Military recruiters
http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/536423.html?nav=5010
Serving their country, college benefits main reasons for joining military
By ELOISE OGDEN, Regional Editor eogden@minotdailynews.com
POSTED: February 7, 2010
Local recruiters say people are joining the military here mainly to
serve their country and for the college benefits.
"They want to serve their country and their community. Those are the
big obvious ones," said Staff Sgt. Joe Terveen, North Dakota Army
National Guard recruiter in Minot.
"The reason a lot of people choose the Guard over others is for the
college benefits," Terveen said.
"You get $50,000 student loan repayment and we pay up to 100 percent
tuition assistance," he said, listing some of the educational reasons
for joining.
Originally from Tower City, Terveen, who has a degree in education
from Mayville State University, has been in the Guard for nine years
and a recruiter for a year in Minot. He's one of two Army Guard
recruiters in Minot. His recruiting territory goes west to Berthold,
north to the Canadian border, south to North Shore schools and east
to Surrey and Velva.
Master Sgt. Tanya Augdahl, N. D. Air National Guard recruiter, also
said school benefits are the main reason she finds why people join
the military.
She said people also join for part time and to get technical experience.
"The other reason is they just want to join. I've never had anyone
tell me they're joining because of the wars," she said, adding, "One
of the main reasons is they want to be a part and make a difference out there."
Augdahl, of Fargo, and her husband, Master Sgt. Jason Augdahl, moved
to Minot in 2007. Tanya Augdahl's main focus is recruiting for the
219th Security Forces Squadron, an Air National Guard unit at Minot
Air Force Base. Her husband is the squadron's first sergeant. The
N.D. Air National Guard previously did not have a recruiter in the
Minot area. Augdahl's recruiting territory covers west to the Montana
border, north to Canada, south to the South Dakota border and east to
Devils Lake and Carrington.
Senior Airman Jelitza Mangual, Air Force recruiter in Minot, said,
"Applicants that apply for the Air Force have a variety of reasons
for joining. A few of those reasons are education, travel, stability
and independence."
Minot has military recruiters in three different locations Air Force,
Army, Marine Corps and Navy recruiters have offices in the Armed
Forces Career Center in Dakota Square Mall. The N.D. Army National
Guard recruiting office is in the Plaza on 31st in Minot and the N.D.
Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve offices are in the Pride
Building at Minot AFB.
The recruiters' work includes telephone calls, mailers, visiting high
schools and colleges, and meeting people on the streets.
Air Force recruiters said their recruiting marketing and advertising
efforts include various special events, video games, commercials,
radio stations, Web site banners and many more. When visiting
schools, they said they attend lunchroom set-ups, talk in classrooms,
visit sporting events and education influencers (counselors,
teachers, etc.) on the various benefits of their branch of the service.
The military recruiters said their recruiting goals are very
important to them and to their branch of service.
"If we don't meet those goals, we won't have mission-ready units and
fulfill our mission," Augdahl said.
Sgt. 1st Class Robert Turner, with the Minot Army recruiting office,
said for the months of October, November and December 2009, the Minot
office achieved 133 percent, which exceeded its accession goals.
Turner is one of five recruiters in the Minot office.
In addition to the North Dakota Air National Guard, the N.D. Army
National Guard is also ramping up efforts and has gained 12 new
soldiers in the Minot area this year and is on track to meet their
recruiting mission. They are always seeking highly motivated,
qualified individuals to serve as citizen-soldiers, said N.D. Army
National Guard officials.
Regarding the 219 Security Forces Squadron, the N.D. Air National
Guard unit at the Minot base, N.D. Air Guard recruiters said in 2009,
they gained 33 new airmen, which was consistent with their initial
gains of 32 in 2008. So far in 2010, they've gained 14 new members,
which puts them on track to meet their end strength goal of being
fully staffed by the end of this fiscal year. They are currently
seeking new members to fill the mission and help them meet their
goal, they said.
Mangual and Tech. Sgt. David McCarrison, marketing representative and
public affairs representative for the recruiters, stationed at Offutt
AFB, Neb., said the goals for the Minot office as well as North
Dakota Air Force recruiting offices have been met and will continue to be met.
They said N.D. Air Force recruiters have met their expected goals for
November and December. The January numbers have not been calculated.
