Covert Recruiting

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Army "situ-mercials" will air during the re-broadcast of a popular World War II HBO miniseries. "In one segment of the [Army] program, a modern soldier says, 'Once you put on this uniform, you feel like you are doing something that a lot of people can't do.' The program then shifts to a 'Band of Brothers' scene where one soldier asks another why he wanted to join the paratroopers. [Army public-affairs specialist Paul] Boyce says the effort is aimed at an older demographic that might influence younger people when they choose careers." The Army paid an estimated $800,000 to $1 million to air a special 22-minute show and shorter "situational" ads alongside "Band of Brothers" on the History Channel.