MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (Army News Service, July 27, 2007) Aca,!" Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey today visited Mechanicsburg, Pa., recruiters, who met their yearly recruiting mission just six months into the recruiting year.

The Mechanicsburg Recruiting Station, which falls under Carlisle Recruiting Company, met its yearly mission of enlisting 64 Soldiers into the Army by late April with six months left in the recruiting year. The company also oversees Carlisle Recruiting Station, which was the first Army recruiting station to meet its 2007 active-duty recruiting goal.

"The main purpose of this visit was to congratulate them on the great job they've done and continue to do," Gen. Casey said. "I also wanted to hear from them what challenges they face in recruiting and suggestions on how we can support them."

Mechanicsburg recruiters shared their suggestions and comments on the Army's current recruiting strategies and tactics, offering ideas ranging from advertisement to incentives.

"I was very impressed with the quality and caliber of the Soldiers I met today," said Gen. Casey said. "They had great work ethic and insightful suggestions for me to take a look at."

Meeting recruiting missions during a period of protracted war and low desire for enlistment has been a challenge for Army recruiters, though they continue to meet yearly goals. In fact, the command currently has 276 more accessions so far this year than at the same time last year.

Despite only meeting 83.7 percent of their June monthly mission, USAREC has reached 101.4 percent of their yearly mission in the active Army and 95.9 percent in the Army Reserve, with 70,000 new Soldiers committing to the active- and reserve-components so far this recruiting year.

"There are certainly challenges with recruiting when we're a nation at war," Gen. Casey said. "But we're also at a time when men and women can get in there and make a difference in our nation's history. The stakes are high; they're our way of life."