North Dakota has met 150 percent of their shipper goal for October
through December 2009, they said. The shipper goal means people who
leave for basic training. Overall, they said N.D. Air Force
recruiters also shipped out 150 percent of the required goal for 2009.
Mangual, who was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up in Queens
in New York City, has been in the Air Force since 2005. She is the
only Air Force recruiter in Minot and her recruiting territory covers
13 counties north to the Canadian border, west to the Montana border,
east to Rugby and south to Wilton. Before becoming a recruiter about
eight months ago, she was assigned to the base's 5th Communications
Squadron as information management for four years.
Mangual, and McCarrison said the current state of the economy has had
no adverse effect on recruiting efforts locally. They said the Air
Force has constantly made its annual and monthly goals regardless of
the state of the economy.
They said Air Force recruiting is continuing to do business the same
as they always have and there is no indication that their applicant
numbers will drop in 2010.
Recruiting near an Air Force installation Minot Air Force Base is a
little easier because the influential market is higher than in areas
where the Air Force is not well known, Mangual and McCarrison said.
However, they said their recruiting numbers remain high regardless of
the area the recruiter is in.
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On the Job: Army recruiter continues family tradition
http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/local/local_story_038210040.html
Anderson job latest in assignments
By Emma Bowen Meyer
Feb 8, 2010
ANDERSON, Ind. Having been in the Army for 12 years, 1st Sgt. Brent
Koenig has been stationed around the United States and served in both
Iraq and Afghanistan.
Currently he is working as an Army recruiter in the United States
Armed Forces office on Scatterfield Road.
He is originally from the state of Washington, while his wife, Amy,
is from the Terre Haute area. The couple has an 18-month-old daughter
named Macy and another child on the way.
He originally joined the Army because it is his family's tradition,
but didn't plan on staying in the military for so long. He intended
to be discharged and attend college after three years, but found he
loved it and now plans to stay until retirement.
Military recruiters can expect to earn between $55,000 and $67,000.
Q: How long have you been at your job?
A: Three years and one month but I've been in the Army for 12
years. I had basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma; advanced training
at Fort Jackson, South Carolina; went to permanent duty station at
Fort Campbell, Kentucky; spent six years in California, served in
Iraq and Afghanistan and then came here.
Q: What do you like best about your job?
A: The community you get to talk to people. You get to know people
really well here. And I'm a people watcher, so this kind of fits in
perfectly for me.
Q: What do you like the least?
A: I'm not with soldiers. I'm not on an Army base where the
day-to-day is a lot different. You're more of a civilian in uniform
out here versus an active-duty soldier on a base. It's a much
different lifestyle. I like the structured lifestyle of an Army base.
Q: What's the funniest thing that has happened on the job?
A: Nothing I can talk about. (Laughs.)
Q: What's the most serious thing that has happened on the job?
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A: Everything about our job is serious. From a parent who is not sure
about their kid's decision and then usually turning and being happy
about what their child is doing to getting someone where they want to
be. Someone may not have had a great background and helping them to
get qualified for the Army is a really great thing for us. That's all serious.
Q: Do parents want their kids to go to college instead of service or
do they want their kids serving in the military?
A: We deal with both. I'd say it's a 50-50 mix. Some parents want
their kids to go into the military and some parents want their kids
to go into college and we can do both. Parents can come in and find
out what the Army can really do for their kids.
Q: What kind of jobs does Madison County need?
A: I got here right after things started going bad. They just need
more industry here, really. It's all retail. And industry is where
people can really get a career going instead of just a job.
Q: What would be your idea of the perfect job?
A: I think the job I have now is a perfect job. I get paid great. I
don't worry about my benefits at all for me, my wife, and my kids.
I get 38 days vacation a year. What's to beat about that? But when I
retire at 37 I plan on opening up a bookkeeping business with my
wife. She's the smart one. (Laughs)
Q: If you didn't have to work for a living, what would you do?
A: Fish, work on classic cars. I'm a country boy I like anything to
do with hunting and fishing.
Q: How do you like to spend your hard-earned money?
A: I like tattoos. And I spend it on my daughter.
Q: Has it been tough moving around so much?
A: I enjoy it. I get sick of a place. I like to see new things and
meet new people. That's why I joined the army and why I stayed in
because I only want to be somewhere for so long.
Q: What's the No. 1 reason for being in the Army?
A: Friends, close-knit relationships.
--
steve.dick@heraldbulletrin.com
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