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Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
July 7, 2008 By Louis Hansen, The Virginian-Pilot
The Virginia Army National Guard's ranks have climbed higher than at any point since 1994, fueled by bonuses and a large increase in recruiters.
The reserve force topped 8,100 soldiers in June, bouncing back from a post-9/11 low of just more than 7,000 members in 2005.
Virginia mirrors a national trend. After several years of declines attributed to frequent deployments and dissatisfied soldiers, the Army National Guard last year exceeded its authorized strength of 351,320.
Nationally, the Guard grew by 6,400 soldiers last year, the greatest recent increase in strength, said National Guard Bureau spokesman Randy Noller. There are currently 359,300 soldiers in the ranks.
National strategies such as adding recruiters and increasing bonuses have benefited the Virginia Army National Guard, said Lt. Col. Anthony Caruso, who leads Virginia's recruiting and retention command.
The National Guard Bureau doubled enlistment bonuses in 2006 to between $10,000 and $20,000, depending on military specialty. Retention bonuses climbed from $5,000 in 2005 to $15,000 in 2007, Noller said.
In Virginia, the Guard has almost doubled the number of recruiters during the past three years, to more than 100. The force has focused on college campuses and high schools, Caruso said.
"We are constantly looking for opportunities to station recruiters at college campuses," he said. The goal, he said, is to "flood the market."
The Guard also has encouraged soldiers to bring friends into the force. The guardsman and reserve assistance program pays soldiers $2,000 for referring a colleague who joins the ranks.
"We basically have 8,000 recruiters," said Sgt. Maj. Christopher Brock of the recruiting command. "That is a key component."
One Virginia soldier netted $72,000 by referring his friends, Brock said.
The strongest recruiting vein in the state has been the district that encompasses Virginia Beach, Norfolk and the Eastern Shore.
Master Sgt. Cindy Hawthorne, who oversees 13 recruiters in the area, said the region has been the top producer in the state for the past year and a half. Recruiters signed 200 new soldiers in 2007, exceeding their target, she said. And they have already reached 94 percent of this year's goal with three months left, she added.
Hawthorne said a major attraction has been an expanded college tuition assistance program.
The service can now pay full tuition and monthly stipends reaching $500 for full-time college students. Some soldier-students are protected from active duty service for two years, but may be activated during their college careers.
Those benefits helped draw 36 students from Old Dominion University this year, she said.
The Guard also is paying more attention to retaining experienced soldiers.
It has established formal programs to improve soldier and family care. Senior noncommissioned officers track soldiers more closely and try to address issues that could make them leave the force, Brock said.
"Most soldiers will do their complaining by walking out the door," he said.
July 7, 2008 By Louis Hansen, The Virginian-Pilot
The Virginia Army National Guard's ranks have climbed higher than at any point since 1994, fueled by bonuses and a large increase in recruiters.
The reserve force topped 8,100 soldiers in June, bouncing back from a post-9/11 low of just more than 7,000 members in 2005.
Virginia mirrors a national trend. After several years of declines attributed to frequent deployments and dissatisfied soldiers, the Army National Guard last year exceeded its authorized strength of 351,320.
Nationally, the Guard grew by 6,400 soldiers last year, the greatest recent increase in strength, said National Guard Bureau spokesman Randy Noller. There are currently 359,300 soldiers in the ranks.
National strategies such as adding recruiters and increasing bonuses have benefited the Virginia Army National Guard, said Lt. Col. Anthony Caruso, who leads Virginia's recruiting and retention command.
The National Guard Bureau doubled enlistment bonuses in 2006 to between $10,000 and $20,000, depending on military specialty. Retention bonuses climbed from $5,000 in 2005 to $15,000 in 2007, Noller said.
In Virginia, the Guard has almost doubled the number of recruiters during the past three years, to more than 100. The force has focused on college campuses and high schools, Caruso said.
"We are constantly looking for opportunities to station recruiters at college campuses," he said. The goal, he said, is to "flood the market."
The Guard also has encouraged soldiers to bring friends into the force. The guardsman and reserve assistance program pays soldiers $2,000 for referring a colleague who joins the ranks.
"We basically have 8,000 recruiters," said Sgt. Maj. Christopher Brock of the recruiting command. "That is a key component."
One Virginia soldier netted $72,000 by referring his friends, Brock said.
The strongest recruiting vein in the state has been the district that encompasses Virginia Beach, Norfolk and the Eastern Shore.
Master Sgt. Cindy Hawthorne, who oversees 13 recruiters in the area, said the region has been the top producer in the state for the past year and a half. Recruiters signed 200 new soldiers in 2007, exceeding their target, she said. And they have already reached 94 percent of this year's goal with three months left, she added.
Hawthorne said a major attraction has been an expanded college tuition assistance program.
The service can now pay full tuition and monthly stipends reaching $500 for full-time college students. Some soldier-students are protected from active duty service for two years, but may be activated during their college careers.
Those benefits helped draw 36 students from Old Dominion University this year, she said.
The Guard also is paying more attention to retaining experienced soldiers.
It has established formal programs to improve soldier and family care. Senior noncommissioned officers track soldiers more closely and try to address issues that could make them leave the force, Brock said.
"Most soldiers will do their complaining by walking out the door," he said.