I couldn't imagine how recruiting would have sucked with laptops and cell phones. I thanked God when I was out of the office PDCing, school visits, or getting some windshield time.
You guys are a hoot. This is from the other side of the glass.
Oldest son had to drop out of Maine Maritine Academy at the end of his 2 year, he LOVED the school but the cost of student loans was going sky high and the grants were not enough to pay for board.
So like so many others he figured if he came home, lived with family rent free for 2 years he could go back and get his Junior year in. NOT.
One day on a lark he went into the Navy Recruiters office down town and took their test, next day the phone was ringing off the hook. He was retested 2 more times and when the reciters came to our house they told him, he at the very least qualified for Nuke school.
The boy could not get them to put in writing a guarantee he would never go to a skimmer of any kind. His Daddy was a Nuke on the SSBN Sam Houston (609) in the 1960's and he wanted the sub service. He had seen and grown up seeing the difference in subs and skimmers and he was not about to go skimmer.
So the boy went to the other services to see what they had to offer, he all most went Army with the lure of a full college education with his 2 years at the Academy granted and only need 2 years to get his degree in Engineering.
He had just turned 21 and one night he and some friends went to a strip bar, he got drunk, fell in love with a woman my age with nipple rings. With the loss of $250.00 and his virginity, his eyes were open to another world out there.
Youngest son a few years later went into all branches of the military recruiting and some how passed all tests.---But-- he was high as a kite when he took their test and they knew it.
Only the Army would take him and within 6 months had turned that kid headed for disaster around into a man I hardly knew. For 2 years until the accident in Alaska my man/ boy was going places.
Both my boys had darn good recruiters, they saw the potential in both my sons, they even saw the potential I as a mother missed.
Recruiting cannot be easy, to have a trophy head hunt, to get the best and then loose them must be very stressfull.
Back in the mid 1970's some branches had a buddy program where when 2 friends enlisted they were assured that they would stay together in any station. Yes, one may have to be a Cook while the other one was a Boson Mate. Good idea at that time. Helped getting through boot camp, etc.
I don't know how reacting is done in today's world but there has to be a better way to open the eyes of potential recruits then Manning a booth at a fair that perhaps 2 people will come to.
With all the Nursing schools out there from nursing aids to Rn's why not recruit where the need is the biggest. Recruiters concentrate on the ground ponders mostly men, Get the woman involved and the men will follow.
Did I hear correctly that it was civilian hellocopters that removed the injured from Fort Hood.? Shame, Shame, the Army recruiters have fallen down on that job. Need to get more medical personal , male and female in the Army.
Grumble grumble, if I were 20 years younger I would have given that life a go.
