RECRUITERS ATTEMPT TO HIT GOALS HEALTHY ECONOMY OFFERS MILITARY SERVICE ALTERNATIVES.

Byline: Judy O'Rourke Special to the Daily News

SANTA CLARITA - At a time when the Army is pushing to meet recruitment goals - and appears to be falling short - officials are finding a tough sell in Santa Clarita.

Besides the natural fear of seeing young people face going to war, the healthy economy is allowing for more attractive options.

``As the war is going on, people are scared for their children or themselves for going over,'' said Greg Becker, chief of public affairs for the Army. ``The economy is good, with a 5.3 or 5.6 percent unemployment rate, and when people have jobs that are satisfying, they're not joining the military.''

The quota for conscripting soldiers is larger this year than last, in part because the Army is growing, Becker said. More recruiters are on the job. While they are increasing the head count, it falls short of meeting the Army's goals, especially now that President Bush has called to increase the number of troops in Iraq.

Santa Clarita has proven an uphill climb because many parents can afford to subsidize their children's educations - one of the compelling lures the military dangles, recruiters said. In 2005, 97 active duty enlistees were sought locally, but just 56 signed up. Twenty-six reservists heeded the call for the 36 openings.

Interest has grown this month in the area. Enlistees signed up for nine of 10 active duty spots, and one of the three reserve slots. The recruiters have until Sept. 12 to enroll the other three candidates.

Reservists practice drills one weekend a month and train two weekends during the summer and can be deployed at any time.

The recruiters' task was somewhat easier just after the war in Iraq began. The ``Rambo'' syndrome took hold, Becker said. People felt threatened and wanted to support their country.

``Last summer lots of people were joining,'' he said. He very much understands the drill, having served on active duty for 21 years, 10 of them as a recruiter.

Five active duty and one reserve recruiter are stationed in a small office on Soledad Canyon Road. Part of the challenge in pumping up the force is the Army imposes stricter qualifications now than in the Vietnam era, Becker said. Many applicants do not make the grade.

``We may get 10 people who want to join, but we're lucky to get one (who qualifies),'' he said. ``(And) the mission has gone up drastically. The Navy and Air Force are downsizing - you can't really hold the ground by sea or air.''

The Navy has taken to the Internet to trawl for recruits. It uses Monster.com to locate potential candidates, whether or not they have expressed interest in military service.

Lt. Cmdr. Ed Sylvester said the online query for enlisted, officer and reserve programs is not a mass mailing. He said the Navy has consistently met its recruitment goals, but declined to be specific.

``The reserves have suffered a bit,'' he said. ``A lot of people getting off active duty don't want to be mobilized.''

Figuring out how to get young people to voluntarily place themselves in harm's way can test even the savviest campaigns. Adolescents who consider signing up may be driven by forces within themselves, their families and their community. Patriotism and the buddy system may be part of the mix.

``Personality very strongly plays a very important part in adolescent choice,'' said psychotherapist Richard Abbott, a sounding board for adolescents for 25 years. ``It can't be whittled down to just one thing.''

Teens from broken homes might see the military as a place where they can grow up, Abbot said. Adolescents whose parents are not involved in their lives or who those who don't live at home can be more vulnerable to a hard sell from recruiters. Some are drawn by a desire to belong, to be part of something.

Following a parent into the military is not a given.

``(I have) seen teenagers who have decided not to go in the service because they have a poor relationship with their career-soldier father,'' Abbott said. ``The son has some opposing feelings and thoughts.''

The thoughts might be more about the father than the service, but following in the father's footsteps in these cases often is unlikely.

However, positive family relationships can have the opposite effect. A Valencia High School senior whose family has stressed service in theory and by example cannot wait to serve.

``I want to attend West Point,'' said Joe Perez, 17. He is pursuing an appointment to the academy with U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Howard ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita.

Perez serves on the leadership committee of his church youth group and has attended Junior ROTC at school for four years. His father is a Los Angeles County firefighter.

``My family really stresses service,'' he said. ``Since I was very little I had an interest in military. It's something I feel called to do.''

While some of the local high schools shy away from recruiters, Bowman High School, a continuation campus for kids who've had trouble at traditional campuses, has put out the welcome mat for military scouts from all branches. Their command post is located just blocks away.

``For our students, the military is a great option,'' said Mike Nugent, the school's work experience coordinator. ``The military does very well by our students and the students do well by the military.''

Bowman is the only school in the William S. Hart Union High School District that administers the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test on the premises, Nugent said. The test measures whether the military is a good fit. About 30 students take the test each spring.

Nugent said many Bowman students have not had a ``good level of motivation and satisfaction in their academic or social lives,'' and the military often provides the antidote to that.

``One of the reasons recruiters like coming here is they don't get the resistance from us,'' he said. ``They're not going to get thrown off campus.''

The federal No Child Left Behind measure requires schools that receive federal funds to provide basic student information to the military. The Hart district allows parents to decide whether their children's names are listed in its directory. Though parents can opt out by signing a directory exclusion form, just 53 seniors had done so from among 2,600 seniors in the district.

``The primary request for our directory information is all departments of the military,'' said Pat Willett, a spokeswoman for the Hart district. She received a request from the Army on Thursday.

``They wanted a list of all students in 12th, 11th and 10th grades,'' she said.

Community leader Diane Trautman has two sons who fit this demographic. She hopes they resist any recruitment from the armed forces.

``I am not about to send them off to a war whose justification has changed so many times,'' she said. ``I don't see why any of us should send our children in simply to justify the prior loss of life.''

And she specifically objects to students being approached where they go to learn.

``I don't think minors should be solicited by recruiters without their parents' approval.''

Judy O'Rourke, [phone]

judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com