Military enlistment remains strong in rural areas; database has recruiting rates for every county

Recruitment for the military remains strong despite decreased support for the war in Iraq. Many recruits come from small towns and rural areas, where economic opportunities are limited and military service has "always been a ticket up and out," Dee Davis of the Kentucky-based Center for Rural Strategies told Gloria Hilliard of National Public Radio, who visited Hemet, Calif., at the foot of the San Jacinto Mountains 80 miles east-southeast of Los Angeles, for her story.

Hilliard reports that military service presents rural recruits with opportunities, job security, careers and adventure. A female recruit told her, "I want to make something of my life, and (military service) gives nice opportunities and just sets me up for a great future." A male recruit said, "Hemet is such a small town that there's just nothing out here, and (military service) is my window to the world." Hemet's population is 44,000, small compared to L.A. Read more and listen here.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch "reviewed Department of Defense data for every active-duty, Reserve and National Guard recruit, who by far represent the majority of forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan," reporters Phillip O'Connor and Kevin Crowe write. "The analysis found that rural America continues to be fertile ground for recruiters." It showed that per capita, "Four of the top 10 counties [in recruiting] were home to large Army posts, led by Geary County, Kan., home of Fort Riley. "Residents of such areas tend to have more familiarity and interaction with the military and are more receptive to the idea of military service, the Army says. Installations host activities open to the public and are active in civic life. In addition, many military retirees and families congregate in such areas."

The analysis excluded counties with populations of less than 1,000. Including them, the top two counties were Grant and Arthur in Nebraska, which together had nine recruits. No. 2 in recruitment was Menominee County, Wis., where 90 percent of residents are members of the Menominee tribe, which has a "warrior tradition." (Read more) The Post-Dispatch has placed the data on its Web site, in a searchable database, so you can check recruiting rates for any county or state. In Kentucky, for example, the counties with the top five enlistment rates are Hardin (home of Fort Knox), Wolfe, Union, Whitley and Edmonson.

Because of higher enlistment rates, Davis told Alex Cohen of NPR, servicemen and women from rural areas have a 60 percent higher death rate than their non-rural peers, but they keep enlisting. "There's a real tradition of military service in rural areas, and, I think, for a lot of folks who come from marginal economic backgrounds, military's been great in terms of giving training, getting jobs," Davis said. "Often times it's hard for people from rural communities to break into the job market or to be accepted. The military's always been a great equalizer."

Polling done for Davis's center show Iraq second only to fule prices as a topic of voter concern. "For people in rural areas, the war's not an abstraction," he said. "You feel it viscerally. You know somebody who's there. You know of families who have troops there. it's a real issue, and often these small towns have sent their first responders: the med techs, the volunteer fireman, the policeman, have gone over there so (rural communities) have to bear some of the burden of dealing with the issues." Read more and listen here.