Nobody is joining the Army anymore. If you want to know why, we've covered a pretty convincing theory on that subject before.
Wokeness, lack of leadership, distrust of government. All of these things are throwing obstacles in the way of bringing in young men who would normally sign up.
But now the Army has decided to do a throwback in order to recruit:
Yes, the classic 1980s "Be all that you can be" Army recruitment is making a comeback.
At least it's better than the other recent ads!
No rainbow flags, no transgender officers, no obvious over-the-top wokeness.
This is a step in the right direction as far as recruitment goes. It seems like everyone is going back to the '80s for inspiration these days!
And at least they aren't quoting Lana Del Rey:
Yeah, it's a low bar.
From CBS:
The campaign was initially scheduled for August, but the Army moved it up, hoping it will help boost this year's recruiting.
Last year, the Army fell about 25% short of its recruiting goals in what its leaders call the most challenging recruiting environment since the all-volunteer force began. Army leaders have attributed the shortfall in part to the lack of knowledge among young Americans about the Army and the avenues it opens.
(Actor Jonathan) Majors was chosen for the campaign largely because of his resonance with Gen Z , according to the head of Army enterprise marking, Major General Alex Fink.
Majors recently starred in big-budget movies like "Creed III," "Devotion," and Marvel Universe's "Ant Man and Wasp: Quantimania." He also comes from a family of veterans – his father served in the Air Force, and his grandfathers were in the Army and the Navy.
Yeah, honestly, I had no clue that dude was a celebrity, but I'm not a Gen Zer so I guess he's not on my radar.
But at least the Army thinks people will care that he's recruiting for them.
"Something that has moved me forward is the imagination and the bravery of my grandfather that instilled in me this idea that I could do whatever it is I wanted to," said Majors, who attended the unveiling.
Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said the Army invested $117 million in the campaign. The ads will start appearing at the 2023 NCAA March Madness tournament, and a second phase of the campaign will be unveiled later this year.
The trailer the Army released Monday for the new campaign pays homage to the 1980s and 1990s by ending with a brief slowed-down version of the music – but not the lyrics – used in the original ads. Those ads aired from 1981 to 2001 and included a short, upbeat jingle with the tagline "be all that you can be."
You know, I think the Army has much bigger problems than ineffectual ads.
I couldn't recommend anyone joining the military while Lloyd Austin is in charge of Defense and Mark Milley is still ranting about removing "white rage" from the military.
I am glad to see less wokeness in the recruiting, but unless the woke policies are all revoked, the Army is still a disaster. No one wants to die for the rainbow cult in order to secure 10% of the Big Buy in Ukraine!
