Cal
State L.A.’s Office of Veterans Affairs coordinator named
Laura Shigemitsu to help provide Army opportunities
Los
Angeles, CA — Cal
State L.A.’s Veterans Affairs Coordinator Laura Shigemitsu has
been named
a member of the U.S. Army Los Angeles Community Advisory Board to, among
other duties, provide opportunities for students interested in serving
their country while in college, and help link veterans who have
graduated to Officer Candidate School.
Comprised
of civic leaders and members of the entertainment, business and
education communities,
the
advisory board is dedicated to ensuring the Army continues to attract
high quality soldiers from the region into its ranks.
“Part
of what I assist with on the board is letting Cal State L.A. and other
students know about opportunities that will enable them to
simultaneously be in the military and in college, such as the Army
Reserve options for ROTC, Green to Gold, and the Mustang programs,”
said Shigemitsu. Besides
new recruits, the Army also seeks to attract veterans who are college
graduates back into its ranks to enroll in Officer Candidate School.
This enables them to return to the military and serve without being
enlisted personnel. “The
current recruiting push is to find more educated recruits for the
military,” said
Shigemitsu.
“Many recruit battalions are working to bring back those previously
enlisted as officers to help shape the changes to the military as it
moves out of a combat-focused mission to a peacetime-focused mission.” Shigemitsu
and her fellow board members coordinate with the U.S. Army Los Angeles
Recruiting Battalion to host and support events, media outreach and
other strategies to ensure the Army’s story is told, and that potential
recruits become aware of the benefits and opportunities Army service has
to offer.
The battalion, headquartered in Encino, commands five companies
comprised of 32 total recruiting stations, spreading as far south as
Long Beach, and north into the San Joaquin Valley.
Army
recruiters are facing their greatest challenge since the Army converted
to an all-volunteer force 35 years ago. They need to continuously
attract quality men and women to service if the Army is to meet the
growing international demands placed on all branches of the military.
“We are
excited to welcome Laura Shigemitsu to our advisory board. Our efforts
to recruit men and women to serve part-time in the U.S. Army Reserves in
both the enlisted and officer ranks makes Laura a perfect fit for our
team,”
said Lt. Col. Rob Blankenship, commander of the U.S. Army Recruiting
Battalion Los Angeles. “Our
programs offer great part-time jobs for students while providing
additional educational benefits to the students of Cal State L.A.”
member of the
U.S. Army Los Angeles Community Advisory Board
for students, open doors for potential officers
# # #
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