Recruiting the force: meeting the goal is no reason to stop

Airman, July-August, 2008 by Matthew Bates

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Tech. Sgt. Frank McMahon III's dark blue Ford Explorer rambled down the two-lane blacktop highway, the scenery vanishing in a blur past his driver's side window.

Not that there's much to see anyway, except long stretches of prairie.

This is Montana's "Big Sky Country"--a wide open area where the wheat field-dominated countryside is broken up only by the occasional herd of cattle. Even trees are rare; single ones adorn the landscape, looking out of place and forlorn.

The road stretches on for what seems forever, disappearing only at the horizon. There's seldom another vehicle in sight. Out here, the driver is alone--his only companions being the occasional voice breaking through the static on the radio and the gentle whirring of tires on the pavement.

So, he keeps driving.

This is something Sergeant McMahon does a lot. He's a recruiter with the 368th Recruiting Squadron and in charge of the largest recruiting area in the country. Based in Great Falls, his Montana domain stretches east to North Dakota, north to the Canadian border and west to the base of the Rocky Mountains.

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"It's definitely a challenge having such large area," he said. "And a lot of it is really remote towns that have small schools."

Growing up, remote was something Sergeant McMahon didn't have to deal with. He's from Marlton, N.J., a town of about i0,000 people just outside Philadelphia.

"New Jersey is the most populated state in the U.S.," Sergeant McMahon said. "Montana is one of the least populated."

Still, it's not like Sergeant McMahon didn't know what he was getting himself into--after all, he volunteered for the job.

"When I signed up to be a recruiter, I knew I wanted to come somewhere like this because I love the outdoors," he said. "All the guys in my recruiting class thought I was crazy, but I love it here. The hunting is great, the fishing is great and there's a lot of outdoor stuff to do."

Not that he has much time to enjoy them. Being the only recruiter in such a large area keeps Sergeant McMahon very busy. There are the constant phone calls, the school visits, the meetings with parents and the seemingly endless piles of paperwork.

And then there's the driving--miles and miles of it through the Montana countryside.

"I've definitely logged a lot of time behind the steering wheel," he said.

His blue Explorer, with its well-worn engine and odometer that spins more like an electricity meter, is a silent testament to this fact.

Filling a need

Over the past decade, thanks to recruiters like Sergeant McMahon, the Air Force has consistently met or exceeded its enlistment goals. In light of this. there are those who argue against the need for the Air Force to invest time and money into recruiting.

Some people say, "The Air Force is making its recruiting goals, so why does the service need so much money and people devoted to it?"

Easy, recruiting officials say. The goal of recruiting is to find quality men and women who have the right skills, at the right time and in the right numbers to sustain the combat capability of America's Air Force.

But the Air Force can't hope qualified candidates will simply walk through the door.

"You can't just stop recruiting because you're making your goals," said Col. Stan Chase, vice commander, Air Force Recruiting Service at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. "We need to have recruiters out there, pounding the pavement and telling the Air Force story to young people. How else are they going to know about all the tremendous opportunities the service offers?"

This is one reason Sergeant McMahon became a recruiter in the first place--it gave him the chance to talk about the Air Force. He joined the service right out of high school and never looked back.

"I love the Air Force," he said. "And I want other people to be able to experience what it has to offer. Recruiting gives me the perfect opportunity to do this."

No walk in the park

Ironically, making its recruiting goals is almost a double-edged sword for the Air Force.

"Recruiting is not easy," Colonel Chase said. "But by always making our goals, it almost looks like it is. Yet, the fact of the matter is recruiting is a challenging and demanding job."

Sergeant McMahon can attest to this.

On an average week, he works anywhere from 60 to 80 hours--many spent on the phone, filling out paperwork or ferrying prospective recruits to and from the Military Entrance Processing Station in Butte, Mont., which is about a two--to three-hour drive away from his office.

Then there are the meetings and checkups with individuals who have already enlisted and are in the Delayed Entry Program.

"I check in with them regularly and expect them to check in with me, too," Sergeant McMahon said. "I make sure they're making good decisions and staying fit and ready to head to basic training."

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One way Sergeant McMahon does this is by making his recruits who are entering special operations jobs give him a set of push ups every time they come to his office.