Millennial generation looking for options, look here

Millennial generation looking for options, look here

My name is Dean Somers, and I am one of the top employers in Kansas and Missouri.

I am glad the new school year is underway. During the last school year, I hired 767 high school graduates and 73 college degree holders. These 850 young people committed to work for my department for anywhere from three to six years. They are part of a small percentage of young Americans who qualify to be part of our team.

My employer offers full health care, tax-free allowances for living expenses, and work locations around the world. There are 151 jobs available in 25 career fields. We are continuously hiring, despite news coverage that makes people think otherwise.

I am a lieutenant colonel and the commander of the Kansas City U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion.

The Army continually needs new soldiers, just as most large-scale businesses need a constant flow of entry-level employees.

The vast majority of these 850 young men and women are starting their first full-time job -- with competitive pay and benefits. If they leave the Army without retiring, they will have tens of thousands of dollars to use for college, the eligibility to buy a home with no down payment, and other benefits due to U.S. veterans.

Because the U.S. Army’s size changes based on the needs of the nation, the number of new soldiers fluctuates year to year. What doesn’t fluctuate are the standards.

You may have heard in the news recently that it’s tougher to join the Army than ever before. The Army of the future requires highly qualified volunteers. Only three in 10 young Americans fully meet our stringent qualifications.

Our new soldiers will have a high school diploma. They will meet age-appropriate height and weight standards. None will have engaged in serious criminal misconduct. They will not have had a drug or alcohol dependency.

Our Kansas City Battalion team makes the dreams come true for thousands who wish to serve their nation. It’s true we take them away from their hometowns. But of all the 56,000 young men and women whose initial term of Army service ended in 2013, 58 percent did not re-enlist. Those still-young people come back with job experience and many benefits, including guaranteed money for college. They come back prepared to be productive members of your community.

We thank the schools, coaches, mentors and, most all, the parents of those 850 new soldiers. We ask them to provide encouragement for the next several hundred qualified young people willing to stand up and honorably serve our country.

Lt. Col. Somers is a 25-year Army veteran with a 2003 deployment to Iraq and a 2013 deployment to Afghanistan.  He is a 1988 graduate of Florida Bible College (B.A.) and a 2006 graduate of Webster  University (M.A.).