Feb. 16, 2003, 9:11PM
By JOHN W. GONZALEZ
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle


Dangling a $6,000 enlistment bonus before applicants, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are looking for a few good morticians for special duty in Houston and several other cities around the globe.

An Internet job posting recently from the Navy Mortuary Affairs Program, which has worldwide responsibility for final disposition of deceased Navy and Marine personnel and their beneficiaries, promises interesting work and travel for those recruited.

Stateside cities where the morticians are also needed include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Diego. But the listing on www.hotjobs.com notes the openings are worldwide and the jobs "will require relocating," possibly within the United States or to Italy, Spain or Guam.

The program is part of the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps, which requires mortician applicants to be less than 35 years old and in good health. They also must have graduation credentials from an accredited mortuary school and a funeral director or embalmer license.

"An enlistment award of $6,000 is available as well as advanced (salary) rate upon completion of training," the job listing states.

Enlistment bonuses of several thousand dollars are common in the military recruitment effort. Some of the highest bonuses, some up to $20,000, have been offered to technical personnel in extremely high demand, such as scientists, engineers and linguists.  http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.hts/metropolitan/1781802