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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: military recruits

military recruits stories: 14 news summaries

 Air Force Pulls Video After 
 Marines Complain 

Recruiting vid says airman 'in better shape'

Oct 16, 09 12:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Air Force hastily pulled down its latest recruiting video yesterday in response to a complaint from a high-ranking Marine Corps official. In the video, an Air Force instructor boasts that his charges leave basic training “in better shape than most Marines.” Marines spotted it on the Air... More »

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military • Air Force • US military • recruiting • military training • military recruits • Marines • Marine Corps sergeant major

 Economy Sparks 
 Record Military 
 Recruitment 

Bleak employment, bonuses boost numbers to highest level since draft ended

Oct 14, 09 3:41 AM CDT
(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... More »

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Army recruiting • US military • recruitment • US Army • unemployment • military recruits • Defense Dept

Case of Autistic Marine Sheds Light on Recruitment Ethics 

Struggling to fill quotas, recruiters' practices called into question

Jul 6, 09 8:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - Operating in a war-weary America, military recruiters face a difficult task—and some are skirting ethics to fill their quotas, the Los Angeles Times reports. While substantiated cases against recruiters are relatively few—593 claims were verified in fiscal 2007, which saw 319,229 enlistees—the case of an autistic... More »

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autism • recruits • recruitment • military recruits • Camp Pendleton • Marine Corps • Marines

 Older Recruits 
 Grapple With Army Life 

Unemployment pushes steady stream of 'Pops' and 'Gramps' into the military

Jun 18, 09 6:22 AM CDT
(Newser) - A steady stream of over-35s have been joining the Army since the age limit was raised to 42, and both sides have had plenty of adjusting to do, the New York Times reports in a look at the 3,800 older recruits, whose numbers, though small, have surged this year... More »

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US military • recruits • US Army • military recruits • American soldiers

 UK Military Seeks 
 Canine Recruits 

Vets told to find dogs for service

Jun 10, 09 3:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - Short on canine recruits, Britain’s military has launched an effort to recharge the ranks, the Guardian reports. “Your country needs your dog,” the Ministry of Defence campaign proclaims, seeking German or Belgian shepherds, English springers, and Labradors in particular. The military typically gets dogs from shelters and... More »

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British military • military recruits • dog • animal • guard dog

 Army May Not Want 
 You So Bad After All 

Jobless rate drives surge in applicants

Apr 19, 09 10:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - Rising unemployment and safer conditions in Iraq have boosted interest in joining the Army, allowing recruiters to raise acceptance standards. The Washington Post reports that felons and recent drug users need not apply, and the pool of applicants also is better educated. For the first time since 2004, the Army... More »

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Army recruiting • US military • drug use • felony • recruitment • US Army • military recruits • Iraq war • Afghanistan war


 Army Recruiting Soars 
 as Job Dry Up 

Recruitment soars with unemployment

Jan 19, 09 4:54 AM CST
(Newser) - The recession has swelled military recruitment, bumping the forces past their goals for the first time since 2004, reports the New York Times. Many Americans are being enticed from a flagging job market by the promised stability and benefits. The Army—whose recruiting has struggled most under the shadow of... More »

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US military • recession • recruitment • Army Reserves • US Army • unemployment • military recruits • job

 Psst, Fat Boy: 
 Uncle Sam Wants You 

Military tells recruits with high BMI that they can sign up now, lose weight later

Jan 5, 09 12:25 PM CST
(Newser) - To reel in more recruits, the US Army is relaxing weight restrictions on would-be soldiers. A waiver program gives outsize volunteers a year after signing up to get in shape, measured by body-mass index, or be booted, the Christian Science Monitor reports. With the youthful population consuming more and exercising... More »

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obesity • obesity epidemic • Army recruiting • recruits • US Army • military recruits • body mass index

Recruit Drops and Gives
the Army 100 ... Pounds

263-pound woman lost weight to enlist

Sep 30, 08 5:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Texas woman shed 113 pounds to join the Army, saying she was startled into action after being told she was too heavy to qualify. “I’ll never see her again,” a recruiter says he thought on meeting 263-pound Ashley Barrett-Carter, the Dallas Morning News reports. Now in... More »

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Texas • weight loss • diet • exercise • military recruits • US Army Air Force

Army School Gets Dropouts Ready to Serve

Military needs more eligible recruits
to fill its ranks

Aug 27, 08 6:50 PM CDT
(Newser) - 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... More »

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high school • Army recruiting • US military • US Army • military recruits • Iraq war • Afghanistan war

Top Engineers Shun Military

Costs soar as sought-after
project managers
head for private sector

Jun 25, 08 2:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - Greater "geek cachet" and higher pay is diverting engineering managers from the military into places like Microsoft and Google, the New York Times reports. The result is a dearth of  managers overseeing military projects, which government investigators largely blame for long delays and $295 billion in cost overruns.... More »

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Google • military • Pentagon • Microsoft • engineering • military recruits • Pentagon waste

Armed Forces Enlist More Criminals

Trend may undermine 'military readiness,' lawmaker says

Apr 21, 08 8:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - The US Army and Marines are signing up more felons in an effort to overcome flagging enlistment, the AP reports. The Army doubled its recruitment of felons last year and the Marines upped theirs from 208 to 350—including conscripts with sex crime and manslaughter convictions. The rise in felon... More »

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recruitment • US Army • felon • Marine • military recruits

Letters Linked to NYC Bombing Claim 'We Did It'

They were sent to Capitol Hill; bomber remains unknown

Mar 6, 08 9:25 PM CST
(Newser) - As many as 10 Capitol Hill offices received letters today with a photo of a man standing in front of the Times Square military recruiting office before it was struck by a small bomb. A message with the photo reads, “Happy New Year, We Did It,” the AP... More »

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New York City • Dianne Feinstein • Army recruiting • aide • Capitol Hill • bombing • letters • explosion • Afghan Army • Times Square • military recruits • Iraq war

Uncle Sam Wants ... Anybody

Military lowers standards, hits new low in recruiting high school graduates

Jan 23, 08 10:28 AM CST
(Newser) - The Army is lowering standards to meet recruiting goals, with the percentage of high school-educated recruits dropping to a new low of 70.7% last year, reports the Washington Post. The Army hasn't reached its goal of 90% since 2004. A new study also shows that the number of "... More »

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Army recruiting • tour of duty • US Army • recruiting • high school graduates • Uncle Sam • high school diploma • military recruits • military qualification test • recruiting goals

14 Stories


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