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thedrifter
09-13-06, 01:49 PM
Marine recruiters looking for few
ANGIE ARMS
Richlands News-Press/Clinch Valley News
Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Sgt. Travis Arnold (left) and Staff Sgt. Kenneth Carmen are Marine Corps recruiters for the Tazewell County area.
Bill Patton (Richlands News-Press/Clinch Valley News)

RICHLANDS - Presenting doors to opportunities is how Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Kenneth Carmen and Sergeant Travis Arnold describe their role as recruiters.

“We’re looking for individuals who want to be Marines,” said Arnold.

Based in Princeton and covering six counties in West Virginia and Southwest
Virginia, the two recruiters have the responsibility of selling the Marine Corps to students in approximately 20 schools. Arnold said this level of responsibility is what Marines come to expect.

Carmen adds that it is the higher standard expected of them that most Marines see as a privilege. This level of commitment he says begins before the 13 weeks of basic training. This is where he and Arnold come into the picture.
“The only enlistment promise you’ll get is the title of Marine,” said Arnold.

Arnold said they don’t sugarcoat the job ahead of their recruits. They meet with recruits and potential recruits the third Saturday of each month. This time, he says, is used to prepare the men and women both physically and mentally for the rest of their lives.

Carmen said he’s not out to fill the ranks of the Marines with nameless faces. One day, he said, his recruits could be standing beside him.

“It’s quality, not quantity,” said Arnold.

Carmen said they’re out to educate the public on what the Marine Corps is about. He said a common misconception is that the Corps is just infantry, but the opposite is true. There are thousands of opportunities available in the Marines, said Carmen. He said perhaps the biggest opportunity is developing a sense of leadership and a pride of belonging.

The Marines, said Carmen, makes up only about 12% of the armed services.

“We encourage people to look at the other armed services,” said Carmen. “Not everyone can be Marines. If they could it wouldn’t be the Marine Corps.”

Contacting a recruiter is just the first step in a process that leads to any branch of service. The Marine recruits are taken to the Military Entrance Processing Command (MEPS) in Beckley, WV. There, recruits undergo a physical exam and take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). It is through the ASVAB scores that individuals are placed in careers. The recruit gets a choice of three with the guarantee of one of those jobs upon completing boot camp, said Carmen.

“We don’t want them to have a bad experience in the Marine Corps,” said Carmen. He said through the process at MEPS and the monthly meetings in Princeton during the Delayed Entry Program, they set future Marines up to succeed.

“Whatever they do later on, they’ll be successful at it,” said Carmen.

Pulled from two separate fields, Carmen - an amphibious crewman with two tours in Iraq - and Arnold - a correctional specialist - shared their reasons for joining to help others make their own choices.

“When I became a Marine it was the proudest moment of my life,” said Carmen. He said he followed in his grandfather’s footsteps who served as a Marine in Korea and Vietnam.

“I wanted to be a part of something bigger than me,” said Arnold. “I heard they were the best and I wanted to be the best.”

Carmen and Arnold can be contacted at 1-800-942-7938. Permanent Contact Station for the Marine recruits is 1217 Stafford Drive, Princeton, WV 24740.

Ellie