Army recruiters in the Seattle area are falling so far behind their goals that since last October, they've enlisted only about one-third of the young men and women they'd hoped for.

Recruitment during the Iraq war has proved a challenge for the Army nationwide, and statistics show enlistments are widely below expectations. But recruiting numbers have been unusually low since fall in the Seattle area, where only 94 people have signed up in the past seven months, far short of an Army goal of 266.

"There are a variety of reasons, and one of them is the war," said Bill Pearce, a spokesman for the Army Recruiting Battalion in Seattle. "There is a whole different attitude in a country that has been at war for two or three years. That has a cumulative effect over time."

Pearce said an improving state economy may be diverting some potential Seattle recruits into other jobs, although he added that a slight uptick in recruitment has been seen in recent months.

Meanwhile, recruiters are coming under more scrutiny. The high schools that recruiters rely upon for access to hundreds of young people are grappling with divergent sentiments over the war.

During the summer, Seattle Public Schools will likely write its first formal guidelines for all recruiters who set foot on school grounds, in part to address the increasing debate among students, parents and teachers over the military's role on campus.

According to Amy Hagopian, who co-chairs the Parent-Teacher-Student Association at Garfield High School, the problem with recruiters is that they tend to glamorize military life and minimize the dangers. Having them show up at a school implies a tacit endorsement of the war by that school, she said.

"They hand out pens, pencils, squeeze-balls and refrigerator magnets," Hagopian said. "They make it seem like some product in the marketplace that's not related to killing."

But military recruiters say they are simply providing students with information about a rewarding and honorable career option in much the same manner as recruiters from colleges and businesses.

"There are a lot of very patriotic people in this community," said Sgt. Jon Chau, a spokesman with the Marine Corps recruiting station in Seattle. "The bottom line is that we are able to talk to everybody who might have an interest or could have an interest in serving."

Hot spot for recruiting

Representatives from the Army and Navy recruiting stations in Seattle said high schools remain the most important location for finding new recruits — ahead of job fairs, community colleges and malls.

Recruitment is a key in maintaining an effective fighting force in the age of an all-volunteer military. The draft ended in 1973, and the Iraq war is the nation's longest and deadliest conflict since then.

High-school recruiting takes two main forms: fliers sent to hundreds of students' homes, and face-to-face contact on campus. At some schools, recruiters engage students in competitions or hand out small gifts. With students who show some interest, recruiters may call later and take them out for a meal, on a tour of a military base or for a training workout with enlisted troops.

But the Army, in particular, has struggled here over the past year to sign up new soldiers.

Along with the lower-than-expected numbers reported by the regular Army, the figures for the Army Reserve in the area between Oct. 1 and April 30 are even weaker: 25 people signed up, compared with a goal of 97 recruits.

The Seattle recruiting efforts represent a steep decline from the previous year ending Sept. 30, when the Army managed to achieve more than two-thirds of its mission: 221 enlisted from a target 328; and 97 reserves recruited from a target of 144. The recruiting area extends from Shoreline to Federal Way and includes Bellevue.

Nationally, the Army also is falling short of its recruiting targets, but not nearly so dramatically as in Seattle. The Army aimed to recruit 80,000 people in the year beginning Oct. 1 and is so far falling about 16 percent short of that goal. The Army has boosted some incentives, now offering up to $20,000 in signing bonuses and $70,000 toward college tuition.

During a Pentagon press conference last month, Maj. Gen. Michael Rochelle, the Army's recruiting commander, said, "Today's conditions represent the most challenging conditions we have seen in recruiting in my 33 years in this uniform."

Rochelle said that soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, 22 percent of "influencers" — people advising youth on a career choice — recommended the military. That figure has dropped to 14 percent.

The Seattle recruiting problem appears confined to the Army. The Navy and Air Force in this area report hitting their goals so far this year, mirroring national trends. The Marines have hit state goals this year while falling a little short nationally in recent months.

Recruiters point to a number of possible reasons: The Army accounts for more than half of the entire military force. The Air Force and Navy may appear less risky during wartime. And the Marines may have a built a stronger cachet among some young people, especially in Seattle.

"The pressure on Army services and the Army itself is much more intense," said Pearce, the local recruiting spokesman, because of the higher numbers needed to fill the ranks.

"The Marines have a great PR machine," he added. "I think the Army should do better."

Teens who decide to join the military may encounter hostility as well as admiration. The war, said Mukilteo's Kamiak High School senior Sam Wrzeszcz, is "always a topic right below the surface."

Wrzeszcz, 18, has accepted a full scholarship to Duke University from the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps. After college, he must serve four years in the Navy.

"Teachers are always bringing it up, students are always bringing it up. One of the bigger things that's happened in our generation is the war," Wrzeszcz said.

His friend Willard Johnson said he's proud of Wrzeszcz, but that other friends have mixed reactions.

"Some of my buddies are total anti-war and sometimes their feelings get in the way. They say to people who are going into the military, 'Why do you want to go and do something like this?' " Johnson said. "Other people are totally proud of him and look up at him for devoting his life to serving the country."

Access stirs controversy

A provision in the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to give military recruiters the same campus access offered to other recruiters. Failure to comply can result in the withdrawal of federal funds.

But strong feelings about the Iraq war have made recruiters a flashpoint in local schools. Hagopian and a majority of other members of Garfield High's PTSA last month adopted a symbolic, unenforceable resolution to ban military recruiters from campus. Students from around Seattle later protested outside military recruiting stations.

Holly Ferguson, assistant general counsel for the Seattle School District, is surveying high schools to find out how they handle recruiters. She said preliminary results show that schools are "all over the map" in what they allow, often leaving it up to specialists at career centers to decide.

"We are hearing from students and teachers 'We don't know what to do about this,' " she said. "That says to me that, OK, we need to make some central decisions about guidelines."

This school year marked the first time Seattle Public Schools offered families the opportunity to specifically opt out of military mailings.

Around the region, schools take different approaches. For instance, at Lakes High School in Lakewood, not far from Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base, military recruiters visit the school eight times per month. Sometimes they stage pull-up competitions and hand out T-shirts to the winners.

At Bellevue High School, military recruiters tend to come just once in the spring and once in the fall, said Principal Mike Bacigalupi. That's a choice the military makes, he added.

Garfield High career specialist Karin Engstrom said she recently restricted recruiters to one area after becoming concerned they were wandering the campus.

The Seattle district's survey also may shed light on whether schools are being targeted by recruiters. A 2003 Seattle Times survey showed variations in how many graduates enlist from different schools.

Roosevelt, Garfield and Nathan Hale high schools, for instance, all reported a 2 percent or lower rate of graduates enlisting, while Franklin, Evergreen, Rainier Beach and West Seattle high schools reported a 5 percent or greater enlistment rate.

"Anecdotally, we are having our South End schools getting more recruiters," said Ferguson.

Seattle recruiting spokesmen said they're not aware of any targeting and that individual recruiters often decide when to visit a particular school.

Ferguson said she expects to complete a report on her survey results next month and will advise the district to prepare guidelines, which would be ready in the fall. Perhaps the biggest issue, Ferguson said, is ensuring that any printed materials or verbal information is factually accurate and won't mislead students.

Other issues include whether recruiters should be allowed to approach students or should wait for students to approach them, how far recruiters can go in pursuing interested students, what kinds of gifts or incentives they can offer, and where they're allowed on campus.

For Sam Wrzeszcz of Edmonds, the son of a Marine, the Navy means an education, but also uncertainties. "I've always felt that, as citizens, we have to serve our country in some way," he said. "I have no idea what actual life is like in the military. I'll have to wait and see."

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com