 seniors, and two of them, including Baker, have chosen the military -- the same number as last year.

Such patriotism isn't uncommon among the small towns and high schools of the Mid-Columbia. Hermiston High School on May 8 concluded a week of honoring veterans by having 80 former service members visit the campus and recognizing six students, including Mitchell Hunter, who signed up to serve.

A lot of the interest from the smaller towns crops up on its own. Recruiting supervisors such as Air Force Tech Sgt. David Amparan and Army Sgt. 1st Class Yaro Lola say their Kennewick officesdon't concentrate on small towns much because they draw bigger numbers of recruits from the larger metropolitan areas.

At Richland High School's graduation ceremony June 5, a scene will take place similar to ones at other schools' graduations, when the students going into the military are asked to stand up and be recognized. In the school's class of 450 seniors, nine are entering the military.

Although it's not the right choice for everyone, for the ones who are going into the military, it's something for the student and the school to be proud of, said Gordon Comfort, Richland High principal.

"We don't recognize high school dropouts," Comfort said. "We talk about scholarships, we recognize valedictorians and we recognize ones who are going to serve our country. And I think that's a noble cause."