White honors those keeping the force manned - Of Interest - Secretary of the Army Thomas E. White

Army Communicator, Summer, 2003 by Joe Burlas

WASHINGTON -- To a man, this year's top recruiters, career counselors and retention noncommissioned officers agreed that while they were honored and humbled to be selected as the best in their fields, they are only representative of today's superb workforce that keeps the Army fully manned.

Secretary of the Army Thomas E. White recognized six members of that workforce during a Pentagon awards ceremony April 3.

Honorees were: SFC Shane Wentz, active-Army career counselor of the year; SFC Mark Gearing, Army Reserve career counselor of the year: SFC Thomas Downs, active-Army recruiter of the year; SSG Calvin Lamont, Army Reserve recruiter of the year: SSG Terance Anderson, Army Reserve retention NCO of the year: and SFC Barry Bond, Army National Guard recruiting and retention NCO of the year.

SFC Wentz, a member of the Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command, has been stationed in Kuwait for six months, and returned to the Central Command area of operations April 5.

"I had real mixed emotions about coming back for the ceremony," SFC Wentz said. "Of course it is nice to see my wife, but I need to be there supporting the troops and what is going on over there."

The other sergeants echoed SFC Wentz's remarks, saying their thoughts and prayers were with those actively engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom and "The real heroes are over there, not us sitting here in this room."

"What we have done to get here pales in comparison to what our troops are doing over in Iraq," said SSG Anderson, 89th Regional Support Command, Wichita, Kan.

SFC Gearing, working with soldiers leaving active duty from Eighth Army, Korea, said his biggest challenge in getting them to consider the Army Reserve was a sense of burnout.

"Soldiers work hard and when their tours are up, they want to return home and relax," SFC Gearing said. "They see how much the reserve component is used around the world. But, people want to be a part of something bigger than themselves and to make a difference. The reserves can give them that."

The three recruiters of the year said the biggest challenges they faced were getting their foot in the door and clearly demonstrating the many opportunities the Army offers as something real and attainable.

SFC Downs, working out of the Jacksonville, Fla. Recruiting Battalion, said a big part of his success has been persistence. He spoke about the year he spent keeping in contact with Justin Molotzak as the young man drifted between part-time jobs. Molotzak is now out of military police training and assigned to Eighth Army. He will attend the U.S. Military Preparatory School, Fort Monmouth, N.J., next school year.

For SFC Lamont, from the Dallas Recruiting Battalion, Denton, Texas, success in recruiting means finding out what potential recruits want in life and then showing them exactly how the Army can help achieve their goals. Some want a college education; others job skills; and some, travel opportunities, SFC Lament said.

All of the honorees agreed honesty was critical in establishing and maintaining relationships with recruits, soldiers and their families.

Another point of agreement was each of their successes could not have been possible without a supportive and understanding wife.

"I spend a lot of hours at night getting the job done because that is often the only time potential recruits and their parents can meet with me," SFC Downs said. "My wife runs the household--taking care of the kids, watching over the finances and cooking the meals. I would not be where I am today without her support."

Mr. Burlas is a writer with the Army News Service.