Ten years ago, the events of 9/11 compelled many to serve their country.
After the attacks, most of the armed forces saw an increase in number of recruits, according to statistics from the Department of Defense. In 2002, 196,473 people enlisted in one of the four branches. While the Navy was the only branch that saw a decrease in recruits from the prior year, each branch met their recruitment goals.
“After 9/11 everyone felt a sense of unity, more willing to engage and interact because people didn’t know what was going on,” said Scott Berren, program manager for research and marketing at ASU Career Services.
Since 2001 the four branches have either met their annual recruitment goals or exceeded those goals every year up till 2009, except the year 2005, which fell short by 18 percent.
The DOD does not provide statistics after 2009.
“Males 16 to 21 years old were more inclined to want to serve following 9/11,” DOD spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said.
Lainez said DOD statistics show the desire of men in that age group to serve jumped from 15 percent in August 2001 to 23 percent in November 2001. As of December of last year, it was 18 percent, she said.
The day of the attacks marked the first day of the Career Fiesta, ASU’s largest annual career fair where hundreds of employers were traveling to Tempe to table at the event.
Elaine Stover, director of ASU Career Services on the Tempe campus, remembers the day vividly, especially with all of the chaos.
The Career Services did not see an increase in students searching for armed forced or first responder opportunities specifically after 9/11, Stover said.
“But, it might have gotten an emphasis for people to be thinking along the lines of serving,” she said.
ASU Career services offers Sundevil Career Link, an online data base accessible for all students to search and apply for jobs. It also includes local recruiters for armed forces, public safety jobs and first responders.
Contact the reporter at ctetreau@asu.edu
