http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1815887(Columbia) April 26, 2004 - Barrett Hansen, 19, is putting college on hold to join the US Army, "Right now I am a freshman at USC finishing up the semester and on May 19th I leave for basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia."
Hansen says he's always thought about joining up, "Jumping out of airplanes, going to Ranger school. Being a Ranger is something I've always wanted to do. A Ranger is very elite and powerful person."
Hansen is just one out of more than 1200 people the Army has recruited in South Carolina for full-time service so far this year. The number is up by 85 since this time last year.
SSGT John Kirby says it's proof fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan is not impacting their recruiting, "The people who are overly concerned about combat generally wouldn't make good soldiers in the first place."
He says others are attracted by the job security, "Guaranteed paycheck. You're going to have a job. In a tough job market, we're hiring."more
My emphasis above. Kinda says it all combined with SC employment figures. *sigh*