U.S. Army Colonel Returns to Home State of Alaska

Col. Karen Rutka’s visit to her home state of Alaska is centered around U.S. Army Recruiting Command’s March to Service Week. The visit will include a stop in both Fairbanks and Anchorage and will focus on establishing and re-establishing relations with community partners in the civilian sector and updating them on current recruiting efforts, to include the “Choose Alaska” campaign.

Limited face-to-face engagements, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have had an impact on recruiters’ relationships with their communities. Critical to March to Service Week is rebuilding those relationships and cementing community support. This will set the conditions for U.S. Army recruiters to be successful in their mission in the months and years to come.

Studies show that there is still a vast disconnect among today’s young people and the U.S. Army and the careers it offers. This awareness challenge is the focus of the March to Service campaign, which aims to provide information about the more than 150 different occupations in the Army as well as key benefits of service – to include technical training, 30 days of paid vacation, health care, money for college classes and certifications, family support programs, and even up to $50,000 in bonuses.

New to the many incentives is “Choose Alaska.” When U.S. Army recruits choose this option, they can elect to serve in either JBER or Fort Wainwright. This guarantees them the option to stay in Alaska instead of serving at another installation in the Lower 48 or elsewhere, benefitting both the local economy and the U.S. Army and reinforcing the nation’s much-needed Arctic capability.

“Alaska is a special place; it will always be the place I call home,” says Col. Rutka. “I am excited to share how the Army can benefit Alaska’s youth and give them opportunities that can activate their dreams.”

In Fairbanks, Col. Rutka will visit Lathrop High School and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, both of which she attended in her youth.

In Anchorage, she will meet with business, education, political, and public safety leaders, to include:

∙ Anchorage Police Chief Michael Kerle

∙ Bill Popp, President & CEO of Anchorage Economic Development Corporation

∙ Kenneth McCoy, Regional Chief DEI Officer for Providence Alaska

∙ Anchorage Assembly members

The Seattle Army Recruiting Battalion is responsible for recruiting the best and brightest volunteers in Washington state, Alaska, and Idaho to serve in the U.S. Army. With a constant need for a diverse range of Soldiers and with more than 150 career fields to choose from, the U.S. Army has a career for every interest.