thedrifter
10-17-04, 07:26 AM
Oct. 17, 2004, 12:47AM
Selling Marines tougher in wartime
Despite dropoff in numbers, many teens are eager for the opportunities the military offers
By TOM BERG
Orange County Register
SANTA ANA, CALIF. - Let's face it. It's a sales job. They're selling American teens adventure, success in life, confidence, courage and commitment. And an occasional war.
I feel kind of scared about Iraq," said Monserrat Ramirez, 16, a Fullerton, Calif., Union High School junior, after agreeing to talk to a female Marine recruiter last week.
"But she said they'd teach you to be brave and strong. It seems fun. I'd have lots of opportunities to do different stuff and be brave."
Marine recruiters say the war has caused about a 20 percent drop-off in recruits.
"The numbers have dropped a little," said Gunnery Sgt. John Choi, who runs the Mission Viejo, Calif., recruiting substation. "But the quality and type of Marines we're getting is much better."
Choi, 26, knows a thing or two about recruiting.
Last year, the Marines named him "National Recruiter of the Year," for signing up 60 recruits in an office where the annual average is about 25 per recruiter. His approach?
"There is a reason why a young man joins the Marines," he said. "And there is usually something about the recruiter that makes the young man or woman say, 'I want to be like them.' "
Sharing his love for job
So Choi acts like himself.
"I love what I do, and people want to know why I love it so much," he said. "I tell them."
Then he dispels the biggest misconceptions — that Marines are brainwashed; that they joined because they couldn't get into college; and that they have no freedom to live off base or enjoy hobbies.
"Those are probably the biggest hurdles we have to hop over," he says.
Local Marine recruiters typically visit one or two high schools each day. They drop off Marine book covers at the career center. Deliver talks to willing classes. And simply roam the halls, shaking hands and handing out business cards.
The war has polarized attitudes about their presence. Some teachers welcome them and invite them to speak. Others cast unwelcome glances.
The waiting game
"To some faculty, it seems like we're soliciting," said Staff Sgt. Juan Delgado, 26, of the Mission Viejo substation. "They won't say anything, but you can just tell all eyes are on you."
Rather than offend anyone, Delgado stands patiently outside a side door used by students to walk from one class to another.
"There's a lot of standing around waiting, but it's the only way we get exposure with the kids," he said.
When an older boy walks by, Delgado engages him in conversation.
"Hey bro, are you a senior?"
The boy nods, gives his name, and they talk about his plans. He's thinking of becoming a mechanic after graduation.
"Is it all right if I call you to sit down and talk?"
The boy agrees and gives his phone number.
On this visit, Delgado hands out two cards and speaks with a "poolee" — a student he's already recruited to join the Marines after graduation.
"They're the most professional and well-disciplined branch, and they take on the hardest jobs," James Frkovich, 17, of Dana Point, Calif., said of his choice.
"If I have to go fight a war like Iraq, I want to know the people I'm with also chose the hardest service and can take the most endurance."
Recruiters work with poolees to prepare them for boot camp.
Staff Sgt. Nilda Valdez, of the Marine recruiting substation in Fullerton, trains each day with Hugo Lopez, 19, of La Habra, Calif., to bring his weight down to 207 pounds by Oct. 18.
That's when boot camp starts. Lopez was at 219 pounds when he signed up last December. After graduating La Vista High School in Fullerton last June, his weight shot up to 237 pounds.
For his height, he must be below 207 pounds or face a delayed entry, so he wears Saran Wrap around his waist to sweat more as he runs with Valdez.
"I really have no concern, no fears, if they ask me to go to war because I'll be well-trained," he said during his workout. "My only concern is trying to lose this weight."
A range of questions
While speaking to a class at Fullerton Union High, Valdez fields questions:
Can you see your family at boot camp? (No.) Do you train every day? (Yes.) Are you paid? (Yes.) Can you die in training? (They take every precaution to prevent it.)
Valdez keeps the banter light. "Call me Sarge," she says early on.
Then: "Girls, don't freak out. We don't get our heads shaved."
Of boot camp, she says, "Nobody's going to beat you up. But there is a lot of discipline."
After class, three students agree to stop by her office to talk.
Valdez says she's noticed little change in recruiting due to the war. She signs, on average, two to three new recruits each month. Parents tend to ask more questions about the war than the recruits themselves.
"They ask, 'Will my son go to war?' " she said. "I don't tell them no. I'd be lying if I did. I let them know this isn't the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. We don't go selling cookies. We are America's 9-1-1 — the most elite branch of the service."
