Air America The National Guard looks to recruit the tech-savvy BY JESS KILBY

The United States military isn’t the most attractive career option these days, what with the Bush administration’s insatiable penchant for warmongering. No longer is a hitch in the US armed services the thing that it was during our decades-long spate of relative peace: a decent way to finance a college education. These days, military service is much more likely to involve actual combat and casualties.

But still, recruitment efforts must go on. Nobody, including the Department of Defense, wants to see another draft. Better to serve willingly and well trained — such is the prevailing wisdom.

Working the "well trained" angle of this strategy is a unique new recruitment effort from the Maine Air National Guard: the Maine High Tech Patriot Program. A partnership with the Maine Software Developers Association (MESDA), the program combines a traditional six-year Air National Guard enlistment (in one of four selected high-tech job categories) with a one-year apprenticeship at a local company. Aside from the military and civilian job training, the package dangles the perennial recruitment carrot: money for college.

So which career paths can you follow as a High Tech Patriot? Pick one of the following high-demand jobs: computer aided drafting and design (CADD), wireless communications, cable infrastructure (telephone architecture, fiber optic networks, and antenna systems), or management information systems (MIS).

Maj. Kevin Donovan, detachment commander for 243rd Engineering Installation Squadron in South Portland, says these career fields were chosen because "we think they would be a good fit for local employers." It doesn’t hurt that three out of the four specializations also come with incentives for the enlistee ($$$) per the Guard’s nationwide recruiting goals, or that Maine has not one but two Air National Guard units that specialize in communications support (the 243rd) and combat communications (the 265th). In fact, the 26 new positions per year that the Guard hopes to fill via the High Tech Patriot program will be attached to these two squadrons.

Though the program, like any military career, is not without risk, it also boasts its fair share of benefits. Since it’s aimed at high-school seniors, participants can get the first year of their enlistments out of the way while still in school, doing the one-weekend-a-month thing and pocketing a handy $150 per gig in the process. (All specializations except CADD also come with a $5000 enlistment bonus, half of which is paid up-front.)

After graduation, it’s off to San Antonio for boot camp, then on to the military’s technical school in Biloxi, Mississippi. Those specializing in CADD and MIS can expect to spend 13 weeks in scenic Biloxi, while wireless specialists will log 22 weeks on the delta and cable antenna specialists will train for 24 weeks.

Once the newly minted airmen are back home in Maine, Donovan says they’ll spend some QT with their squadrons, getting additional training before apprenticeships begin. And where might an enlistee hope to apprentice? So far the Guard has agreements with 15 companies and organizations in Maine, including the University of Southern Maine, the University of Maine at Orono, Time Warner of Maine, Communications Technology Incorporated, Fairchild and National Semiconductor, Central Maine Power, Wright Express, and Fairpoint Communications. Donovan says salary levels will be determined by the employers, but will likely be comparable to entry-level positions with benefits.

Either during or after the apprenticeship, participants can also start collecting their GI Bill benefits. All four job ratings qualify for a $282-per-month living stipend for full-time studies; all ratings except CADD get an additional $350 per month. On top of that, MIS and cable antenna specialists are eligible for up to $20,000 in college loan repayments.

It’s a pretty sweet deal, but don’t forget that one-weekend-a-month-and-two-weeks-a-year commitment, which lasts the duration of the enlistment. It’s not your standard weekend-warrior stuff, though.

"We don’t go out in the field and set up tents on the weekend," Donovan says. "We’re always looking to do quality training for our people."

Often that training comes in the form of community service, frequently for local school departments ("Where we’re not taking work away from local contractors," Donovan notes. "We’re very careful about that"). Typical projects include installing new lighting on athletic fields, as well as LAN and telephone wiring in classrooms.

Though community service is warm and fuzzy, the specter of being activated for full-time duty is not. And while Donovan notes that his unit of 130 people has never been activated all at once (it’s usually a handful of people as needed for a project), he also acknowledges that 1100 of Maine’s 1300 Air National Guard members are currently deployed on active duty.

"We’re not trying to sugar-coat it," he says. "There is definitely an obligation. There’s a service and possibly a price to be paid for joining the Air National Guard."

Donovan’s unit has been lucky so far — no casualties. Six members of the squadron just returned from Iraq; currently no members of the 243rd are deployed in the region. And Donavan notes that the nature of the work done by the 243rd and the 265th means that its members stay relatively safe, even in a combat zone. "We’re normally inside the fence," he says.

Joining the military is a heavy commitment, even during peace time. And it’s troubling that such a dangerous contract has become the best financial option for many of our nation’s poor and middle classes. But for the right person at the right time in his or her life, a program like this just might be the right thing to do.

Jess Kilby can be reached at jesskilby@yahoo.com