To attract them, the military has about 192 recruiters here — 68 for the Utah National Guard, 52 for the Army, 30 for the Marines , 20 for the Navy, 19 for the Air Force and three for the Coast Guard.

Recruiters say Utah has met or exceeded its recruiting quotas from headquarters in recent years, or been near them.

By contrast nationally, the military fell short of quotas in fiscal 2005 — achieving only 92 percent of its goals.

The National Priorities Project earlier this year obtained through a Freedom of Information Act how many recruits were signed by the Army (but not other branches) in every high school in the nation in 2004.

It reported that Washington High School in Ogden had the most in Utah, 17. It was followed by Hunter and Northridge high schools, 11 each; the Clearfield Job Corps Center and the Horizonte Training Center, eight each; and seven each at Ben Lomond, Clearfield, Cyprus, Granger, Jordan and Layton high schools.

It also said that 80 percent of recruits from all branches came from the four Wasatch Front counties of Salt Lake, Utah, Davis and Weber. More than 80 percent of all Utah recruits were male.

Recruiters say Utah may be a bit above average in its support of the military and recruiting success.

For example, the Air Force recruiting squadron in Utah "was recognized as the top squadron in the nation in 2005, and the only squadron that met all goals in all (recruiting) programs," Short said.

The new Deseret Morning News poll also shows that 54 percent of Utahns favor military recruiters contacting high school students, 35 percent oppose it, 8 percent do not care and 2 percent did not know.

Bradney with the Marines said because Utah schools are good, more people are able to pass military entrance exams. Because of generally high morals, most youths avoid legal trouble that could bar military service. Fewer have tattoos, which can also bar service depending on whether it is visible and what it depicts. And many in Utah are patriotic.

For example, Anderson with the Army said that when new recruits were introduced on the field during a University of Utah football game, "There was a standing ovation. Obviously, people are very supportive in this area."

Recruiters from all services acknowledge their jobs are harder currently during a time of conflict in Iraq.

When peace prevails, "maybe you would have to talk to 10 people to find one who was interested and qualified. Now maybe you have to talk to 15, but we are still able recruit the people we need," Bradney said.

"In time of peace, there was no down side to joining the military. You could get money for college, some training and a great job. Now people know there is a real possibility they could go to combat," he said.