Army scouting NASCAR circuit

(Correction: Because of an editing error, the caption for photos that ran with a Page 1 story in yesterday's Globe about the Army scouting for recruits at NASCAR events misidentified the photographer. It was Davis Turner.)

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Swiveling an imitation machine gun mounted on a mock Army jeep, young men and women fire round after round of laser ''bullets" at masked insurgents while ''patrolling" the dusty streets and sand-colored buildings of a war-pocked city that looks very much like Baghdad.

The simulated patrol plays out on large, adjoining video screens, complete with Arabic writing on the buildings, that convey an edgy feel for the adrenaline-pumping perils of military duty in Iraq. ''This is awesome," said Jason Seger, 16, of Fort Loramie, Ohio.

For Seger, the experience only heightened his interest in the Army. ''I've been thinking about joining ever since I was a little kid," he said.

Seger's reaction is music to the ears of the recruit-strapped Army, which brings the free interactive display to Nextel Cup auto races around the country to build a list of potential soldiers. On this day, before a 400-mile stock-car race roars past 136,000 fans at Michigan International Speedway, visitors to the Army exhibit will spray bullets during the virtual patrol, scale a 25-foot rock-climbing wall, bounce from side to side in a Humvee simulator, have their names stamped on dog tags, and walk through a trailer where recruiters show off equipment, answer questions, and guide the curious to more combat video games.

For the Army, the road show is a success story amid a drumbeat of disappointing news about missed recruiting quotas and mounting casualties. The 5,023 visitors to the Michigan display will yield 1,000 to 2,500 potential recruits, said Guy Morgan, who manages the exhibit for a marketing firm hired by the Army. And when NASCAR's 36-race Nextel Cup series ends this year, the Army expects to gather 40,000 names, each of whom will be contacted at least once by a recruiter.

''In terms of sheer numbers, this is the exact kind of event we want to be at," said Staff Sergeant Harold Darner, 34, an Army recruiter in Michigan. ''They're race fans, and they're patriotic people. This is more bang for the buck."

Indeed, the connection between NASCAR and the military seems seamless. From military flyovers before Nextel Cup races, to a fireworks-punctuated rendition of the national anthem, to the Army-sponsored car that posted the fastest qualifying time before last Sunday's race, the combination of screaming stock cars and flagwaving fans makes this fertile ground for replenishing the volunteer ranks of the Army and National Guard.

''It's an adventurous sport, and it draws people who are interested in adventurous activities," said Lieutenant Colonel William E. Spadie, commander of Great Lakes Recruiting Battalion. ''We'll have lots of leads, that's for sure."

Some critics argue that such Army promotions are targeting job-hungry recruits from rural and economically depressed areas such as Michigan, which has the nation's highest unemployment rate, at 7 percent.

''It's built into the system," said the Rev. Peter Dougherty, outreach coordinator for Michigan Peace Team, an antiwar organization based in Lansing. ''There are citizens who join the military because they are patriotic and want to go over and fight. But we find that so many people who volunteer here are economically deprived."

Spadie said the three-day display will be one of the year's premier recruiting events for his sector, which covers most of Michigan. ''There are a lot of American flags out there" by the racetrack, said Mark Czarnecki, a retired veteran who is a civilian spokesman for the Army. ''You've got patriotic people here."

Expectations are heightened because active-duty Army enlistments in the state decreased to 2,156 in fiscal 2004 from 3,023 in fiscal 2002. Michigan recruiters this year are running slightly ahead of their 2004 pace, with 2,155 recruits signed as of Friday for fiscal 2005, which ends Sept. 30.

The Army's interactive exhibit has been operated for three years by Keystone Marketing Co., a North Carolina firm the military hired to help deliver its message. In addition, the Army is appealing to NASCAR fans by sponsoring a car in the Nextel Cup series, the premier competition for stock cars, as part of a motor-sports marketing package that costs $16 million a year. That price, which also includes the interactive display, a show-car program, and labor and operating costs, represents 6 percent of the Army's total marketing budget of about $240 million, military officials said.

In terms of effectiveness, the price tag is deemed a bargain by the Army. Besides the huge crowds that attend NASCAR events, the sight of the Army logo circling racetracks on television each weekend is equal to about $25 million in purchased on-air advertising time, according to Colonel Thomas Nickerson, the Army's director of advertising.

Nickerson said auto racing is the Army's top event for generating leads. Its advantage, he said, ''is a massive fan base that allows us to talk to as many people as we can . . . Our goal is to talk face to face -- to influencers, parents, and prospects. It makes good business sense."

At NASCAR races, everyone between the ages of 16 and 34 who enters the exhibit is asked to fill out a form with personal information. The names, addresses, and phone numbers are then sent to a central database, which channels the leads to Army recruiting stations around the country, Morgan said.

''I think this is pretty sweet," said Jeremy Roesch, 21, who stood patiently in a long line for a pair of customized dog tags. ''I'm in college now, but if I was in high school and looking for a job, I might sign up."

Dan Klos, 20, of nearby Saline, said he was phoned four times after he toured the exhibit this year at the Detroit Auto Show. ''When they called, I kept telling them the only reason I signed was because I wanted to climb the wall," Klos said as he watched the climbing action.

Klos, a student at Eastern Michigan University, shook his head emphatically when asked whether he's now thinking about a military career. ''If we were fighting for a good cause, I'd be much more motivated to go," he said.

Darner, the recruiter, said the exhibit is intended to counter the ''negative media" that skews the perception of casualty figures. Darner, however, seemed unaware of the actual fatality numbers. Although the US death toll in Iraq had reached 1,874 by Friday, according to Defense Department statistics, Darner insisted the tally was about 500.

The recruiter said he gives straight answers to questions about the dangers of war. ''Things happen," Darner said. ''Somebody's got to go over there to make sure they don't come here."

Behind the trailer where Darner greeted a stream of visitors, Bobby Warder, 19, sat and smoked a cigarette, wearing an Army racing cap and a shirt signed earlier by Army-sponsored driver Joe Nemechek.

Warder, who recently enlisted for eight years with the Army Reserve, was scheduled to ship out the following morning for basic training in Missouri.

Warder, who has a daughter, said the $20,000 signing bonus and health insurance were inducements, as well as the chance to learn truck-driving skills. Although patriotism played a role in his decision, Warder said, he does not favor a long-term US military presence in Iraq.

''We should take care of business and be done," Warder said as Czarnecki, the Army spokesman, listened.

When asked whether he is worried about being deployed to the Middle East, Warder lowered his cigarette, paused, and replied: ''Somebody's got to --"

''Step up!" Czarnecki said, finishing the thought.

Warder, looking at the ground, nodded.