• Volunteering to Deploy from Recruiting

  September 14, 2010

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  Tags:  

  reenlistment   life   recruiting  

  I originally enlisted in the Army in 1993 and after an assignment to the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, NC and an assignment at Ft. Polk, LA in 1999 I volunteered to go in to recruiting. In early 2001 I converted to MOS 79R (Permanent Recruiter). I always looked at recruiting as a way to help young men and women create a future for themselves, so I have never regretted the decision to become a permanent recruiter. After 9/11 though it did bother me that I was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army and that my nation was at war and my only part was assisting others to serve their country. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an important part, but I just didn’t feel right. As the years went by and I went from one recruiting station to another I found that the NCOs assigned to be under my charge were all veterans of either Iraq or Afghanistan. I’ve always done my best to lead from the front and I honestly don’t believe that any of my Soldiers ever looked at me differently because I hadn’t deployed, but it mattered to me.
  In 2007 Recruiting Command released a message announcing the second round of a 79S (Career Counselor) augmentation program and I immediately called my CSM and informed him that I wanted to be a part of it. The 79S program would take 10 Sergeant First Class 79Rs, send them to school to become Career Counselors, and then deploy to a unit in either Iraq or Afghanistan. My CSM was kind of upset because he had me in a First Sergeant position, but I explained that it was probably my last opportunity and he reluctantly agreed. My wife was just as supportive as she has been for my entire career, but I could tell that it bothered her and my kids that I wanted to volunteer to deploy. I explained to them that as a Soldier I felt that I was obligated to do it and that by me going I was probably giving some other Soldier out there that had deployed away from his Family a few times already a chance to sit one out. They agreed and were very supportive throughout my deployment. For me it was very hard to leave my wife and kids, but the only thing I could think of was all of those Soldiers before me that had done just that.
  In October 2007 I attended the 79S, Career Counselor, Course at Ft. Jackson, SC. I completed the course in early December 2007 and in January 2008, after a short trip to the Readiness Center at Ft. Benning, GA, I was on a plane to Iraq.
  I was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Rakkasans). The brigade then assigned me the 1/33rd Cavalry Regiment to serve as the Squadron Career Counselor. The unit was in month two of a 15 month deployment (later reduced to 13 months) and to say the least I felt like the odd man out. I didn’t know anyone, but there were some great Senior NCOs in the squadron that took me in and showed me around. As a Career Counselor though I knew I needed to gain the respect of the Soldiers of the unit that I would be reenlisting and not just the senior enlisted. I didn’t exactly walk in to a great retention program as it was the beginning of February 2008 and for the first four months of the deployment only two Soldiers had reenlisted and the squadron had a goal of 96 for the year. That’s where my recruiting experience and my ability to create rapport with people came in to play. I began to volunteer to go on patrols and in doing so began to get to know the Soldiers within the unit. A few patrols became a lot and after a while I was a Sergeant First Class pulling guard duty for a young specialist to reward him for reenlisting. I even performed the duties of the platoon sergeant on a few patrols to recognize the actual platoon sergeant for having 100% of their eligible Soldiers in their platoons reenlist. By the end of the deployment I conducted 256 reenlistments in about 10 months. To be honest there were infantry units in the brigade that reenlisted more than that but an infantry unit is a lot bigger than a CAV Squadron.
  The greatest part of the entire deployment to me was that I was able to assist 256 Soldiers to stay Army Strong and continue to serve their nation as Soldiers in the greatest Army in the world. Some of these Soldiers had been in the Army for four years and were on their second deployment while others had joined right after 9/11 and were on their fourth deployment, yet despite the multiple deployments, they decided to reenlist. They all came from different backgrounds and they all had different reasons for reenlisting. There was one common thread that I found though; they all wanted to continue to serve for each other. The strength that comes from that bond is like none other than I have ever seen and it is that strength that will ensure our freedom for years and years to come. It is truly an honor to say that I have served in combat with some of the greatest young men that our country has to offer. Thanks to all of those that decided to stay Army Strong and an even greater thanks to those that make that initial leap to become stronger than they currently are. Army Strong!
   

  submitted by First Sergeant Scottie LeBlanc on Sep 14 2010

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