Marines, Army view war as recruitment aid

[thedrifter]

Marines, Army view war as recruitment aid
By Joyce Howard Price
THE WASHINGTON TIMES


New television commercials by the Marines and Army are hitting the airwaves in an attempt to stimulate recruitment during the war with Iraq.
Both military branches say they do not expect the ads to help contribute more troops to the war because of the time required for military training.
"The days of signing up and shipping out are gone," said Sgt. Jimmie Perkins, a Marine Corps spokesman.
Training in the Army takes six to 18 months, said Army spokesman Paul Boyce. In the Marines, there would be at least five or six months of training before anyone would see combat, said spokesman Maj. Andrew Fortunato.
But Maj. Fortunato said new Marine Corp recruits could wind up helping out with postwar redevelopment of Iraq or serving elsewhere in the war against terror.
Sgt. Perkins said the Marines' new ad, "For Country," which shows Marines deployed in Afghanistan and other foreign outposts, could draw more people to the Marines, given that it is airing during war.
"There is always an increase in patriotism in times of war and crises like this," he said.
The commercials are being broadcast on networks and programs popular with young adults.
A spokesman for the advertising firm that produced the Army's new ad, "Creed," said the spot has aired on network evening news shows, MTV and Comedy Central. It has also aired during Fox movies and weekly series, the NCAA basketball tournament and NBC's "Today Show."
Maj. Fortunato said the Marines' new ad either has or will run during sports programs and the WB network's "Smallville," a modern version of Superman.
Mr. Boyce said the Army is the U.S. military's "largest recruiter," and it spends between $90 million and $150 million on advertising.
Maj. Fortunato said the Marines' advertising budget is about $50 million.
He said the "For Country" spot changed the focus of Marine Corps ads from "opportunities available for the individual" in the Marines to "opportunities to serve the nation."
Maj. Fortunato said it is too soon to know if "For Country" will spur recruitment, because the ad first aired last week.
"But since the attack [on Iraq] started, we've definitely seen increases in interest and traffic," he said, citing a rise in visits to recruiting offices, phone calls to 1-800-Marines and hits on the Marines' Web site.
On March 20, the Army began airing its new "Creed" commercial, and this week reissued one called "Generation," which first appeared in October 2001.
"Creed" displays the crests of various Army units and the sayings they convey, such as "We will always win," "Not for ourselves alone," "No task too tough," "Speed, courage, power" and "Honor and courage." There is no narration, only inspirational music,
Jack Myers, editor of an advertising industry publication, told Reuters news service that war is "probably the strongest recruitment tool" for the military.
But Mr. Boyce and Maj. Fortunato are uncertain.
Mr. Boyce said it was a "myth" that Americans signed up for the military after the September 11 attacks "like they did after Pearl Harbor." After all, he said, a draft was in effect during World War II.
Both he and Maj. Fortunato said they did not see an increase in the respective enlistment rates of the Army and Marines after September 11, though there was substantial patriotic fervor. In some cases, they said, people simply did not qualify.
Maj. Fortunato said some internal research conducted by the Marines has shown that war has a "neutral to slightly negative" effect on recruitment.

Sempers,

Roger