Despite the growing need for troops in the Iraq war, the military is shrinking in size.

From Nov. 30, 2004 to Nov. 30, 2005, the active duty military lost more than 35,000 soldiers — more than 6,000 from the army alone.

Congress has looked to military recruiters to shoulder the burden and replace lost manpower, but the army has missed recruitment goals for last year. Despite this, Congress still believes the Army can reach those goals.

Recruitment is at an all time high, but Congress continues to request more men. Last year, 92,700 men and women joined the Army and Army Reserve, an increase from 2004, said Justin Ward, advertising and public affairs representative for the Army.

The Army hopes to recruit 8,600 to 10,400 per month from June to September this year. Last July, the Army gained 8,000 recruits.

It is important to note summer months are traditionally higher, because a large number of high school graduates join the military and are processed during those months, Ward said.

In an attempt to boost new recruits, the Army has increased enlistment bonuses from $20,000 to $40,000 for active duty recruits and raised reservist bonuses from $10,000 to $20,000. In addition, the Army also has raised the age for recruitment from 35 to 42 and is increasing the top re-enlisting bonus from $60,000 to $90,000. Enlistees may receive either $5,000 in cash or up to $18,000 to pay back qualified student loans.

The Army and Marine Corps. are also continuing to utilize alternative methods of recruiting. James Searing, for example, a sophomore electrical engineering and mathematical sciences major, said he was encouraged to find people interested in joining the military and take them to a weekend drill where they could observe what soldiers do.

In addition, Justin Schmidt, a freshman music education major, said he took a position as a recruiter’s assistant, where he talked to many high school students about the benefits of joining.

One of the challenges many recruiters face in convincing young people to join is convincing them to disregard the myths surrounding military recruitment. Ward said one of these myths is the military recruits only the poor, ignorant and stupid.

Ninety percent of army enlisted personnel have a high school diploma, compared to 75 percent of U.S. youth.

Ward said recruits generally have a higher aptitude than the majority of U.S. youth and the bulk of the Armed Forces is drawn from the middle class.