Bleak employment, bonuses boost numbers to highest level since draft ended
(NEWSER) - The recession has helped boost the US military to its best recruitment year since the post-Vietnam switch to an all-volunteer force. Recruiters hit or exceeded all their targets for the first time since 1973, surprising even Pentagon officials. In addition to rising unemployment, recruiting was helped by bonuses, a recruiting budget that averages $10,000 per new recruit, and the drop in violence in Iraq, according to military officials. More»