War Is Hell, but It’s a Job

It’s long been said that being a soldier tops the short list of recession-proof jobs. The pay is good, your education is subsidized, and you don’t have to worry about layoffs.

A recent New York Times article noted that military recruiters have seen a surge in applicants since unemployment began rising. For the first time since 2004, all active-duty and reserve forces have met or exceeded recruitment goals, even the Army, which has had trouble in recent years finding applicants due to the high casualty rate in Iraq. In fact, “[Army] recruiters must typically talk to 150 people before finding one person who meets military qualifications and is interested in enlisting,” the story noted.

Applicants include those who lost their jobs (from construction workers to at least one Wall Street equity trader), older potential recruits (the Army raised the age limit to 42 from 35 three years ago to attract more applicants) and college-bound high school graduates who couldn’t get student loans. The Army also accepts a surprising number of applicants with criminal histories.

Although many of those who sign up may appear to be unlikely candidates, the new recruits were motivated by a mix of patriotism and pragmatism. Higher bonuses and the expanded GI bill, which offers more educational benefits, drove many to recruitment offices.

In my hometown, pragmatism appears to be trumping patriotism, as letter-writers parry back and forth in the local newspaper over the possibility of a new, regional Army training center being built there. The Army is eying a prime piece of real estate on the grounds of a former state-owned, campus-like facility for the mentally retarded, which was sold to the town and is now being reconfigured for municipal needs and passive recreation. Townspeople aren’t happy that the Army, as a federal entity, would pay no ongoing property taxes; they’ve also taken issue with the prospect of scores of tanks and other Army vehicles being stored behind a chain-link fence close to park-like grounds where children roller-skate and dog-walkers stroll.

So while many recruits figure a solid paycheck, sign-up bonus and other goodies are worth the risks, especially when job prospects elsewhere are dwindling, taxpayers in town worry they’ll be giving away land for a one-time payment and never recoup much-needed property tax revenue.

The recession has increased financial pressures at every level. While most Congressional leaders realize that addressing the ballooning federal deficit will have to wait until the economy recovers its footing, states are struggling to come up with cash and slash budgets today. (Most states have laws that require a balanced budget.) This, in turn, is putting more pressure on cities and towns across the nation, as well as on every individual who resides within them.

Now more than ever, decisions hinge on dollars. Money is the driving force for both Army recruits and the taxpayers in my hometown, but the difference, of course, is that the hardships faced by taxpayers won’t match the sacrifices of recruits.

I oppose the construction of an Army training center in my town, but in the end, my opinion may not count for much, because the Army doesn’t actually need the town’s approval to move in.  It also scares me that so many people are headed off to war, whether it’s in Iraq or Afghanistan, just to earn a buck.

Is choosing military service based on pay and benefits a reasonable basis for serving our country? Are the people in my hometown being “unpatriotic” for not welcoming the Army with open arms?

Tags: army and recession, military and recession, recession trends

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