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
Old Sarge, God Bless and keep you. I retired after 24 years in the USAF and now work as a DoD civilian. This puts me smack-dab in the middle of a lot of enlisted and even a number of officers. If you ever need perspective or other information, feel free to ask...
As long as I have inspiration from people like you, I'll never stop.
And we'll always dance, you and I.
Best of luck!
You will do a great job!
Thanks Sarge!
Good luck out there. If I can think of any words of wisdom, I will surely pass them along. I never got tapped for recruiting duty, thankfully.
Actually, the cutoff is 35 years and 364 days, if I'm not mistaken. And the lower limit is 17 with parental consent.
I'll firm these numbers up when I report.
Sarge, charge right on into the fray - God Speed!
awwwwwwwwwww, I have missed you these last couple of days!
#50
WOO HOO!
Thank you for your continued service to our Country, Sarge. Bless you.
I will help you in any way I can.
Lauren
Sarge...are recruiters given monthly quotas?....
BTTT!!!!!!!
If you could share those here, maybe we could tune them up a bit, if necessary.
You know, that is an under-used, and VERY effective, show of support: show up at the recruiter's office, or the National Guard armories, and just bring some cookies, or munchies, or something.
It comes as a surprise to the troops, big time.
FReegards...MUD
You will talk with them about the nature of this nation, that sometimes calls on, and sometimes totally relies on, its military. You will be excellent at both of these tasks, and every bit of help we can offer you, we cheerfully will.
Best wishes always.
Congressman Billybob
Latest column, "Kerry Hasn't Read a History Book"
If you haven't already joined the anti-CFR effort, please click here.
Work hard and go with God, my friend.
Sarge:
As a former Illinois Army National Guardsman, I wanted to echo the above comments. At a time when our country needs you the most you have stepped forward and answered the call. May God Bless you and this great country of ours!
If you need any help, I'll try and provide info if I can. You're taking an assignment that I could never do and I wish you the best of luck in a relatively thankless job. If you do start a ping list, please add me to it. And Good Luck! 8^)
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