US Army makes recruiting push in Seattle, other liberal-leaning cities

SEATTLE — The United States Army is making an unexpected recruiting push into a list of liberal-leaning cities, including Seattle, after it fell short of its recruiting goal last year by about 6,500 soldiers.

Recruiters in Seattle, a traditionally difficult place to recruit, say they are faced with very specific challenges and misconceptions among potential recruits about the life of an enlisted soldier.

“When they think about soldiers and joining the Army, it's all about combat military occupation specialties. We call them MOSes,” Sgt. Jeremiah Vargas said. “[People think] that if you join the Army, that hey, you're going to do combat jobs. But we have over 150 of them. I myself, I’m not a combat MOS.”

Vargas, who became commander of the Seattle recruiting station in September of 2017, joined the army in 2007 as a nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological specialist. He said the other soldiers who serve at his recruiting station have non-combat roles as well.

Hayden Hallman, a recent graduate of the University of Washington, won’t be going into combat either.

Scroll down to continue reading

More news from KIRO 7

• Three bodies found during welfare check in Eastside home
• Police: 12-year-old girl knocked to ground after being pushed, punched by man at mall
• Washington lieutenant governor skips speech over gun fears
• Documents: Man, high and naked, attacks homeowner, demands car keys
• Do you have an investigative story tip? Send us an email at investigate@kiro7.com

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP

​Hallman, who is now known as Specialist Hallman, will be serving in a public affairs and communications position.

“It’s not just the job training I’m looking forward to,” he said. “It's also the aspect of serving my country and the camaraderie that comes with being a soldier in the military.”

Hallman’s father served in the Coast Guard; his mother, in the Army. As he grew up in Bellevue. He said he always considered it.

“They said being in the military was a highlight of their lives,” he said.

But it can be tougher to reach young people who haven’t had that kind of exposure to military life.

“In history, Seattle’s always been a challenging market,” Vargas said.

His strategy includes a strong social media presence.

“Are we talking Snapchat, are we talking Instagram? How are you reaching out to them?” KIRO 7 reporter Linzi Sheldon asked.

“In the beginning, we started with Facebook, and Facebook is good for posting, just to kind of have a station page,” Vargas said. “But it’s mostly Instagram.”

Photos and videos they post are designed to show the personal side of soldiers and what life truly is like when one is enlisted.

Vargas has other strategies, too, including working to get a booth at technology conferences and popular outdoor events.

“We’re trying to get into Comic-Con,” he said. “We’re trying to go to a Spartan race, which we’ve done last year.”

A map from The New York Times shows the 500 counties with the highest recruitment rates as a percentage of the population. King County is not highlighted on it.

“How does the Army compete with that kind of [$15 dollar an hour] local minimum wage,” Sheldon asked.

“We don’t,” Vargas said. He said they have a lot more to offer than just an hourly rate, which can be lower than $15 an hour for new recruits.

“If you add up all the benefits, which is housing, medical, dental… the GI bill alone is a big one,” Vargas said.

He said the Army is also offering bonuses to convince potential recruits that now is the time to sign up.

Those bonuses range from $10,000 to $40,000 for soldiers in the infantry and up to $40,000 for those in air defense, specifying that soldiers need to be able to leave for basic training within 90 days. The Amy is also offering up to $10,000 for people enlisting in intelligence.

The benefits are what attracted Diego Angel-Cruz, who is now known as Private Angel.

“I’ve never left Washington,” he said. “So it's cool going somewhere new.”

Angel is excited to travel and get an education.

“They pay for my college,” he said. “That was the number one thing. Medical benefits, stuff like that. Because I don’t want to worry about that… I don’t want my family to worry about it.”

The Army said it is pushing recruiting in these liberal-leaning cities, including Chicago, San Francisco, New York, and Seattle not because they are left-leaning. A spokesperson said they looked at the data for cities with the highest population density of military prospects who, historically, have been less likely to enlist.

Cox Media Group