We'll try our best to load the threads up with facts and witty one-liners to keep you well armed :-)
Posted on 09/29/2004 7:41:48 AM PDT by Old Sarge
Dear FRiends:
Many of you who inhabit this virtual home of ours, know me by reputation, and a few personally. I am so proud to be counted among your ranks, and numbered among your company. We laugh, we cheer, we argue, we fight, we weep, we support, and we live, all in this place we call home. And all who do know me, know that my greatest wish is to serve this nation of ours in uniform.
That opportunity has arisen once again, as I return to Active Duty once more. This time, though, the mission is something unique to my experience, something I have never done in twenty-plus years of Active, Reserve and National Guard service. For as of next month, I shall become… a Recruiter.
Yes, you heard it. I shall shortly become one of those intrepid souls who venture out into the countryside, into the schools, the marketplaces, the state and county fairs, and anywhere else that citizens gather, to bring to them the virtues and distinctiveness of military life.
Now, I am going to confess something, here. I know that I shall be bringing to the job a very unique set of skills and experiences. I know that usually the older recruiters have an advantage over younger troops in the job, because they’ve seen and done so much more. That would be true, if this were a parallel universe.
This is a nation at war. A war that is not only on the battlefields, but also in the minds and hearts of its’ own citizens. Young folks today are technologically savvy, have better access to more data, and their innate distrust of adults has been hardened by focus-group-tested ads. In short, I shall be playing to a very hostile audience, which has been fed the bitter food of a poisoned ideology.
And this is where you, each of you, come in. As I begin this mission, I am recognizing that I must be better informed than anyone else, more than ever before, about more issues than I gave myself time to consider. And there is no better place to find these things, as I tell my soldiers who ask me, than Free Republic.
I need links, Web pages, facts and evidence, for the questions and sound bites that will be cast upon me. Young people have issues that matter to them: jobs, education, the “draft”, to name a few. I don’t doubt there are others; I need those, as well.
So, consider this an open appeal to my Pajama Patriot comrades. Help me to prepare for these upcoming debates. Arm me with fact and truth. Equip me with the data, debunked or confirmed, to do one sincere thing: to help me articulate what I might not otherwise say clearly, that their nation, this mightiest and best of nations, is worth their support and their service, and that there is no more honorable and noble title than United States Service Member.
Vigilantly Yours,
OLD SARGE
Thanks for the ping!
Thanks, Seven!
I'll be recruiting for the Army National Guard for the state of Kentucky.
Congratulations! I think this is just super, I know you bring a wealth of experience to this role.
Put me on the list of those willing to try to help in research.
prairiebreeze
Good for you Sarge! Thank you for your service! My son always loved it when the recruiters came to his school. He would come home retelling the stories he'd heard. He also loved the posters, stickers etc. he would obtain. I heard this am that youth conservatives out number liberals by 53% to 41%. Thats encouraging!
We'll try our best to load the threads up with facts and witty one-liners to keep you well armed :-)
Tell them their country needs them now more than ever and that all of us Moms and Grandmas will be praying for them, that we appreciate their sacrifice and willingness to serve more than words can tell. And thank you, Old Sarge, for serving. God bless you.
Ya have to first figure out that "bling bling" thang.......:o)
Onward to "make mission".
If you have questions on how the USAR currently works, in all of it's intricacies, feel free to Freepmail me. I have my hooks into both HQ USAR as well as HQ USSOUTHCOM.
Good luck and "good hunting".
God bless you, Old Sarge and best of luck. People like you give me hope for this nation.
Good luck Sarge! I know you'll do well.
Well, of COURSE I've got questions! I'll be in Question Mode for weeks to come.
Inbound...
Hey Sarge. I see guys in uniform on campus at the community college where I take some classes. I was wondering if maybe it would be helpful in certain areas if they were wearing sweaters or regular clothes when they are at tables in the middle of campus. That way, people who have questions or might be interested in getting some info might be more willing to approach the table.
God Bless! I am at your service! What ever you need freepmail me, I will hunt high and low for the info.
I think though they need no other example then yourself.
20 years of service to your country in one form or another, that says a lot about your love of this country. To blatently rip off John "I am looser" Kerry.
REPORTING FOR DUTY!
BTW what are the standards for getting 31 year old prior service memebers reenlisted?
AH, but you see, I'm representing the Army and the Guard, so I'm in uniform. But there are other uniforms, other than BUD's, so there's always a possibility.
Good suggestion, though...
Got a pulse? (G)
Let's see what can be done. FReepmail me with a few vitals, if you would...
LOL - I was always amazed by some of the things my shipmates' recruiters allegedly promised them - ya takes that stuff with a large grain of salt.
There was a time (heck, I was in during it) when a kid too screwed up to make it in civilian life could join the military as a last resort. And some did, and it showed. No longer.
I am amazed - blown away - by the quality of the young people who now aspire to joining the military, and who only hope that they're good enough. I give a good deal of credit for that to the NCOs, so take a bow - you've earned it. In the 70s I watched as a fellow named McNamara foisted a group called Cat-4s on us and believe me, it showed. The simple comparison of that population and the one you're helping to provide goes a long way to explaining why we cut through the fourth-largest army on the planet at the time like the proverbial crap through a goose.
Good luck to you and if I can help in any way you have only to ask.
...and if you run into my no-load nephew out there kick his butt for me. Then sign it up.
Wow!
Congrads and THANK YOU! I probably don't have anything that will help you in your new task, but I'll comb my bookmarks.
:)
God Bless you!
I've have much downloaded web pages and links at home, I'll post later this evening.
BUMP TTT
God Bless you, Old Sarge! Recruiting is hard but important work - and you'll do fine! (pat pat pat on the back)
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