Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 11, 2008 7:31:03 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

For Fast Recruits, a Fast $20K

Posted Aug 5, 07 12:23 PM CDT in US 

(Newser) – An understaffed Army is testing out a tidy bonus to entice enlistees who agree to ship out to basic training within 30 days of signing up. The Army will be offering the $20K "Quick Ship" bonus until September to try and reach an increasingly ambitious recruiting goal of 80,000.

But the Army isn't advertising the offer—rather, it hopes news will spread by word of mouth among those already considering signing up. "You won't find somebody coming in straight off the street," one recruiter told the Chicago Tribune. "I don't want to put someone in the Army strictly because they hear about the $20,000," he added, "but money talks."

Source Chicago Tribune

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Army School Gets Dropouts Ready to Serve

    Aug 27, 08 6:50 PM CDT
    Army School Gets Dropouts Ready to Serve The US Army today opened its first prep school to prepare high school dropouts for military service, the AP reports. With wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and not enough eligible recruits, the Army wants unqualified prospects to earn their GEDs. "Only three out of every 10 people of military age" qualify, says one Army rep. "We are going to have to do something different." More »

  • Uncle Sam Short on Sergeants

    Jul 30, 08 2:26 PM CDT
    Uncle Sam Short on Sergeants The US Army, plagued by a shortage of non-commissioned officers, has lowered the bar for promotion so much that it has produced sergeants who are not ready to lead, Salon reports in an investigation of a military stretched thin by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In some cases, soldiers have been automatically promoted although their unit commanders had found them not ready for advancement.


    More »

  • Soldier Suicides Set Record

    May 30, 08 3:51 AM CDT
    The Army recorded it highest ever number of suicides last year, with 115 soldiers killing themselves, Reuters reports. The rate is staying high this year, with 38 soldier suicides so far. The military said the statistics showed no direct link between the increase in suicides and repeated deployments to combat zones—but admitted the stresses of war were taking their toll. More »

  • Female Troops' Divorce Rate More than Double Men's

    Apr 6, 08 12:40 PM CDT
    Female Troops' Divorce Rate More than Double Men's Female troops divorce at nearly twice the rate of their male comrades, Divorce360 reports, and the military is stumped as to why. Data from 2006 show male soldiers divorce at a rate of 2.7%—lower than the general population's 3.6%—but that leaps to 7% among women. The rate was high even in peacetime and has risen further during the Iraq war. More »

  • Uncle Sam Wants You (But He'll Talk to Mom First)

    Nov 30, 07 10:01 PM CST
    Uncle Sam Wants You (But He'll Talk to Mom First) Army recruiters will soon promise recruits hefty bonuses to buy a home or start a business in a bid to sway their parents that enlisting is a good investment, the Wall Street Journal reports. "We know most 18-year-old kids don't think about mortgages yet," says a Pentagon official. "We're going after the influencers." More »

U.S. Army soldiers from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, talk during their census operation in the Amariyah neighborhood of west Baghdad, Iraq on...   (Associated Press)
U.S. Army troops take cover behind sandbags as several mortars hit Camp Rustamiyah in south-east Baghdad, Iraq Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)   (Associated Press)
U.S. Army troops from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division rest prior to a census operation in the Amariyah neighborhood of west Baghdad, Iraq on Saturday,...   (Associated Press)
Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, visits troops from 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment at Patrol Base Murray, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq, on...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 2)

Tags

US Army  • money  • American troops  • Army recruiting  • enlist


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Home Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »