thedrifter
03-27-08, 08:10 AM
03/27/2008
Midland's Marine recruiter named top in district
Kathleen Thurber
Midland Reporter-Telegram
The secret to enlisting locals in the military is simple, said Midland's top-ranked Marine recruiter: Don't recruit.
It's not that he's neglecting his job duties, said Staff Sgt. Jose Garcia, he just understands his time is best spent preparing serious recruits rather than hounding those who aren't interested.
"I prepare them," Garcia said. "Because when you get there, it's not an easy stroll in the park."
Garcia recently was named the Eighth Marine Corps District recruiter for fiscal year 2007 and has been the Albuquerque recruiting station recruiter of the year for two years in a row, said Cpt. Beatriz Yarrish at the Eighth Marine Corps District headquarters. The eighth recruiting district encompasses Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Arkansas and Oklahoma and includes more than 600 recruiters, she said.
Garcia said he explains every aspect of the Marines to those who walk into the office, call or request information online because he wants them to know exactly what they're getting into. If someone decides to join, he said, he'll accompany them to the gym so they'll be ready for basic training and also keep his phone lines open in case they need to talk after they begin their service.
"I see all of 'em as my kids," he said, adding one woman he enlisted called him from Afghanistan recently to talk about her experiences.
Brittany Desormeaux, 18, recently enlisted and said she'd researched the different branches, but decided right after talking with Garcia that the Marines was the way to go -- in part because of Garcia's straightforward description of the military and his willingness to help her find the right job once she started.
Garcia enlisted at the same age, after graduating from high school in Rotan, just north of Sweetwater. He said he saw a confident Marine make a presentation at his school, met with the Marine and decided to join that same day.
Six years later he completed his service and left the Marines to work various other jobs. But, he said, he missed the camaraderie of the Marines and after Sept. 11, 2001 realized he wanted to go back to serving his country.
"I went to a recruiter and said, 'I miss the Marine Corps, put me back in,'" he said.
He re-enlisted as a combat correspondent and when his unit hadn't been sent to Iraq, he volunteered to go so he could be in the middle of the conflict.
It was by listening to soldiers in Iraq talk about their recruiters he realized that's what he wanted to do.
"Recruits have a bad name," he said, which is something he thought he could help change.
Staff Sgt. Juan Borunda agreed and said in this region they try to become known through community service and color guard ceremonies rather than for begging people to join.
"Once they're ready they usually come up to us," he said. "I'm still going to be a Marine, regardless."
Garcia said questions always come up and they try to respond realistically, telling recruits what jobs or college funds they qualify for based on test scores and other things.
Parents now have the misconception their children automatically will be sent to Iraq if they enlist, Garcia said. However, he said, he doesn't talk to parents unless they're interested in hearing from him -- even if that means an eager recruit has to wait to make a commitment.
After nearly three years in Midland, Garcia is being transferred to the Pentagon in June, but not before he reaches the centurion point this week where he will enlist his 100th recruit from the Midland area, he said.
"It's not me," he said. "It's the Marines."
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Kathleen Thurber can be reached at kthurber@mrt.com.
Ellie
Midland's Marine recruiter named top in district
Kathleen Thurber
Midland Reporter-Telegram
The secret to enlisting locals in the military is simple, said Midland's top-ranked Marine recruiter: Don't recruit.
It's not that he's neglecting his job duties, said Staff Sgt. Jose Garcia, he just understands his time is best spent preparing serious recruits rather than hounding those who aren't interested.
"I prepare them," Garcia said. "Because when you get there, it's not an easy stroll in the park."
Garcia recently was named the Eighth Marine Corps District recruiter for fiscal year 2007 and has been the Albuquerque recruiting station recruiter of the year for two years in a row, said Cpt. Beatriz Yarrish at the Eighth Marine Corps District headquarters. The eighth recruiting district encompasses Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Arkansas and Oklahoma and includes more than 600 recruiters, she said.
Garcia said he explains every aspect of the Marines to those who walk into the office, call or request information online because he wants them to know exactly what they're getting into. If someone decides to join, he said, he'll accompany them to the gym so they'll be ready for basic training and also keep his phone lines open in case they need to talk after they begin their service.
"I see all of 'em as my kids," he said, adding one woman he enlisted called him from Afghanistan recently to talk about her experiences.
Brittany Desormeaux, 18, recently enlisted and said she'd researched the different branches, but decided right after talking with Garcia that the Marines was the way to go -- in part because of Garcia's straightforward description of the military and his willingness to help her find the right job once she started.
Garcia enlisted at the same age, after graduating from high school in Rotan, just north of Sweetwater. He said he saw a confident Marine make a presentation at his school, met with the Marine and decided to join that same day.
Six years later he completed his service and left the Marines to work various other jobs. But, he said, he missed the camaraderie of the Marines and after Sept. 11, 2001 realized he wanted to go back to serving his country.
"I went to a recruiter and said, 'I miss the Marine Corps, put me back in,'" he said.
He re-enlisted as a combat correspondent and when his unit hadn't been sent to Iraq, he volunteered to go so he could be in the middle of the conflict.
It was by listening to soldiers in Iraq talk about their recruiters he realized that's what he wanted to do.
"Recruits have a bad name," he said, which is something he thought he could help change.
Staff Sgt. Juan Borunda agreed and said in this region they try to become known through community service and color guard ceremonies rather than for begging people to join.
"Once they're ready they usually come up to us," he said. "I'm still going to be a Marine, regardless."
Garcia said questions always come up and they try to respond realistically, telling recruits what jobs or college funds they qualify for based on test scores and other things.
Parents now have the misconception their children automatically will be sent to Iraq if they enlist, Garcia said. However, he said, he doesn't talk to parents unless they're interested in hearing from him -- even if that means an eager recruit has to wait to make a commitment.
After nearly three years in Midland, Garcia is being transferred to the Pentagon in June, but not before he reaches the centurion point this week where he will enlist his 100th recruit from the Midland area, he said.
"It's not me," he said. "It's the Marines."
------
Kathleen Thurber can be reached at kthurber@mrt.com.
Ellie