Continuing the effectiveness of the 2008 recruiting drive, the beginning of fiscal year 2009 is meeting and exceeding goals already. October began the new fiscal year, and the Army, Marines, Air Force and Navy all exceeded recruitment goals. The other thing that is impressive about the numbers is the quality of the recruits. While only 75% of the nation as a whole has a high school diploma in that same age range, the military touted 92% of their recruits had high school diplomas or higher. Those are pretty impressive numbers. It means the military is getting the best and the brightest. There were concerns that the fiscal 2009 numbers may not be on target since the 2008 totals broke a record. It appears as though the military is well on its way to breaking yet another record with the year 2009. 2008 saw the highest number of recruits since 2005, which is a very good sign. Increased efforts to involve parents have made a positive impact on their encouraging their young people to join the service. It is very encouraging to know that so many young people still want to serve to protect the country they love.