WP, pg1: Many Recruits Take Army's "Quick Ship" Bonus; $20,000 Is Lure To Leave Within Days

[DeepModem Mom]

Many Take Army's 'Quick Ship' Bonus
$20,000 Is Lure to Leave Within Days
By Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 27, 2007; Page A01

More than 90 percent of the Army's new recruits since late July have accepted a $20,000 "quick ship" bonus to leave for basic combat training by the end of September, putting thousands of Americans into uniform almost immediately.

Many recruits who take the bonus -- scoring in many cases the equivalent of more than a year's pay -- leave their homes within days, recruiters said. The initiative is part of an effort by Army officials to meet year-end recruiting goals after a two-month slump earlier this year. With the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the Army hopes the extra cash motivates those interested in joining or entices those just considering enlisting.

The program began on July 25, and in three weeks the Army had enlisted 3,814 recruits using the bonus, according to the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox, Ky. Those recruits accounted for 92 percent of the 4,149 recruits who signed contracts between July 25 and Aug. 13.

The $20,000 bonus is a hefty sum for many of the individuals the Army targets most aggressively: young men and women who have not settled on a career. The Army estimates that soldiers coming out of initial training are paid $17,400 a year on average.

But the effort, experts said, could pose problems for the Army in the coming months, because those who might have helped fill recruiting quotas later this year or in early 2008 are instead joining now....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/26/AR2007082601266.html?hpid=topnews

[rocktivity]

1. Quick shipping is for Amazon.com, not people.

And about that "equivalent of a year's pay"--is that Army or civlian pay? And why don't they pay a higher base salary to begin with?

:crazy:
rocknation

[Kagemusha]

4. Uh, because the Army provides food, gear, training?

Those salaries are set by Congress too. And they're not mercenaries, they're soldiers.

These answers should be the same as those used over the last couple of centuries, actually.

[DeepModem Mom]

6. And is this a silly question, or not -- are these recruits already committed to sign up...

and they choose the bonus "quick ship" option, or are some signing up because the bonus is offered? Is the bonus luring recruits who sign up to move quickly, or is the bonus luring them to sign up?

[Maq]

2. Are Prior Servicemen eligible for this $$ Bonus

How about a prior servicemen from another branch of service....say the Marines, Air Force or the Navy.

When does the government/Army pay up?

[Robbien]

5. Don't know about other services, but here's the word on payment

The way the bonus works is simple: Recruits willing to ship out within the next month will receive $10,000 upon completion of basic training and advanced individual training. Then, over the course of their initial active-duty enlistment, they will receive $10,000 in even annual sums. For a young recruit with no college education, the bonus, which is taxable, could be the equivalent of a year of pay over the course of a three-year enlistment. And the recruit can still qualify for other sign-up bonuses.

[d_fender]

3. OK! .....................

Where do I sign up? I will get some of my tax money back. :P