US | Army recruiting Uncle Sam Wants You (But He'll Talk to Mom First) New bonuses offer help on mortgages, business startups By Lucas Laursen Posted Nov 30, 2007 10:01 PM CST Copied Maria Thompson, 19, left, an online business student, listens to a recruitment speech from U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Allan Welchez Rivera in Mayaguez, western Puerto Rico, Aug. 24, 2007. (AP Photo/Herminio Rodriguez) (Associated Press) Army recruiters will soon promise recruits hefty bonuses to buy a home or start a business in a bid to sway their parents that enlisting is a good investment, the Wall Street Journal reports. "We know most 18-year-old kids don't think about mortgages yet," says a Pentagon official. "We're going after the influencers." Under the initiative, which begins in January in certain cities, the Army will give soldiers $40,000 after they complete their tours. "If you want to get a soldier, you have to go through mom, and moms want to know what kind of future their children will have when they leave the Army," said a recruiter. The move comes as the Army struggles to meet recruitment quotas even as it plans to expand. Read These Next White House rolls with Trump's 'daddy' nickname. New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Supreme Court ruling is a big blow to Planned Parenthood. Gavin Newsom has filed a massive lawsuit against Fox News. Report an error