USAREC, Salt Lake City Battalion

US Army Recruiting Battalion Salt Lake City enlists Soldiers for the Regular Army and Army Reserve throughout the Mountain West in order to meet the needs of an expeditionary Army.

Recruiting for the U.S. Army began in 1776 with the raising and training of continentals" a to fight the Revolutionary War. USAREC traces its history back to 1822 when Major General Jacob J. Brown, Commanding General of the    Army, started the General Recruiting Service. The first recruiting stations,  called "rendezvous," were opened in New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia.

Volunteerism has been the backbone of the Army during its history, with the draft having been in effect for only about 35 years, mainly during times of war and for a period of 20 years following the Korean Conflict. The last draftee entered the Army in December 1972. The only time conscription completely replaced volunteerism was during the later part of World War II.

Recruiting was reestablished in August 1945 under the direction of the Army Adjutant General's Office. In 1962, the recruiting function was transferred to the United States Continental Army Command.

The present Recruiting Command was formed on 1 October 1964 with headquarters at Hampton, Virginia. USAREC was given responsibility of both recruiting for Active Army and acting as the executive agency for the examining and entrance of volunteers of all services through a network of Military Entrance Processing stations (MEPS), formerly called Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Stations.

The USAREC headquarters was moved to Fort Sheridan, Illinois, during the summer months of 1973. This move was necessitated by the need for a more central geographical location and the expansion of the command's mission resulting from the implementation of the "All Volunteer" Army.

The examining and entrance function was transferred to the United States Military Entrance Processing Command (USMEPCOM), a joint Department of Defense (DOD) activity, on 1 July 1976. Since 1979 USAREC's mission has included recruiting for the United States Army Reserve.

The USAREC headquarters was moved to Fort Knox,Kentucky, during the summer months of 1992. This move was due to the closing of Fort Sheridan, Illinois.

Among the many persons who have served as recruiters was the late President and General of the Army, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was assigned to the duty at Camp Logan, Colorado, during the years 1924-1925.

Today, the United States Army Recruiting Command is a big business, employing thousands of military and civilian personnel who are spread from the island of Guam in the Pacific, across the U.S. to Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Europe.

The U.S. Army Salt Lake City Recruiting Battalion, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah is responsible for enlisting new soldiers to serve in the active Army and the Army Reserve.

The battalion is one of seven in the 6th U.S. Army Recruiting Brigade, U.S. Army Recruiting Command. The battalion's area of operations (AO)  include Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Oregon, and Montana.  In total, the battalion covers over 500,000 square miles, making it the largest battalion in USAREC.  Because of the diversity of our AO, it is recommended that you utilize the Discover Our Town website for information specific to your assignment.

The Salt Lake City Recruiting Battalion consists of six recruiting companies: Salt Lake, Missoula, Big Horn, Boise, Las Vegas and Ogden.

More than 200 noncommissioned officers recruit qualified young men and women for the active Army, Army Reserve and officer programs.

The Battalion has historically been among the top achievers in the U.S. Army Recruiting Command. Active Army enlistments total more than 4,000 annually, while Army Reserve enlistments are about 1200. The goal, however, is more than numbers. The focus is on recruiting quality youth to provide the strength for today's Army. Their slogan is "To the Top!"

The Companies

Utah contains parts of Ogden and Salt Lake Companies, Idaho is home to most of Boise Company and part of Ogden Company. In Montana you will find all of Missoula Company and some of Big Horn Company.  Wyoming has part of Big Horn Company and one station belonging to Ogden Company.  In eastern Oregon are two Boise Stations, and in Nevada you will find all of Las Vegas Company and the Elko Station which belongs to Boise Company.