http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060417/NEWS08/604170350/1018/NEWSWashington Post
WASHINGTON — The Army National Guard, which has suffered a severe three-year recruiting slump, has begun to reel in soldiers in record numbers, aided in part by a new initiative that pays Guard members $2,000 for each person they help enlist.
Through February, the Army Guard signed up more than 26,000 soldiers in the first five months of fiscal 2006, exceeding its target by 7 percent in its best performance in 13 years. At this pace, Guard leaders say they are confident they will reach their goal of boosting manpower from the current 336,000 to the congressionally authorized level of 350,000 by the end of the year.
"Will we make 350,000? The answer is: Absolutely," said Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau.
One factor in the recruiting success is the initiative, expanded to 22 states in December, that christened 31,000 Guard members nationwide as "recruiting assistants" who can earn $2,000 for every enlistee — $1,000 when the recruit signs a contract and another $1,000 when he or she enters boot camp or completes four months of service.
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