NEWS LINKS
Columbus – The Ohio Army National Guard enlisted 257
new recruits in March
2006—the highest number of new enlistees for any given month in the
history of its recruiting—and met its annual recruiting goal six months
ahead of schedule.
“This is an extraordinary achievement,” said Brig. Gen. Matthew L. Kambic, Ohio assistant adjutant general for Army. “Typically we are recruiting up until the final hours of the fiscal year to meet our goals.”
As the state with the seventh largest Army National Guard, Ohio is at a current strength of approximately 10,600 and ranks seventh in the nation in recruiting. “The Ohio Army National Guard stands today at 103 percent of its authorized strength,” Kambic added. “People continue to sign up in record numbers.”
Ohio has been on the recruiting fast track since last summer, when it experienced a strong upward trend in recruiting. Thanks to many recruiting incentives such as the Ohio National Guard Scholarship Program, enlistment bonuses and innovative recruiting programs, Ohio has maintained its momentum.
The Ohio Army National Guard exceeded the 10-year recruiter production monthly average for the past 11 months, with record months in September, November and December of 2005, and February and March of 2006. Since Oct. 1, 2005, the Ohio Army Guard has recruited more than 1,100 new Soldiers.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Rees, commander of the Ohio Army Guard recruiting force, the recruiters’ success boils down to three key issues: “Our recruiters noticed that the Global War on Terrorism ceased being a significant reason why not to join,” Rees said. “We’ve also experienced stability in our recruiting force over the past two years and we added new recruiters. Simultaneously, we realigned our own internal infrastructure to provide leadership at the lowest level to increase our recruiters’ chances of success.”
With a major transformation taking place in the Ohio Army National Guard and about 600 Soldiers currently deployed in the Global War on Terrorism, the Guard is poised to offer new and exciting opportunities to potential enlistees.
“With a six-year commitment, a new Guard member can get an enlistment bonus for up to $20,000, a scholarship to pay for their undergraduate degree, earn a steady monthly paycheck, and have the Guard pay for a master’s degree,” says Kambic. “That is a good life plan for a young person getting ready for a career in today’s job market.”
The Ohio National Guard consists of approximately 15,000 Army and Air National Guard personnel capable of responding to homeland, domestic, and national emergencies.
“Ohio is the only large state Army National Guard exceeding 100 percent of its authorized strength and the first to meet its annual goal,” Kambic said. “Let there be no doubt, we will not stop recruiting. We will set our goals even higher, and given the quality people we have in our organization, I expect we’ll continue to set records in the next six months.”
HUMAN INTEREST ANGLES
Northeast Ohio:
1) In March, a set of male identical twins from Akron swore into the Ohio Army National Guard at the Cleveland MEPS. Both intend on using ONG Scholarship Program to get 100% of their tuition paid by the Ohio National Guard. Both high school seniors will depart for basic training next fall.
2) In March, a female high school student earned $2,000 from the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (GRAP) when her twin sister was sworn into the Ohio Army National Guard. Both twins are high school seniors from Medina County and will depart for Basic Training in early June.
3) After serving with Ohio Guardsmen during Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, a civilian paramedic from Madison, Ohio, was so impressed with the professionalism of the Ohio National Guard that he contacted his local recruiter upon his return home. Having formerly served in the military, the individual enlisted under the Civilian Acquired Skills Program and will be leaving for Warrior Transition Course on May 3.
Dayton:
Assistant Adjutant General for Army Brig. Gen. Matt Kambic recently presented Dayton Recruiter Sgt. Sonny Hernandez a Meritorious Service Medal for enlisting 10 soldiers in one month; this was the first such award presented since 2001. Hernandez has enlisted 42 soldiers since October 2005, significantly surpassing his annual mission of 23. He has served as a recruiter since December 2004.
Cleveland:
D Co, Cleveland Recruiting Company RSP currently has 37 female and 59
male soldiers assigned, which equals 46% females. On average, females
typically comprise 16-18% of production figures for new enlistees; the
difference may, in part, be attributed to the higher number of female
production recruiters in the Cleveland area.
Southeast:
A Recruiting Team which covers several southeast Ohio counties (Hocking, Vinton, Perry, Athens, Meigs, Morgan, Muskingum, Washington, Monroe and Noble Counties) is currently at 105% mission through the 1st & 2nd quarters of FY06, which includes achieving 128% mission for the 2nd quarter. The individual recruiters and the team collectively continue to exceed at their mission although it is typically difficult to achieve assigned mission in Southeast Ohio. The SE Area is on pace to make their yearly mission for the first time since 2003.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: The Ohio National Guard Public Affairs Office at 614-336-7000 or visit www.ohionationalguard.com.