Army Recruiting Numbers Jump

This good news from the War on Terror is from DefenseLink:

In fiscal 2005, the Army missed its recruiting goal by 7,000. This year, the Army exceeded the goal by 635 soldiers. The goal both years was 80,000. The other services all made their goals, as well, with the Navy enlisting 36,679 new members, the Marine Corps enlisting 32,301, and the Air Force 30,750. The news was almost as good on the reserve-component side, with the Army National Guard just missing its target of 70,000 by enlisting 69,042. The Army Reserve met 95 percent of its goal, with 34,379; the Marine Reserve met 100 percent, enlisting 8,056; and the Navy Reserve made 87 percent of its goal, at 9,722. The Air National Guard made 97 percent of its goal, at 9,138; and the Air Force Reserve enlisted 106 percent of its goal at 6,989.

And the reasons?

First, focus,” (David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness) said. “Focus by the military services putting more recruiters out there. “Second is patriotism,” he continued. “One of the things we read into the survey results of young Americans today is (that) patriotism has risen to a much higher place on the list of reasons why people join the military. In a sense, we are seeing right before our eyes the unfolding of a new ‘greatest generation’ in the history of our republic.”