Officials: Corps beat 2007 recruiting goal

Drill instructor Sgt. Robert Donathan, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., “encourages” a poolee to sound-off.


Officials: Corps beat 2007 recruiting goal
By John Hoellwarth - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Oct 6, 2007 8:46:35 EDT

For a little while there, even the commandant had his doubts about whether the Corps could grow the active-duty ranks by 5,000 Marines in the nine months following a December 2006 Defense Department announcement that the service would have to swell to 184,000 Marines by the end of the fiscal year on its way to 202,000 through 2011.

In a May 17 letter to all the Corps’ generals, Commandant Gen. James Conway warned that the growth “is not progressing according to plan” and admonished them to redouble their retention efforts and limit administrative separations wherever possible.

It worked. Within days of crossing into the new fiscal year, Corps officials announced Oct. 4 that they’d managed to exceed the target growth by 2,000 Marines, bringing the Corps’ current active-duty end strength to 186,000 by the time fiscal 2007 ended Sept. 30.

During a briefing Oct. 4 at the Pentagon, Manpower and force structure officials said the excess growth achieved in 2007 doesn’t necessarily mean the Corps intends to cross the 202,000 finish line sooner than originally projected. The plan is still to have 189,000 Marines by the end of fiscal 2008; 194,000 by the end of fiscal 2009; 199,000 by the time fiscal 2011 starts Oct. 1, 2010; and 202,000 by the following September’s end.

One recruiting official said the Corps exceeded its mission of shipping 35,576 Marine hopefuls — roughly 2,600 more than projected before the growth announcement — to boot camp during fiscal 2007. It happened, in part, by putting 400 more recruiters in the country’s high schools and strip malls, and there are plans to add another 200 in fiscal 2008.

More recruiters should lead to more recruits, which would require barracks construction at the Corps’ basic training depots, which would increase the boot camps’ through-put capacity, which would strain the staff at military occupational specialty schools, Marine officials said.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/10/marine_recruiting_goal_071005/

obscene bonuses and lowering of standards - that is what it is all about.

1. less education...NO high school required
2. age waivers...Real old farts can re-up...prior service
3. medical waivers...missing kidneys, arms, digits, legs all considered.
4. criminal waivers....goons and gang members welcome
5. obese most welcome...Marines have a great weightloss program
6.
7.
8.

I just notice that sentence "Administrative discharge".

Maximum use of the Stop Loss authority of the Brass. Once they have you, you ain't getting out. Brings me to the thought....Is a Marine in the Brig still counted as a warm body for statistcal purposes.

then why rule out criminals in the first place.

I remember Project 100,000 back in the late 60's and what a success that was (read sarcasm). Reducing standards to meet recruiting goals. HS Education? Who cares. Just get those numbers up.

High school wannabes that want to get laid during their senior year in high school, no doubt.

This country has gone off its rockers when they let recruiters on to high school campuses.
It used to be fairly common to see them on college campuses, but not in high school.

I don't know when this changed, but it has to be stopped.
This is an act of militarization of our youth.
And it is immoral.

These kids are too young to appreciate the impact of the decisions they are making.

recruiters unless you opt out.

The Army had contracted with a firm up in Wakefield, MA to mine the data; I don't know how that's going these days.

has to have permission from the parents of that student.


As for being too young, we allow 18 year old kids to smoke and vote. Both of those decisions can also have a serious impact on their future.


I also am insulted by the insinuation that the reason a young man or woman joins the delayed entry program is to get laid. When I joined the DEP, I already had a girlfriend and I would like to assume that so do most of the young men and women joining the military.


Before I joined the military I was one of those quiet and shy kids who would not engage in a debate or stand up for myself. After I joined, I gained the self confidence I needed and think that the military was one of the best things that happened to me.