South Texas fertile area for Marine Corps recruiting

San Antonio Express-News:

Their recruiting slogan, one that's won ad industry acclaim and carried them since the post-Vietnam era, is “The Few. The Proud. The Marines.”

Yet the “few” part of the slogan no longer applies. The Marine Corps has been growing by about 1,000 members per month to meet the demands of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, thanks in part to a fertile recruiting ground in South Texas.

The corps has grown by nearly 27,000 troops in just over two years, half the time officials anticipated, the service announced this week. Gen. James Conway, Marine Corps commandant, predicts the service will meet its goal of having a force of 202,000 by spring, through recruiting and retention.

The Marine Corps' Recruiting Station San Antonio, which covers an area from Round Rock and Austin to the Rio Grande Valley, signed up 1,291 recruits in fiscal 2008 — 229 more than its goal and its highest figure since the war in Iraq began in 2003. After a dip in recruiting a year into the war, local recruiting goals and enlistments have steadily risen.

“Our mission increased, and the recruiters didn't panic. We achieved our mission and exceeded it by 22 percent,” said Sgt. Heidi Loredo, public affairs spokeswoman for the recruiting station.

Some economists have attributed a 2008 upswing in recruiting for all military branches to the ailing economy and decline in civilian jobs. But the local Marine recruiting office has exceeded its goals by at least 20 percent since 2003.

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“There's a more energetic pride in the Marine Corps than any other service,” LeVan said.

For nearly 200 years, starting with the Revolutionary War, the corps' recruiting slogan was “We're Looking for a Few Good Men.” The service unveiled “The Few. The Proud. The Marines.” in 1976 as it targeted more women, and hasn't altered its course since.

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“If you notice our commercials, we don't advertise about money for college tuition,” Loredo said. “We sell the intangible benefits.”

About 97 percent of Marine recruits have a high school diploma, well above the Defense Department standard of 90 percent, she said.

“Our image of a smart, tough, elite warrior continues to resonate,” Loredo said.

It's been six months since Raul Mendoza lost his son, Marine Sgt. Matthew Mendoza, 24, who was killed by an explosive while patrolling in Afghanistan. But the local recruiting figures don't surprise him. The corps' values — courage, honor and integrity — carry a lot of weight in this region, he said.

“I think it just goes to show what the people of Texas are about. It shows the commitment that our young men and women have for our country,” said Mendoza, whose father and father-in-law were Marines.

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Jelks said he stopped to help a pregnant woman with a broken-down vehicle Tuesday on the Loop 410 median. Minutes later, a man who had served in the Marines pulled over, intending to help a fellow Marine.

“The woman was crying when she saw this,” Jelks said. “I came because I was worried about her, and he came because he was worried about me.”

Many times, after being told about jobs, career opportunities and benefits, a young man or woman will look a recruiter in the eye and ask what it's “really like” to be a Marine.

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It is good to see the Marines are attracting these new recruits for the right reason. They will find they are the lucky ones who get to be Marines. It is worth the sacrifice and stress of training and fighting for the Marines. Semper Fi.