$40,000 incentive to sign with Uncle Sam

Eldred student nearly in the Army now

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY — It’s no secret that the war in Iraq is controversial. And now that the war is in its fifth year, with more than 4,000 American fatalities, recruiting new service men and women is becoming an ever more challenging task. Army recruiters are still hitting their goals, but it’s not as easy as it is in peacetime.

To help make a stint in fatigues more attractive, in February the Army launched a pilot program in five regions of the country, offering new recruits $40,000 to invest in either a new home or in starting a business in exchange for signing on the dotted line. It’s called the Army Advantage Fund.

The second citizen in New York State to go for the deal was 17-year-old John Zegel of Barryville.

During an interview in the Army recruitment office in Monticello on April 3, recruiting officer Sergeant Harry Space explained the details. He said the Army offers recruits up to $73,000 for college, “but a lot of people say I’m not really meant for college, or it’s not right for me.” So the Army created this new incentive.

Zegel, who first met with Space in September 2007 and discussed military options with other branches of the service, was convinced to sign with the Army because of the incentive. He said he plans to use the money, which will be available to him after three years of active service, “as a down payment to buy a house and rent it out, and hopefully accumulate some more money.”

Zegel will finish high school before he ships out to basic training on August 22. He is currently in the Future Soldier Program, through which he can fulfill some of his basic training requirements early. However, because he is still 17, the signature of a parent was required before he could formally sign up.

Zegel said before giving his permission, his father wanted to be sure that this was really what he wanted. He also wanted to be sure that his son got what he signed up for, which is a job as an air-traffic controller. Once he was convinced of that, and seeing that his son was not going to change his mind, he signed the necessary papers in March.

Space said that a prerequisite of joining the Future Soldier Program is choosing a career that interests the recruit. If he or she doesn’t find one, they don’t sign up. And as long as the recruit passes the necessary tests, and is not beset with obstacles such as health problems or an arrest, the recruit will get the chosen job.

Space said that during the recruitment process, “we don’t play up the glitz and glamour because it’s not about that.” He said he personally is using the military as a stepping stone, and is currently studying nursing at Sullivan County Community College. When his contract is up in two years, he plans to enter nursing.

To get the $40,000, Zegel had to sign on for five years. He doesn’t yet know if he will go to Iraq, but as an air traffic controller he said, “I’m not a front-line infantry, so I’ll be in a base, safely guarded.”

At that, the expression on Space’s face turned a bit, as if to say there are no real guarantees about that. But it was clear that Zegel was comfortable with his decision.