“US Army Offers Generous Benefits, Entry Requirements Apply”

The US Army is in the process of restructuring its force size to enhance military capabilities. At the same time, the attractive educational, employment opportunities, and benefits provided by the military are drawing more young people to join.

Many American high school students, recent high school graduates, and college students consider joining the US military as their top career choice. To recruit more new soldiers and assist them in completing the enlistment process, the US military has set up recruitment stations in various locations across the country.

On July 12th, the Los Angeles Army Recruiting Station held an outdoor “Change of Command” ceremony in the city center. Lieutenant Colonel Erin Fritzler took over command from Johann Hindert, becoming the new commander of the Los Angeles Recruiting Station of the United States Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) 6th Recruiting Brigade.

Los Angeles has always been a key recruitment area for the US military. Under Lieutenant Colonel Hindert’s leadership over the past two years, the Los Angeles Recruiting Station recruited 3,000 regular new soldiers and 650 reservists. Fritzler happily expressed, “So I’m here to join this big family. I’ve been stationed in Los Angeles before and have done recruiting work, so I’m excited to be part of the recruiting station on the ground.”

Lieutenant Colonel Fritzler participated in the Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program in high school and received a commission as a second lieutenant from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2006, becoming a military police officer.

During her career, she served as a company executive officer and platoon leader in the 116th Military Police Company at Fort Riley, a rear detachment commander in the 97th Military Police Battalion headquarters, a law enforcement advisor and protection operations officer in Italy, an assistant professor of military science and recruiting operations officer at the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program at the University of California, Los Angeles.

During her tenure in Los Angeles, she obtained a Juris Doctor degree from the Southwest Law School through the educational benefits provided by the US Army. She later served as a camp executive officer at the US Army Recruiting Command in New York.

Fritzler stated that the US Army is the most powerful fighting force in the world and provides many people with the best path to a successful life. Her own experiences once again confirm this point.

“I am very grateful that the Army has given me so many different opportunities. The military has given me the opportunity to develop leadership skills, meet many outstanding soldiers, and travel the world…” she said, “This is a life-changing opportunity for me.”

For the younger generation of high school graduates planning their futures, she believes that serving in the US is an honorable thing, and the advantages provided by the Army surpass other fields.

For example, the Army offers over 200 different career opportunities, allowing new recruits to select their career before signing a contract; what they choose, the army will assign them to work in. Soldiers are not forced to the front lines.

Moreover, the Army provides approximately $274 million in scholarships for soldiers each year. Full-time soldiers serving for three years have their tuition covered 100% by the military scholarship. Soldiers also receive housing allowances each month, which can amount to thousands of dollars depending on their location.

The benefits provided by the US military to soldiers go far beyond that. The Army’s ROTC program allows individuals to further understand the Army as “non-contracting officers” in order to decide whether to enlist formally. The ROTC scholarship program can also help soldiers earn credits through online and evening courses leading to a bachelor’s, master’s, or even doctoral degree.

The Veterans Affairs (VA) loan enables soldiers to purchase homes with “zero down payment.” Under the Veterans Rights Act, soldiers enjoy benefits such as free medical care, paid leave, and more. In addition to 30 days of paid annual leave, new parents also receive paid parental leave, recovery leave, and more.

Sun Sha, a Chinese recruitment officer at the Pasadena recruiting center in Los Angeles County, said that as more people understand the concept of serving in a free country, many Chinese families have changed their minds and are supporting their children to join the military. However, many people are unable to pass the basic test due to language barriers.

“Many people are stuck at the language barrier and cannot communicate with the staff. In fact, all we need is simple basic English communication.” Therefore, she suggests that those who want to join the US military put in a little effort to gain basic English communication skills.

In addition, recruits must meet the following basic requirements, including: good health; high school diploma; pass physical fitness tests; usually between the ages of 17 and 35, with the highest enlistment age in some cases being 42; and have US permanent resident or citizenship status.