US Army recruiting offices are reporting increased interest in signing up as the economic crisis worsens.

Atlanta recruiting offices are the most recent to see an increase in numbers, and potential recruits are smarter as well. The Army reported that 83% of its recruits in the year ending Sept. 30 had high school diplomas, up from 79% the previous year.

The percentage of young people who said they would probably join the military increased from 9% to 11% in the first half of this year, according to a Pentagon-sponsored survey.

According to WBSRadio, Sgt. 1st Class Fabian Byrd at the Smyrna Army Recruiting office (Atlanta) says it’s easy to see why the Army is attractive: “you have a guaranteed job, a guaranteed medical benefits, a guaranteed paycheck and you have 30 days of vacation every year.” While we honor the service of any person in the army, Byrd seems to forget a few other things, like you could get sent to a shit hole and get killed, but hey, it’s a pay packet right :-)