Poor economy means more recruits

More young men and women in the San Fernando Valley want to be all they can be - in the Army - than at any time since the U.S. went to war in Iraq.Tony Castro in the Daily News.

According to statistics released Tuesday by the Army, enlistments in the Valley region jumped almost 30 percent this year as a slumping economy sparked the biggest military recruiting year in Los Angeles since the Iraq War began in 2003.

The recruiting region from Glendale to Thousand Oaks reported 573 enlistments through Sept. 31, compared with 443 during the comparable period in 2008, according to the Army. One of the biggest jumps was reported in Glendale, with an 88 percent hike.