#AFPS News Articles DOD Press Advisories DOD News Releases DOD Contract Announcements DOD Transcripts DOD Speeches DOD Secretary of Defense Speeches DOD Blogger's Roundtable United States Department of Defense United States Department of Defense ____________________ Submit Search News * News Articles * News/Casualty Releases * Press Advisories * News Transcripts * Publications * Speeches * Contracts * Testimony * Messages * Special Reports Secretary of Defense * Biography * Speeches * Messages * Testimony * Travels * News Photos Deputy Secretary of Defense * Biography * Speeches * Travels * News Photos Photos/Videos * Lead Photos * News Photos * Photo Essays * Week in Photos * Videos * DoD Video News * Imagery Archive Other * Briefing Slides * Pentagon Press Badges * Press/Media Queries * Military Commissions * Detainees * Other News Sources DoD News Bookmark and Share E-Mail A Copy | Printer Friendly | Latest News News Article Recruiters Recall Patriotism of Post-9/11 America By Lisa Daniel American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2011 – Like so many Americans, Army Sgt. Cheri Depenbrock watched the horror of 9/11 unfold from her office television. What was different for the Army recruiter was how it changed her job in the weeks after. Click photo for screen-resolution image Like other military recruiters, Army Master Sgt. Juan Dozier witnessed a spike in patriotism following Sept. 11, 2001, that led many Americans into recruiting stations. U.S. Army courtesy photo (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. In seven years of helping ensure the Army met its recruiting goals, Depenbrock was used to reaching out to young people, telling them what the Army could do for them, and mostly answering their questions about how they could get their college paid for by signing up. “It was almost always for college, for money, and for having a full-time job,” she said, referring to the reasons people enlisted. Sept. 11, 2001, changed that. In the days, weeks and months thereafter, Depenbrock, like military recruiters around the nation, watched in amazement from her Cincinnati office as people who never would have thought of joining -- or rejoining, as many would have it -- approached recruiters with the sole purpose of defending America. “It was amazing the people walking into that office, the ages,” she said. “We had so many prior-service folks wanting to come back. I was amazed at how many older people tried. I know some of them were in their fifties. And, military-wise, we couldn’t do anything for them.” Some younger people with prior service did rejoin, Depenbrock said, and the first-time recruits were different. While patriotism has always driven young people to service, it was almost always matched with a desire for college money or new opportunities. Suddenly, they weren’t asking about money, she said. “It was all about the patriotism,” Depenbrock said. “They didn’t care about anything else. Money had nothing do with it. I swear, I think half those kids would have joined if we hadn’t paid them.” An annual Pentagon survey of young people’s propensity to join the military showed an 8-percent increase among young men likely to enlist immediately after 9/11, and remained high until 2005, a Defense Department official said. One of those young men was William Grigsby, now an Army staff sergeant who enlisted in early 2002. “The events of 9/11 had everything to do with my decision to enlist,” he said. Grigsby, an aircraft electrician on a three-year detail as a recruiter in Houston, graduated high school in June 2001 and was indecisive about his plans, first considering the Army, then college, and then deciding against both. Three months later, “I was working a dead-end job at a grocery store,” Grigsby recalled. He was driving home from the night shift on the morning of 9/11 when he heard a news report about two hijacked planes being flown into the World Trade Center in Manhattan. Almost immediately after, Grigsby said, his mind went back to joining the Army. As U.S. forces moved into Afghanistan to dismantle al-Qaida and their Taliban backers, “I watched in awe as our military forces took control of the country,” he said, adding that he had no reservations at the prospects of deploying to war. Recruiters from around the country remember post-9/11 as a time when many potential recruits came to them. Army Master Sgt. Juan Dozier calls himself “a recruiter of two different generations.” There was the generation before 9/11 -- his generation -- who enlisted for various benefits the military could provide. “There wasn’t so much of a sense of purpose, of ‘What can I do for my country?’” he said. “It was more, ‘I need the training or education money.’” Dozier didn’t begrudge them -- he was one of them. Raised in the tough Southside Chicago neighborhood of Englewood, Dozier enlisted in the Army in 1989 as a way out. “The only thing I wanted to do was have different scenery,” he said. “They took a chance on me being from Southside Chicago,” Dozier said, adding that his recruiters asked him to take a bus to meet them outside of his neighborhood because they were concerned about violence there. “The only time they came and got me was when it was time for boot camp,” he said. After serving as a motor transportation operator in Germany, then California and Texas, Dozier was working as a recruiter in Columbia, S.C., when 9/11 occurred. People began flowing into the recruiting station, and they were prepared to fight, he said. