Army Meets June Recruiting Goal

In June, the Army met its monthly recruiting goal for the first time since January. The Army exceeded its quota of 5,650 recruits by about 500, according to sources. That leaves some 7,800 recruits to go in order to put 80,000 new soldiers into training by the end of fiscal 2005, which occurs on Sept. 30. The Army has not missed its annual enlistment quota since 1999, when a strong economy made recruiting a tough sell. This year, in addition to facing the deployment crunch and objections by some parents, recruiters again have been confronting a strong economy. The Army Reserve also made its first monthly goal since last December, officials said.