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Highlands Today

Tanking Economy Benefiting National Guard

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By Douglas  Carman | Highlands Today

Published: July 4, 2008

SEBRING — As the economy is tanking, more people seem to want to ride a tank… at least with the Army National Guard.

A local recruiter for the Army National Guard estimated Tuesday that he has seen a 10-percent increase in the number of people calling or coming to his office to sign up. He believed the economy was a factor in the increase, even though he also credited a more "aggressive marketing technique" over the Internet for the added interest.

"There's a lot of reasons for that," National Guard Sgt. John Vincent III said.

Highlands County has active Florida Army National Guard, Army and Marine Corps offices. The Navy's recruiter for the county is based in Winter Haven, while the nearest open U.S Air Force office is in Port Charlotte.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Martin said he also started seeing about seven people a month from Highlands County calling about positions over the past year.

"We're starting to see a lot of people making a trip down here," Martin said. "A year ago there was roughly no activity."

Martin did not believe the sluggish economy was driving that increase as much as his own increased efforts in both Highlands and Hardee counties, where he does most of his recruiting along with Haines City to his north.

A call to the Air Force recruiting in Port Charlotte was not returned Wednesday.

The local recruiters for the Army and Marines did not see any new people coming through their doors, even though Marines Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Lavoie said he thought he had some older people calling him to re-enlist.

"These older guys that come in ... with the economy they're the ones wishing they joined earlier," Lavoie said.

As for the typical recruit? Lavoie said that younger recruits usually live with their parents and would be more sheltered from most of the economic trouble, so he did not think it would be relevant to them.

"An 18-year-old doesn't give a … about free medical benefits. It doesn't affect them as it would you or I," he said.

Reporter Doug Carman can be reached at 386-5838 or dcarman@highlandstoday.com.

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