Published: April 07, 2008 05:28 pm            

Recruiters achieving their goals

Garfield County Navy, Air Force recruiters gaining favorable recruiting statistics

In recent Congressional testimony, David Chu, undersecretary of Defense for personnel and readiness, said military recruiters are hampered by the fact only about three in 10 Americans between 17 and 24 can meet the standards for service.

That hasn’t hampered recruiting in northwest Oklahoma, however, said a pair of local recruiters.

Tech. Sgt. Larry Schomaker, local Air Force recruiter, said he is “currently at 150 percent (of his goal) for the fiscal year.” Schomaker’s squadron, the 349th recruiting squadron based at Tinker Air Force Base, is “at 126 percent.”

“No, the Air Force does not have a problem recruiting,” Schomaker said. “Our quality of living in the Air Force is a lot higher than the other branches, I feel.”

Petty Officer Shaun Whiteside would beg to differ. He is recruiter-in-charge of the local Navy recruiting office, and his recruiting has been equally successful.

“In the two years I’ve been here, the first month after I took over we might have missed (recruiting goals),” said Whiteside, “but since August of 2006 we’ve made it every month.”

As far as finding qualified recruits, the services have similar requirements. Recruits must be U.S. citizens or resident aliens, must meet age requirements (between 17 and 34 for the Navy, 17 and 27 for the Air Force). They must be in good health, must be high school graduates (or General Equivalency Degree recipients) and must not have major legal problems (traffic tickets are OK, anything more than that is a problem).

All recruits must qualify by taking the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test. The Navy requires at least a 35 on the ASVAB, while Air Force recruits must score at least a 36, with a high school diploma (at least 65 with a GED).

Primarily, they must be eager to serve their country.

“Enid is a very patriotic town, as well as this area in Oklahoma,” said Whiteside.

The presence of Vance Air Force Base in Enid plays a role in recruiting, both agreed, as does the fact Vance also trains Navy and Marine pilots, as well as Air Force.

“As far as the Air Force being seen, it plays a big part, because of the airplanes taking off,” Schomaker said.

“I’m sure it could only help,” said Whiteside.

The Air Force and Navy recruiting offices are side by side in Oakwood Center (just east of Oakwood Mall), while the Army and Marine offices are nearby in the same complex. The majority of those who walk through Schomaker’s door want to be pilots, while most of Whiteside’s visitors want to go to sea.

However, only 4 percent of Air Force personnel are pilots, while the other 96 percent support the flying mission in one way or another.

“We have over 155 different career fields,” said Schomaker. “If the civilian population has it, the Air Force pretty much has it, because the Air Force base is a self-contained city.”

The same is true of the Navy, except some of that branch’s self-contained cities are at sea.

Patriotism, combined with practical desires, are prime motivations for Navy recruits, Whiteside said

“I think it’s a combination of patriotism, the chance to go out and see the world and the education,” Whiteside.

Besides on the job training in a variety of fields from computers to transportation and logistics, the services offer a chance at a college education, not only through the Montgomery G.I. Bill (which provides more than $35,000 for education after three years of active duty), but also through programs available to recruits during their enlistment period.

The Air Force offers tuition assistance, paying 100 percent of all tuition and fees for airmen enrolled in college courses. In addition, the Air Force offers courses through the Community College of the Air Force, the nation’s largest community college. CCAF is the only degree-granting institution of higher learning in the world devoted exclusively to enlisted troops.

Air University, based at Maxwell AFB, Ala., offers degree-granting and continuing education for officers, enlisted and civilian personnel.

“We have education centers located on every single Air Force base,” Schomaker said. “They’re kind of like little satellite colleges.”

Air Force recruits earn college credit for basic training and their technical school. Then, when they reach their first base, they can continue working on their degree.

“The Air Force, Air University, gives out more college degrees than any other granting institution out there, any university,” Schomaker said.

The Navy College Program also enables sailors to earn college credits for their training, experience and off-duty education. A tuition assistance program is available for off-duty educational pursuits.

A unique Navy educational benefit is the Navy College Program for Afloat College Education (NCPACE), which enables sailors to take college courses while serving at sea. In addition, the Navy offers a program called Seaman to Admiral, which allows sailors who have scored at least a 24 on the ACT test, to attend college full-time for three years. These sailors are paid to go to college, and their room and board is paid, as well. When they are finished, they have a four-year commitment as a commissioned officer.

No matter their branch, recruiters will tell you they don’t compete with one another for recruits, since they are all on the same team.

“We’re looking for the best and brightest Enid has to offer,” Whiteside said.