Both Abilene National Guard recruiters are expected to have two enlistees a month. 1st Class Erik Farnkoff, a National Guard recruiter for two years. Farnkoff said he wanted to be a recruiter because he liked the idea of setting his own hours. But like other recruiters, he sometimes finds those hours extend to taking late-night phone calls and making weekend visits. Most of the recruiting offices have long hours, staying open as late as 9 p.m. for people to stop in after work.
Recruiters can also lose a potential enlistee to competing military recruiters.
Marine, Army, Air Force and Navy recruiting offices are located next to each other in the Armed Forces Recruiting Services center on North First Street. Finding people who want to join the military is not the only challenge recruiters face. They also have to make sure potential recruits are qualified to join. Potential recruits must score well on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test and pass a physical exam. For every 10 applicants, one or two qualify to join the military, recruiters say.