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2850049
Ellie
Selling Marines tougher in wartime
Despite dropoff in numbers, many teens are eager for the opportunities the military offers
By TOM BERG
Orange County Register
SANTA ANA, CALIF. - Let's face it. It's a sales job. They're selling American teens adventure, success in life, confidence, courage and commitment. And an occasional war.
I feel kind of scared about Iraq," said Monserrat Ramirez, 16, a Fullerton, Calif., Union High School junior, after agreeing to talk to a female Marine recruiter last week.
"But she said they'd teach you to be brave and strong. It seems fun. I'd have lots of opportunities to do different stuff and be brave."
Marine recruiters say the war has caused about a 20 percent drop-off in recruits.
"The numbers have dropped a little," said Gunnery Sgt. John Choi, who runs the Mission Viejo, Calif., recruiting substation. "But the quality and type of Marines we're getting is much better."
Choi, 26, knows a thing or two about recruiting.
Last year, the Marines named him "National Recruiter of the Year," for signing up 60 recruits in an office where the annual average is about 25 per recruiter. His approach?
"There is a reason why a young man joins the Marines," he said. "And there is usually something about the recruiter that makes the young man or woman say, 'I want to be like them.' "
Sharing his love for job
So Choi acts like himself.
"I love what I do, and people want to know why I love it so much," he said. "I tell them."
Then he dispels the biggest misconceptions — that Marines are brainwashed; that they joined because they couldn't get into college; and that they have no freedom to live off base or enjoy hobbies.
"Those are probably the biggest hurdles we have to hop over," he says.
Local Marine recruiters typically visit one or two high schools each day. They drop off Marine book covers at the career center. Deliver talks to willing classes. And simply roam the halls, shaking hands and handing out business cards.
The war has polarized attitudes about their presence. Some teachers welcome them and invite them to speak. Others cast unwelcome glances.
The waiting game
"To some faculty, it seems like we're soliciting," said Staff Sgt. Juan Delgado, 26, of the Mission Viejo substation. "They won't say anything, but you can just tell all eyes are on you."
Rather than offend anyone, Delgado stands patiently outside a side door used by students to walk from one class to another.
"There's a lot of standing around waiting, but it's the only way we get exposure with the kids," he said.
When an older boy walks by, Delgado engages him in conversation.
"Hey bro, are you a senior?"
The boy nods, gives his name, and they talk about his plans. He's thinking of becoming a mechanic after graduation.
"Is it all right if I call you to sit down and talk?"
The boy agrees and gives his phone number.
On this visit, Delgado hands out two cards and speaks with a "poolee" — a student he's already recruited to join the Marines after graduation.
"They're the most professional and well-disciplined branch, and they take on the hardest jobs," James Frkovich, 17, of Dana Point, Calif., said of his choice.
"If I have to go fight a war like Iraq, I want to know the people I'm with also chose the hardest service and can take the most endurance."
Recruiters work with poolees to prepare them for boot camp.
Staff Sgt. Nilda Valdez, of the Marine recruiting substation in Fullerton, trains each day with Hugo Lopez, 19, of La Habra, Calif., to bring his weight down to 207 pounds by Oct. 18.
That's when boot camp starts. Lopez was at 219 pounds when he signed up last December. After graduating La Vista High School in Fullerton last June, his weight shot up to 237 pounds.
For his height, he must be below 207 pounds or face a delayed entry, so he wears Saran Wrap around his waist to sweat more as he runs with Valdez.
"I really have no concern, no fears, if they ask me to go to war because I'll be well-trained," he said during his workout. "My only concern is trying to lose this weight."
A range of questions
While speaking to a class at Fullerton Union High, Valdez fields questions:
Can you see your family at boot camp? (No.) Do you train every day? (Yes.) Are you paid? (Yes.) Can you die in training? (They take every precaution to prevent it.)
Valdez keeps the banter light. "Call me Sarge," she says early on.
Then: "Girls, don't freak out. We don't get our heads shaved."
Of boot camp, she says, "Nobody's going to beat you up. But there is a lot of discipline."
After class, three students agree to stop by her office to talk.
Valdez says she's noticed little change in recruiting due to the war. She signs, on average, two to three new recruits each month. Parents tend to ask more questions about the war than the recruits themselves.
"They ask, 'Will my son go to war?' " she said. "I don't tell them no. I'd be lying if I did. I let them know this isn't the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. We don't go selling cookies. We are America's 9-1-1 — the most elite branch of the service."
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/2850049
Ellie