LANSING –Staff Sgt. William Pummill visits Cadillac High School's lunch room.

He gives presentations about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

And he lets the teens see if they can handle the Michigan National Guard's fitness test.

"The thing about recruitment is to get your face known in the high schools," Pummill said. "I want them to get to know me as a person."

So far, he seems to be succeeding.

Last year, Pummill said he recruited 24 Guard members. His goal was 16.

The Michigan Army National Guard has 9,003 members-1,462 of them being new or reenlisted.

Currently, about 1,400 Michigan Guard members are deployed in locations such as Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.

It's recruiters like Pummill who've helped the Michigan Guard reach the No.1 troop level in the U.S. The number is calculated by examining how many Michigan residents are eligible to enlist.

Pummill, who recruits in Wexford County and throughout the State, said people are drawn to the Guard because it engages not only in global conflicts, but community and national disasters, too.

In 2006, 11 Wexford County residents joined the Guard, as did three from Mason County, two from Lake County and eight from Osceola County.

The Michigan Army Guard offers a $20,000 cash-signing bonus and education assistance. Members must attend one drill weekend a month and an annual training period each year after eight weeks of basic training.

The Michigan Army Guard has maintained the No.1 position since November 2005, said Lt. Chris Stone, its recruiting and retention commander.

But how did Michigan end up at the top?

The Guard added 44 recruiters in early 2005, and it instituted the National Guard Recruiting Assistance Program, Stone said. It offers a way for members of the Guard to recruit in their spare time and earn up to $2,000 for each recruit who completes basic training.

And giving members the incentive to talk to about the benefits has been a big help for recruitment, Stone said

But not everyone who enlists does it just for the benefits, Stone said.

"Cash doesn't always answer the problem," he said. "They always say 'I want to help my state and my country.' "

Col. Mike Jones, chief for recruiting and retention for the U.S. National Guard Bureau, said the Michigan Guard has been successful because many people are interested in its military police units. He said that people who become military police receive much of the training that is needed to become a public police officer.

"Michigan did the right job in getting the right type of job to recruit for," he said.

Last year the National Guard recruited 69,000 people, 19,000 more than the previous year.

"It was the greatest year of recruitment for the all-volunteer services," Jones said.