With United States officials talking about going to war with Iraq, Lawrence-area military recruiters are fielding a steady stream of inquiries from potential recruits.

But it isn’t because anyone has visions of personally taking out Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden.

Chief Petty Officer Marty Trumble walks Lindsey Coons, Wellsville, through paperwork at the Navy recruiting office, 1424 W. 23rd St. Coons, a senior at Wellsville High School, will leave for the service in a year, after completing high school.

“It’s because the economy is horrible,” said Sgt. Aubrey D. Bode of the Army recruiting office, 2233 La. “There are no jobs.”

Navy recruiters agreed. Tuition increases at colleges and universities including Kansas University also have been a factor, said Chief Petty Officer Marty Trumble at the Lawrence Navy recruiting office, 1424 W. 23rd St.

“People are trying to decide what they want to do with their life and they’re using the Navy as a stepping stone in their career,” Trumble said.

At the Marine Corps recruiting office in Topeka, people are asking about enlisting for other reasons, Gunnery Sgt. Charles Pitts said.

“I talked to a young man the other day who wants to join ‘recon’ and blow things up,” Pitts said.

That kind of attitude is more the norm for people asking about the Marines, Pitts said. Publicity about screaming drill instructors doesn’t faze them.

“They know what they are getting into,” Pitts said.

No one was available Thursday or Friday at the Marine recruiting office in Lawrence. No one could be reached for comment at Lawrence and area Air Force recruiting offices.

Recruiters said their enlistment numbers hadn’t significantly changed for most of the past year. Even after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, most of those asking about enlisting were older men who had already served once, they said.

Army recruiters field about 80 inquiries a month and about 10 people usually sign up, Bode said. Most enlistees range in age from 18 to 22, Bode said. About 40 percent of them are women.

Of about a half-dozen calls received at the Navy office during a given month, three or four callers will end up joining, Trumble said.

Both Navy and Army enlistees are after money to pay for college or military training in careers such as electronics, computers or working with aircraft, recruiters said.

The Topeka Marine office gets up to 50 inquiries a month but only about five or six will join, Pitts said.

“Our requirements are pretty stringent,” Pitts said. “When you see our commercials, we’re the only ones who don’t flash anything about college tuition, but we have all that, too.”

The Navy also is becoming more selective about who it takes, said Aviation Tech. Aaron Landry, also a recruiter. He foresees the day when people trying to join the Navy will present a rmust as they would in applying for any other job.

“It’s not like it was 20 or 30 years ago when you stood out on the front steps of the courthouse and said, ‘You can go to jail or you can join us,'” he said.