Some were a couple years older, some a year younger, but more
than half of the American soldiers killed in Iraq were the same age
as most students at UCLA.
Of the more than 2,000 Americans who have died in the war, at
least 1,064 were between the ages of 18 and 24, according to a New
York Times registry.
This poses a daunting challenge for military recruiters and
marketing specialists aiming to enlist college-age students, which
is a demographic that makes up a great portion of the armed
forces’ rank and file.
Twenty-five-year-old Army Cadet Jason Hemke said he decided to
enlist during his senior year of high school because college did
not appeal to him at the time, and the military sparked his
interest.
Like many enlistees, Hemke used his time in the military to
figure out what he wanted to do with his future.
“I just really didn’t know what I wanted to do with
the rest of my life,” Hemke said.
Today, Hemke, who served as a gunner in Iraq, is a second-year
political science student at California State University,
Northridge. He said he hopes to transfer to UCLA and eventually
attend law school. The military often funds such graduate work for
Reserve Officers Training Corps officer candidates.
“The notion of the military as preparation for life is a
very powerful motivator,” said David Stewart, a professor of
marketing at the USC Marshall School of Business.
But with the U.S. death toll rising in Iraq, some wonder how the
military can battle already-slumping recruitment rates and continue
to persuade the American youth to enlist.
The answer, according to some experts, is old-fashioned
incentive-based persuasion, with a touch of new-age image
makeover.
“You’ve got to make people think in terms of the
benefits,” said Michael Kamins, also a professor of marketing
at USC. “It makes sense to redirect your attention to the
benefits the army can give you.”
In recent months, the Army ““ the branch of the armed
services shouldering the most casualties in Iraq ““ has shied
away from its “Army of One” marketing strategy.
Instead, it has been catering to parents, with a stronger emphasis
on the military’s potential to straighten up, educate, and
employ college-age enlistees.
“They have so much money that they must be able to hire
people who are good at marketing,” said UCLA political
science Professor Thomas Schwartz. “They must have tested
these pitches on small groups and found them effective.”
The ad campaign is not an empty promise ““ the military
offers both pay and education incentives to college-age enlistees.
Among these is the Montgomery GI Bill, which promises tuition aid
upon completion of service.
Officer candidates, like those enlisted in the ROTC program on
campus, can attain their college degrees while completing military
training.
“The armed forces tend to be a very, very strict
equal-opportunity employer. They actively recruit members of
minority groups that might feel that, in other types of employment
or certain schools, they are not welcome,” Schwartz said.
Hemke, like many others affiliated with the military, welcomes
the choice to move away from the “Army of One” ad
campaign.
“It’s supposed to be a team,” Hemke said.
“That sent the wrong message.”
Many have also welcomed the new ad campaign because it caters to
parents, who often pose a hurdle to their children making the
potentially dangerous commitment to enlist.
“You’ve done well 18 years, and they’ve
survived, and now they might possibly be facing a dangerous
situation,” said Marines Capt. Arnie Carillo.
“It’s natural parental behavior.”