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and his predecessor, Robert M. Gates, have praised the more than 3 million young people who have joined the military since 9/11, all knowing they likely would go to war. Dozier compared their mindset to that of peacetime recruits caught off guard by military interventions such as the Persian Gulf War that began in 1990. “Back then kids were saying, ‘I didn’t join for this, and a lot of them were trying to get out,’” he said. “These kids now, they know what they’re signing up for. For most of them, they know war is part of the job.” Recruiters say they now hear a mixture of reasons for enlisting, with many potential recruits still citing patriotism, but a growing number also looking for benefits such as health care. “When they come in now, they’re looking at benefits,” Depenbrock said. “They’re not talking about the GI Bill. -- they’re talking about a safety net.” Contact Author Related Sites: Special Report: Remembering 9/11 Comments Article is closed to new comments. The opinions expressed in the following comments do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Defense. 9/8/2011 6:42:49 PM I am a former SRP/SRC PROVIDER in Washington and Colorado 2003-2005 where I interviewed soldiers for pre and post deployment issues, the national guard and reservist for entry and return from active duty. Every soldier, especially those after 9/11 and those older than 26 yo, when I asked why join? They would respond ....... join for patriotic reasons, do their share after 9/11. As a former Vietnam Era vet and Active Regular Army Retiree I was impressed. This meant not only did America have an All Voluntary Force but they were motivated by Patriotism. Thus the worlds best trained Armed Forces. America owes alot to these troops who voluntarily commited and sacrificed for their Nation. - panv, colorado Most Recent News Stories 01/30/2015 Military Airstrikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq 01/30/2015 Face of Defense: Army NCO Prepares for Tough Competition 01/30/2015 More Airstrikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq 01/30/2015 Massachusetts Guard Helps Combat Blizzard 01/30/2015 Donors Make Armed Services Blood Program Possible 01/30/2015 DoD Moves Data to the Cloud to Lower Costs, Improve Security 01/30/2015 CFC Contributions Show 'Spirit of Giving' from DoD Community 01/29/2015 Face of Defense: Former Marine D.I. Continues to Lead 01/29/2015 Special Ops Assuming Greater NATO Responsibilities 01/29/2015 Work: DoD’s CFC Involvement Shows ‘Spirit of Giving’ . Main Menu * Home * Today in DOD * About DOD + Leaders + Biographies + Organization + Mission + History + Frequently Asked Questions + Available jobs with DOD * Top Issues + Targeted Operations Against ISIL Terrorists + Afghanistan + Warrior Care + Sexual Assault Prevention + Cyber Security + Defense Strategic Guidance * News + Today in DOD + Press Advisories + News Releases + Publications + News Transcripts + Speeches + Casualty Status (PDF) + Contracts + Casualty Releases + News Articles + Special Reports * Photos/Videos + DoD Video News + Lead Photo Archive + Photo Essays + News Photos + Week In Photos + DIMOC + Videos + DOD/Military Seals + Official DoD YouTube * DoD Sites + U.S. Army + U.S. Marine Corps + U.S. Navy + U.S. Air Force + National Guard + U.S. Coast Guard + All DOD Sites + Military/DOD Social Media Sites + Register A Site + Unified Combatant Commands * Contact Us + Frequently Asked Questions + Website Feedback + Careers + Phone Number and Mailing Address * Resources Additional Links * Home * Today in DOD * About DOD * Top Issues * News * Photos/Videos * DoD Sites * Contact Us * Resources * Inspector General * Privacy & Security * Link Disclaimer * Recovery Act * FOIA * USA.gov * No FEAR Act * Plain Writing Act of 2010 * Accessibility/Section 508 * Join the Military * Careers * Web Policy Stay Connected * Icon: Facebook Facebook * Icon: Twitter Twitter * Icon: YouTube YouTube * Icon: Google Plus Google + * Icon: Instagram Instagram * Icon: Flickr Flickr * Icon: DoDLive Blog DOD Live Blog * Icon: Email Email * Icon: RSS Feeds RSS Feeds * Icon: Widgets Widgets MORE SOCIAL MEDIA SITES »