Editors Note: This article was originally published in the Nov. 8, 2023 issue of the Chronicle Progress. Some information may be outdated.
Rural Utah’s rich military service tradition keeps area recruitment humming
The Armed Forces are falling behind in terms of enlistment goals.
It’s a bleak statement, but one that’s a harsh reality for military leaders nonetheless.
Of the five branches, only two met their goal for active-duty enlisted recruitment goals—the Marine Corps and the Space Force, according to an Oct. 13, 2023 military.com article. The remaining three fell short.
All branches suffered during the 2020 shutdowns, as the presence of recruiters was hamstrung by attendance limits at high schools and public events, and have struggled to spike back to where they were pre-pandemic, the article states.
The Air Force, for example, was barely able to meet its goals in 2022; getting only 24,100 of the 26,877 new recruits it needed—the worst rates it had seen since 1999.
The Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard faced an even larger shortfall; the reserve pulled in 5,288 of the 7,756 airmen needed; in the Air National Guard they only filled 7,120 of the 11,745 enlistees needed, military.com states.
According to an April 2023 article, from www.defense.gov, the Army itself expected to recruit 55,000 soldiers; only 10K short of what they need. The Navy expected to be short 6,000.
One hurdle, however, seems to be the level of interest among eligible recruits, on top of the age eligibility, and other barriers normally faced by leaders in the armed forces.
Gen. Randy A. George, the Army’s vice chief of staff, said the Army’s service component’s issue “is challenged by the fact that a small number of young Americans—23 percent—are qualified to serve,” he said. “Fewer still, we’re finding, are interested in serving. And that’s something that we are working very hard to change.”
The sentiment doesn’t necessarily apply to Millard County and other rural Utah areas, however. Nine local high school students shared their opinions on military service recently with the Chronicle Progress, an unscientific snapshot of how local your people feel about military service. Of the nine, two said they plan to start a military career after their education.
Travis Whitaker, a Millard High senior, said he has always held high praise for the military.
“It’s been my primary goal post education,” he said. “I have a lot of military in my family. A lot of uncles, and it’s brought a sobering reality.”
Whitaker said he hopes to achieve a career in aeronautics, using the military as a launchpad. He’s currently split between the Marines and Air Force, and is working with local recruitment officers to decide.
Whitaker reflects the overall opinion of his peers on the military. “I am absolutely positive,” he said.
Braxton Kesler, a Delta High junior, also looks forward to a career in the military, specifically the Marines.
He looks to be one of the few and the proud as a way to dedicate himself to a higher cause, though he’s always had an interest.
“When I was little I loved reading books about the army, and I just liked big guns and stuff like that,” he said, laughing. “Today it’s shifted more. Because of wrestling, I want to be more disciplined and dedicated to something, rather than being lost…I want to have a purpose.”
Serving also runs in the family, with a paternal grandfather and a smattering of maternal relatives, Kesler said.
His brother also plans to join, he added.
“I have an older brother who kind of has the same idea; get out of high school and go into that, and get into a field like that. I have a couple friends from Delta that have been recruited and gone through basic training after graduating.”
Kesler said he has high praise for those who choose to serve, and have served in the past.
“I adore what they do, honestly. They have a lot of courage and bravery to do what they do, and keep a great mindset about it.”
There are those who also chose not to go the military route.
Aria Robison, a Millard High junior, said she initially entertained the notion of joining the military post high school, but has since changed her mind.
“I did think about it for a while, but then I just decided against it,” she said. “It was just realizing that it didn’t seem like the right path to go down.”
That doesn’t mean Robison doesn’t honor those who choose military service.
“I think it’s one of the best careers somebody could do, because it supports so many people and protects everyone in the country.”
Savannah Kolste, a DHS Senior, reflects that point as well.
“I have different plans,” she said. Serving a religious mission and then attending college as a dental hygienist are more in Kolste’s cards. She still supports those who choose to serve, even if it’s not her.
“I know friends that want to serve, and I think it’s important, so,” she said.
And locally, however, things look up when it comes to recruitment; a silver lining among the otherwise gray clouds of national statistics.
Staff Sergeant Tyler Kinross has been a recruiter for the United States Army National Guard since June 2020.
“I actually was working full time already, and they approached me and asked me if I’d like to come into recruiting, and I have a really good tie with the community already in Beaver, I’m from here,” Kinross said. “And they asked if I’d like to come across as a recruiter and I said yeah, absolutely.”
Kinross also has strong ties to Millard County, having grown up in the Delta area.
He became a recruiter because he wanted to be a source of information and knowledge for today’s youth interested in joining the military. Stepping into the role was something of a childhood dream come to reality.
“I missed out a lot as a kid on options, so I wanted to step into the recruiter realm and be that guy I needed when I was thinking of making one of my biggest life decisions…so I wanted to step into that role and be that person, in essentially what is one of the biggest decisions of your life,” Kinross said.
While he recruits specifically for the National Guard, Kinross encourages potential recruits to speak to representatives from every military branch.
“My two cents is if you’re thinking any service, talk to every service,” he said.
During his time, Kinross said his recruitment rates have been steady. He attributes the patriotism of his recruitment area as the backbone for new faces in the armed forces.
“My two cents is, growing up in a rural community, it’s very patriotic,” he said. “I haven’t seen a drop-off in the Utah Army National Guard. It’s very consistent and very steady. Compared to areas that are bigger it may not be the same in numbers; but you still have a large amount of recruiting age population that wants to do it, and chooses to do it. I believe the rural area is more patriotic. In the communities I work in, there is a constant, steady patriotic flow. In Utah as a whole, we are doing awesome. The kids that work here, live here, serve here, the numbers are great.”
