Coraopolis, Pa. ? Increasing numbers of soldiers are deciding not to join the Army National Guard after they leave active duty, a trend so troubling that the Guard is hiring 1,400 more recruiters to reverse it.

The Guard’s new recruiters — plus its 2,700 already on the job — will be aiming to get high schoolers and 20-somethings to sign up like never before.

In fiscal 2004, the Guard had expected 7,100 soldiers to sign up after active duty tours. Instead, only 2,900 did — not even half. As a result, what’s supposed to be a 350,000-member organization had just 342,918 soldiers when the year closed out Sept. 30.

“If a soldier is near the end of their term of service and looking to stabilize their life, they know the likelihood is they’re going to be deployed if they join the Guard,” said Lt. Col. Mike Milord, spokesman for the Guard’s headquarters in Arlington, Va.

In Pennsylvania, recruiters are enlisting just 200 of the 300 soldiers statewide they must sign up every month to keep the Pennsylvania Army National Guard 16,000 soldiers strong. Right now, according to spokesman Lt. Col. Chris Cleaver, it has 14,982.

The National Guard is similar to the Reserves in that soldiers sign up for part-time duty. Pennsylvania enlistees can join for three years, but most join for six because they get up to $70,000 in pay, bonuses and college tuition, including full-tuition at any of 14 state-owned universities.

What’s changed the face of the Guard is the increased likelihood of active duty deployment in the last decade, especially since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The Pennsylvania Guard used to be split about 60-40 between former active duty troops and civilian recruits; now it’s about 35-65, Cleaver said.