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Texas House veterans committee discusses persistent military recruitment challenges

Burt Quintanilla (left), San Antonio's Veteran Advisory Commission District 9 representative, and Jerry Cheatom, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, both addressed the commission about programs in the city that help with recruitment.
Gabriella Alcorta-Solorio
/
TPR
Burt Quintanilla (left), San Antonio's Veteran Advisory Commission District 9 representative, and Jerry Cheatom, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, discussed programs in the city that help with recruitment.

The Texas House of Representatives' Defense and Veterans' Affairs Committee discussed military recruitment issues with retired service members during a public hearing at UTSA's Downtown Campus on Wednesday.

In recent years, the military has not met its recruitment goals. The Army, for example, saw a recruitment shortfall of 15,000 people in 2022.

Lt. Col. Terri Meyer, deputy commander of the Army's 5th Recruiting Brigade, addressed the concerns of recruitment and said recruiters are making progress toward their goal of 55,000, lower than recent years.

“San Antonio battalion has actually been one of the top-ranking battalions when it comes to U.S. Army recruiting,” Meyer said. “The Army is not lowering our standards, but we are working to raise the population that has the desire to serve, to have the ability to serve, both in dropping body fat percentage as well as increasing their ASVAB scores.”

LTC Terri Meyer, deputy brigade commander for the U.S. Army 5th Recruiting Brigade, addressed the concerns of recruitment to members during the hearing on August 21 at UTSA Downtown.
Gabriella Alcorta-Solorio
/
TPR
Lt. Col. Terri Meyer (in uniform, facing the committee), deputy commander of the Army's 5th Recruiting Brigade, addressed the concerns over military recruitment during a Defense and Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday in San Antonio.

Committee Chair Terry Wilson expressed concern for recruiters who move to Texas and their allowance for housing, called BAH.

“The fact of the matter is, it’s getting too expensive [to live in Texas],” Wilson said. “You look at the fact that our future command, that a lieutenant colonel, can barely afford to live in Austin, that is an issue.”

Benefits like BAH and Tricare are available for active-duty service members to support them.

Programs outside the military, like JROTC programs in high schools, pave the way to mold future recruits. William Lachance, JROTC director of Army instruction for Northeast ISD, explained how the JROTC program has helped with enlistment. He also explained the challenges they have sometimes faced when going into high schools.

“Some schools — we’ll have full access, so when recruiters, they'll actually be able to go into classrooms to bring subject matter experts, along with them, and talk to the students in the classrooms,” LaChance explained. “On the other end … you'll have schools that will tell the recruiters, 'You can set up your recruiting table outside the cafeteria, put your material on the table. Your recruiters have to stand behind the table, you cannot talk to students unless they come up to you.'”

Josey Garcia, an Air Force veteran who represents House District 124, commented on other barriers some prospective recruits may face — like low level offenses on their records that can derail their attempts to join the service.

Meyer addressed that concern: “There are waivers as far as in the system, but it’s always going to depend on what, how long ago, and what the level of the event was,” she explained. “Come on in, have the conversation to see where you’re at.”

According to the Title 32, there are multiple kinds of waivers:

  • Medical, which can qualify someone who has a disqualifying medical condition, according to Department of Defense.
  • Dependent, when an applicant is married with more than two dependents under 18 or when the applicant is unmarried and has custody of two dependents under 18.
  • Conduct, more complex than the other two, the waiver requires letters of recommendations and is required when a potential recruit has misconduct charges against them.
  • Drug, when potential recruits test positive for presence of drugs.

Jerry Cheatom, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, said he believed the JROTC program has helped with enlistments. He said students are twice as likely to enlist if ROTC instructors are present on campus.

“Students will come to those instructors for advice on the military, whether it's enlisting, whether it's an ROTC scholarship, whether it's a service academy appointment — they use us as experts,” he added.

LaChance explained that 20% of seniors every year in his district enlist in the military, and around 7% are commissioned. Although some students may not enlist, they may move on to ROTC programs that will lead to commissioning into the service as an officer.

“JROTC is a very, very positive impact in terms of success in recruiting for the military,” LaChance explained. “JROTC itself is not a recruiting program. However, it introduces a culture and structure and sets of values onto that campus that influences the entire campus.”

Lachance asked the committee to try to understand what the program is at their level and how it can lead to a military career.

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Gabriella Alcorta-Solorio is a reporter for Texas Public Radio. She recently graduated from Texas State University with a major in journalism, minoring in women’s studies. She has previously worked as a photojournalist with The Ranger and has reported on Alzheimer’s and dementia in South Texas using public health data. Her main focuses include reporting on health as well as military and veterans issues. Alcorta-Solorio is a U.S. Army veteran.