Tragedy sparks renewed interest in public service

Many federal employees who have retired from public service are eager to return to work in the wake of last week's terrorist attacks, according to officials at the Office of Personnel Management. Other agencies, including the CIA and Coast Guard, have also reported a surge in interest among retirees and other people people eager to go to work for the government. "We have been getting a number of phone calls throughout our Employment Service Office from individual retirees interested in coming back to work to help out if they are needed," said Ellen Tunstall, assistant director for employment policy at OPM. Tunstall said OPM did not have specific numbers yet on how many people have offered to return. OPM has set up an e-mail address for federal retirees who are interested in returning to government service. Interested retirees can e-mail OPM at patriot@opm.gov. Retirees and former federal employees with at least three years of service can also call a toll-free hotline at 1-888-353-9447 to apply for reinstatement. Those interested in applying for jobs with the federal government should refer to the USAJOBS Web site, OPM officials said. Under normal circumstances, re-employed federal retirees are required by law to take a reduction in pay or benefits if they want to return to government employment, but OPM announced last week that it is prepared to give agency heads the authority to grant waivers, and will respond to such requests immediately. The CIA has seen close to a five-fold increase in the number of online resumes and applications it has received from people interested in working for the intelligence agency since last Tuesday's attack, according to agency spokeswoman Anya Guilsher. Guilsher said the CIA normally receives about 600 applications a week. Guilsher also said the agency and its employees have received enormous support from people eager to help any way they can.

"Our e-mail volume has gone up considerably, and we've received a flood of support and encouragement from people offering to do whatever they can to assist us," Guilsher said. "It is very gratifying to the men and women in the CIA, in light of the situation." The Coast Guard has also seen a rise in inquiries about serving in the agency, both from new recruits and from people who have previously served in the Coast Guard, according to Capt. Jody Breckenridge, commanding officer of the service's recruiting command. The number of people interested in enlisting in the military has doubled since last Tuesday, said Pentagon spokesman Maj. Jim Cassella. Cassella said military recruiters across the country have reported a renewed interest in military service. Cassella said interest in the military following such a tragedy is not unusual. "It is not unprecedented. It happened during the [Persian] Gulf War and the attack on the USS Cole," he said. Cassella did not have any information on the number of people who have contacted the Defense Department about civilian jobs. But despite widespread reports of increased traffic at military recruiting stations, Tuesday's terrorist attack has had minimal impact on Army recruiting, according to Capt. Beth Botti, a public affairs officer at the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox, Ky. Botti said most of the interest is coming from veterans inquiring about their eligibility to return to service, and from concerned parents of recent enlistees. The men and women who enlisted in the Army last week had already been in the recruitment pipeline for several weeks, making it difficult to measure any increase in military service generated by Tuesday's attacks in New York and Washington, Botti said. "You'd really need to check back in a month or so to know what impact this has had on recruiting." John Palguta, director of policy and evaluation at the Merit Systems Protection Board, said he was not surprised by the interest in public service sparked by last week's tragedy. "The events and tragedies of the past week highlight the importance of and the critical role played not only by the federal government, but by government as a whole," Palguta said. Palguta said federal managers and government leaders must help people remember the importance of public service. "Unfortunately, with past experience, this [renewed interest in public service] will carry for only a year or two, unless federal managers and government leaders continue to make the case for public service."