N.C. GUARD BUCKS NATIONAL TREND BY MEETING RECRUITING GOALS 

RALEIGH – The North Carolina Army National Guard exceeded its goal for the number of soldiers recruited and retained in its ranks for the recruiting year ended Sept. 30, an achievement that bucks a national trend.

For the fourth year in a row, the Guard ended the year slightly above its fully-manned strength with 100.55 percent manning. The Guard’s goal was 10,125 soldiers but ended with 10,181 actually on board.

“It’s a remarkable achievement, and one we hope to continue,” said Maj. Gen. William E. Ingram, Jr., adjutant general of the North Carolina National Guard. “We’re recruiting higher-quality soldiers than ever before, soldiers who can make it through basic and advanced training, and we are retaining quality soldiers who are already in the Guard at higher rates than in the past.”

The chief of National Guard Bureau, the head of the agency that oversees the National Guard at the federal level, in November recognized North Carolina as the most improved large state in two important recruiting and retention categories.

First, North Carolina showed the most improvement in reducing the number of soldiers who wash out of training, thereby increasing the number of soldiers who complete training and are subsequently ready to serve in their military jobs when called for state or federal duty. Second, the state showed the most improvement in re-enlisting soldiers at the end of their first enlistment period. The state has improved in both of these categories each year for the past four years.

“That shows we’re bringing in high-quality people who can make the grade both physically and mentally,” said Lt. Col. Mark Nelson, chief of recruiting for the North Carolina Army National Guard. “That goes a long way to maintaining our end strength.”

End strength is the term applied to the number of soldiers in the Guard at the end of a fiscal year.

Both Ingram and Nelson acknowledge recruiting is always a challenge and will continue to be so in the current national environment. In the first two months of this fiscal year, the Guard has lost 301 soldiers for a current strength of 9,880, or 97.3 percent manning. However, the first-quarter of most fiscal years tend to show losses, and both officers expect the numbers to improve before the end of September 2005.