LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The U.S. Army is using different tactics to attract young people into military service while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread nationwide.
The U.S. Army 3rd Recruiting Brigade, based at Ft. Knox, covers a number of states and is currently recruiting only through "virtual" means.
"Its great seeing a lot of innovation happening throughout our formation," said Col. Eric Lopez. "People contacting young Americans via text, via direct message, via chat, via Facetime."
In more typical times, spring is a recruiting hotbed for the U.S. Army as many high school seniors are looking for their new path. With schools closed, that hotbed has ceased to exist. And it will likely put a dent in recruiting numbers for this fiscal year.
"Time will tell, time will tell," Col. Lopez said in an interview on Wednesday. "When we open back up, how many people that we have connected with will actually want to join the Army? So, we're going to take a hit, no doubt about that."
In the meantime, the Army is looking for different ways to attract potential soldiers than it has in the past.
For instance, paying those soldiers who enlisted but had not yet shipped off to basic training when the pandemic started.
"We've had people that have quit their jobs, already enlisted in the Army," Col. Lopez explained. "They were ready to ship to basic training and now they can't go. So we're looking at, in extreme cases, put them on the rolls and start to pay them because otherwise they would be at basic training."
The 3rd Recruiting Brigade has also loosened its grooming requirements.
"We're trying to stay safe, we're trying to maintain social distance so this is the longest my hair has been in probably 24 years of service," Col. Lopez described. "Three weeks without a haircut so we're keeping our recruiters and we're letting them be a little bit shaggy."
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