Story Published:
Nov 29, 2005 at 1:04 PM PST
Story Updated:
Aug 31, 2006 at 1:08 AM PST
WASHINGTON, D.C. - For former soldiers, sailors, airmen and
Marines who might be toying with the idea of getting back into
uniform, the Army has a new offer: Join us and regain your old rank
without repeating basic training.
It's the latest twist in the Army's pitch for recruits at a time
when wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are making it increasingly
difficult to enlist young people and meet the Army's need for
80,000 new soldiers a year.
"It's common sense," says Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, an Army
spokesman. For the cost of mailing a brochure to targeted former
service members, the Army can open a door that had been jammed shut
before.
The Army previously had welcomed back former service members,
but only under conditions that made it an unattractive proposition
to most, namely that they would lose their prior rank and were
required to take basic training again.
Starting this month, the Army sent mailings to 78,000 people who
left the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps less than five years
ago, including 7,000 officers, as first reported Monday by the
private Army Times newspaper.
They can re-enter at their former rank if they have not been out
of the service for more than four years, and they are eligible for
a signing bonus of up to $19,000, depending on their skill
specialty, Hilferty said.
"There is no higher calling that service in our armed forces,
and this is your opportunity to answer the call to duty again,"
the recruiting brochure says. "Make part of your past, part of
your future," it adds.
The Army hopes that 1,000 to 2,000 of the 78,000 accept the
offer, Hilferty said. That's a relatively small number, considering
the Army is aiming to enlist 80,000 this year, after falling nearly
7,000 short last year. But any boost is welcomed by Army officials
who acknowledge that 2006 is likely to be a difficult recruiting
year.
Former soldiers who come back to the Army after less than five
years out of uniform can skip basic training and return at their
former rank, the spokesman said. Those who come after previously
serving in the Air Force, Navy or Marine Corps will also retain
rank but must take a four-week Warrior Transition Course at Fort
Knox, Ky., which was established under another Army program to
convert sailors, airmen and Marines to soldiers.
