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Nation in brief

U.S. Army projects recruiting shortfall

By wire services
Published March 24, 2005

WASHINGTON - The Army expects to miss its recruiting goals this month and next and is working on a revised sales pitch appealing to the patriotism of parents, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey said Wednesday.

Because of the military manpower strains caused by simultaneous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, some in Congress have raised the possibility of reinstituting the draft, although there is a consensus against it among Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the military chiefs.

This is the first time the U.S. has been in a sustained period of combat since the all-volunteer force was introduced in 1973. The Air Force and Navy have no recruiting problems, but the Army and Marines are hard pressed.

The Army missed its recruiting goal for February by 27 percent, and that was the first time it had missed a monthly goal since May 2000.

As of Feb. 28, the regular Army was 6 percent below the number of recruits it had expected to sign up at that point in the recruiting year, the Army Reserve was 10 percent off and the Army National Guard was 25 percent off.

The Army is forecasting that all three elements - active, Guard and Reserve - will fall short of their targets for March and April.

NEWARK, N.J. - A man accused of pointing a green laser beam at a small passenger jet, temporarily blinding the pilot and co-pilot, was indicted Wednesday under the federal Patriot Act.

David W. Banach, who said he was looking at stars with his daughter, also was accused of lying to the FBI about the Dec. 29 incident in which the jet's windshield and cabin were hit three times with a beam as the plane approached Teterboro Airport.

The charges in the federal indictment were similar to those filed against Banach in an FBI complaint in January; the indictment replaces the complaint.

Banach, 38, faces as much as 20 years in prison if convicted of interference with pilots of an aircraft "with reckless disregard for the safety of human life," a provision of the USA Patriot Act passed following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A Louisville police officer was fatally shot Wednesday by a teenager after responding to complaints about an unruly driver. The 17-year-old shooter then killed himself, police said.

Officer Peter Grignon, 27, died of two bullet wounds to the head and neck about 21/2 hours after the 7 a.m. shooting, just before Grignon was scheduled to finish his shift. Police said Grignon did not fire his weapon in the incident.

The two-year veteran of the force was the first Louisville or Jefferson County police officer to die in the line of duty since 1988. The two forces merged in 2003.

The 17-year-old, Travis Ballard of Louisville, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, authorities said, citing preliminary autopsy results. Grignon died of multiple gunshot wounds to the head, according to an autopsy.

ATLANTA - Gov. Sonny Perdue issued a state of emergency Wednesday for three south Georgia counties damaged by severe weather that left one woman dead and 18 others injured.

The emergency declaration from Tuesday's storms covers Miller, Seminole and Wayne counties and allows state resources to be used to assist these counties.

Lisa Ray, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, said reports of damage continued to come in Wednesday and that the number of injuries could be higher.

The woman died Tuesday when high winds flattened a mobile home in Seminole County. Her name was not released Wednesday.

[Last modified March 24, 2005, 01:21:06]