SAN ANTONIO — It's no small decision to join the military, and soldiers who have been in the shoes of new enlistees are ready to serve as their guides.
Staff Sgt. Thomas Barilleaux is a U.S. Army recruiter. He uses his experience to encourage the next person in line.
“My main job is to help people enlist into the Army,” Barilleaux said. “I've been in 10 years, so I've kind of seen a little bit of everything that comes with the Army. That helps a lot when people ask me questions and try to relate what they want to do.”
Barilleaux is part of the West Company, one of seven companies that make up the U.S Army Recruiting Battalion of San Antonio. He works at the Ingram Park Station.
“On a typical day you might have two or three people come in,” Barilleaux said. “Some days it’s a lot, like 10 people.”
Captain Mason De La Garza, commander for the San Antonio West Recruiting Company, said Military City U.S.A. is one of the easier places to recruit. But it presents its own set of challenges, like any city does.
Right now, the biggest issue with recruitment is the pandemic. De La Garza said there are fewer opportunities to connect with people in-person.
“Really, the easiest thing is face to face,” he said. “That's the easiest way we can tell our Army story, is to talk face to face with people and have a one-on-one conversation.”
De La Garza’s recruiters are working tirelessly to bridge the gap. A recent report from the West Company shows it's made 31,000 recruiting attempts. Those attempts resulted in 3,100 contacts.
Of that, 1,300 appointments were made, but only 660 people followed through with them. After that, 125 of them signed up to serve; that makes for a .4% success rate.
Another report provided by De La Garza shows recruitment numbers are down across south Texas. In 2019, San Antonio’s seven recruiting companies recruited a total of 3,600 people. In 2020, they recruited 2,700.
In 2021, that number dropped to 2,600.
The numbers are indicative of a nationwide issue. In January, the U.S. Army sweetened its deal to entice people to sign up. For the first time, it’s offering a maximum enlistment bonus of $50,000 to recruits who join for six years.
Barilleaux said this offer helps them compete with outside companies that are also offering incentives.
“We're also offering duty station of choice,” Barilleaux said. “So now when you do pick your job, you actually can go to pick where you're going to get assigned to as well.”
Of course, you need to be eligible first. If you want to join the Army, Barilleaux said you can’t have any felonies or tattoos on your hands or neck. Your level of education will be considered and you’ll be expected to complete a physical test.
“It's a strength deadlift, a ball throw, a sprint drag carry, a leg tuck and then a two-mile run,” Barilleaux said. “To be honest with you, passing is actually very easy. Maxing the test is going to be very hard.”
If you do struggle with meeting those requirements, he’s here to help.
“I actually run PT twice a week to help get them in shape,” Barilleaux said. “So by the time they do get to training and they are taking that test, they're prepared and they can go in and they can crush it.”
Barilleaux is also there to answer any questions you have about qualifying. He said every person’s situation is different and it’s important to see what your options are.
“There's always waivers and different things for people to meet qualifications,” Barilleaux said. “But you're not going to know until you really sit down and talk to us if you do meet the qualifications or not.”
A decade into his U.S. Army career, Barilleaux is glad he made the decision to join. He's continuing to be able to build the same future for new soldiers.
To learn more about joining, click here.