Active Army Achieves Re-enlistment Goal One Month Early

By OCPASeptember 10, 2006

The Active Army made its fiscal year 2006 retention goal with one month left in the year when the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army re-enlisted a Fort Campbell, Ky., Soldier today.

Staff Sgt. Michael Obleton, a truck driver assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), became the 64,200th active Army reenlistment this fiscal year as Gen. Richard Cody hosted the ceremony.

"What a commitment," Cody said at the Fort Campbell ceremony. In 2006, "our Army has been at war longer than we fought in World War II. Soldiers still re-enlist knowing full well the dangers, knowing full well the sacrifice, and families knowing the sacrifice. I'm here because guys like [Obleton] motivate me. He should motivate you, too."

Obleton a veteran of Kosovo, Bosnia and two tours in Iraq will be attending Career Counselor School later this year.

Overall, the 101st Airborne Division, which is in the midst of redeploying from Iraq, has exceeded its retention mission of approximately 3000 by more than 50 percent.

The Active Army has exceeded its retention goals every year since 1998.

"The Army enlists Soldiers, but we re-enlist families," Cody told Soldiers and guest during the re-enlistment ceremony.

Both the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve expect to meet their annual retention missions by the end of the fiscal year.

In the first ten months of Fiscal Year 2006, 109,056 Soldiers have reenlisted in all three Army components, the Active Army, the Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard-that is more than can fit in the Rose Bowl. Two out of three Soldiers eligible to reenlist, continue to reenlist.

Complete retention and recruiting numbers as of the end of August will be released by the Department of Defense on Sept. 10.

As of end of month July, the active Army had reenlisted 60,666 Soldiers this fiscal year: 105 percent of the year-to-date glide path of 57,780. Overall Fiscal Year 2006 retention mission is 64,200-almost identical to the FY05 mission.

As of end of month July, the US Army Reserve had reenlisted 14,369 Soldiers this fiscal year: 99 percent of the year-to-date glide path of 14,400. Overall FY06 retention mission is 17,712-1,464 more than FY05.

As of end of month July, Army National Guard had reenlisted 34,021 Soldiers this fiscal year: 120 percent of the year-to-date glide path of 28,408. Overall FY06 retention mission is 34,875-2,305 more than FY05.

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For more information on Army retention, call Army Public Affairs, Lt. Col. Lee Packnett, at (703) 697-5343. For more information on Staff Sgt. Obleton, call the Fort Campbell Public Information officer, Ms. Kelly Tyler, at (270)

798-4730