They Want Uncle Sam--If

In the days following President Kennedy's speech on Berlin last July, newspapers and magazines were dotted with pictures of young men lining up by the dozens at the doors of Armed Forces recruiting stations throughout the country. Overly sanguine young men might have thought that with so many enlisting, the President's suggested increase in draft quotas might be unnecessary. Such hopes were, of course, unfounded. To listen to an Army, Navy, or Air Force sales talk, however persuasive it be, is not necessarily to sign on the dotted line immediately. In fact, visits to various recruiting stations suggest that, in the Boston area at least, the number of actual enlistees has not increased very significantly despite a rise in inquiries. There are, however, indications that earlier sales talks may now be paying off, and that there may be an important rise in the number of volunteers in the months to come.

This trend was noted by Master Sergeant Frank J. Carr at the Army recruiting station which handles Metropolitan Boston enlistments. The station's monthly quota has remained steady at about 60; in July, the actual total was 69, in August 79, in September 77, and though October is not yet half over, the total has already reached 77. Perhaps lured by lavishly printed four-color booklets, which note that the Army "guarantees in writing your choice of training BEFORE enlistment," would-be enlistees have been applying at the rate of four for every opening. By far the two most popular options have been duty in Europe and airborne (paratrooper) duty, both of which are closer to combat than most of the others.

The average enlistee is not as young as he was a few years ago; officials at Army, Navy, and Air Force recruiting centers agreed that the number of older men applying had risen substantially in recent months. Air Force Sgt. Ernie Emord noted that there had been a noticeable increase in the number of older men enlisting in the Air Force, and in the number of college graduates applying for officer programs. It was difficult, however, to assess the influence of the President's speech, because of a 600 per cent jump in the number of positions open in the officer program, and the fact that inquiries about the regular Air Force normally increase during the summer, after high school graduations.

Graduates of Harvard Law School in particular appear to be lured by the Air Force's Judge Advocate General program; from a total of three to six in previous years, the number entering from the Class of 1961 jumped more than 300 per cent to 20. Ninety applications have already been received from the Class of 1962, though this happened before the Kennedy address.

In Boston, all three services have noted an increase in the number of near-draft age enlistees. Prior to now, volunteers for the Air Force's regular program have been mostly 17 or 18; lately, there has been a great increase in the number of men 21 through 24 applying. Evidently, more older men are convinced by Air Force propaganda which calls its program "the easiest way to get a commission--it's like ROTC in three months." The Army has also found an increase in the number of college graduates enlisting, in spite of the fact that it has no special program for them. There has been an increase in the number of men 21 through 23 seeking naval commissions.

Thus, not surprisingly, the men who feel themselves closest to being called by the draft, are taking prior artion to choose their own program. The rest follow a policy of ask, wait, and see.