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Recruits Processing Into Military Defy Misconceptions, Myths
American Forces Press Service ^
| Donna Miles
Posted on 08/02/2006 4:47:03 PM PDT by SandRat
FORT MEADE, Md., August 2, 2006 -- A step through the doors of the Military Entrance Processing Station here blows away the myths that the military is struggling to get enough recruits, dropping its standards to get those it does, or glossing over the fact that its recruiting into a wartime force.
July 31 was the last day of a month in which all the services had already met their quotas for recruits. It was a relatively slow day at the station -- one of 65 dotting the country. Yet the station buzzed with activity as 102 men and women processed through en route to the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
Its pretty quiet today, but were always busy, Station Commander Army Lt. Col. Robert Larsen said. People come in and are always shocked to see how many people are processing into the military. And what amazes them most is the fact that we do this every single day.
The military has gone through a 13-month stretch during which every service consistently met its active-duty recruiting goals. Theres never a down day at the station, especially during the busy summer season. Over the course of fiscal 2006, the Baltimore station will send almost 8,000 new members to their entry-level military training.
The station sends soldiers, the largest group processed, to basic training at forts Leonard Wood, Mo.; Benning, Ga.; Jackson, S.C.; Knox, Ky.; or Sill, Okla. Sailors, the second-largest group, all go to boot camp at Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. Marines recruits from the station go to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. Airmen will go to the Basic Military Training course at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Coast Guardsmen, the smallest group to process through the MEPS station, go to Training Center Cape May, N.J.
But before they can start their training, all recruits process through a MEPS station. The Baltimore station, one of the three busiest in the country, serves as the link between the military and recruits from Maryland, the District of Columbia and parts of Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia. Recruits enter as civilians and leave as new members of the armed forces who have signed their military contracts and taken the oath of enlistment.
Recruits arrive at the station before 5:30 a.m. to begin a flurry of tests -- a medical exam, drug test and HIV test, among them -- to ensure theyre fit for duty. Another test, the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, ensures they meet the militarys aptitude standards.
Military-wide, more than 60 percent of all recruits come from the top half of the aptitude categories, and more than 90 percent are high school graduates, David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said during a Pentagon news conference in July.
Typically, we see an above-average high school graduate processing through the Baltimore MEPS, Larsen said.
Army Master Sgt. Mark Schoeppner, an Army liaison with the station, bristles at talk that military standards have dipped. Theres a perception that we will allow anybody in, and thats absolutely wrong, he said.
Schoeppner pointed to big improvements hes seen in the force during his 19 and a half years in the military. Its way better than when I came in, and I feel very comfortable sleeping at night, knowing that we have not lowered the standards, he said.
The quality of new recruits gets better and better every day, agreed Marine Gunnery Sgt. Derrick Benton, a Marine Corps liaison who meets one-on-one with Marine recruits as they process through the station.
A high score on the ASVAB equates to the broadest choice of jobs opened to recruits. I can pick any job I want, 19-year-old Corey Robinson, from Boonesboro, Md., said of his score as he processed for a four-year stint in the Army. But Robinson didnt have to consider his options; he already had his heart set on infantry, then becoming an airborne Ranger. Theres no question that thats what I want to do, he said. I want something exciting and fast-paced, definitely not a desk job.
Career counselors at the MEPS station sit with recruits to review their options and help steer them to the military job that most closely matches their interests and aptitude. We want to ensure that when we put you in a particular field, that we are setting you up for success, Army Sgt. 1st Class Todd Dreeszen, an Army Reserve liaison, said.
The overall concept for us is retainability, he said, emphasizing that a good initial fit is a good indicator of how long a servicemember will stay in the military. Were not looking at a single enlistment, Dreeszen said. Were looking for 20 years.
Finally, after all their testing is completed and their job specialty selected, recruits sit with a career counselor and review their contract line by line. We review the contract with them so they understand it fully and to ensure there are no surprises, Larsen said.
Part of that review includes a frank discussion about the possibility -- even probability -- of being sent into a combat zone. Especially if theyre going into the ground forces, they need to understand that for all practicability, a year from now, they could be in the desert, Larsen said.
We make it clear to them that everyone -- from the flute player to the infantry soldier -- has a chance to go to Iraq, Schoeppner said. There are no false pretenses.
We remind them that this is not the Salvation Army, Dreeszen agreed. We reiterate whats already been said to them and remind them that their primary mission is to wage war. Theres a reason that even if youre a mechanic, you carry an assault rifle.
They are fully aware that they could end up in Iraq, Benton said. They know exactly what they are getting to, but they really want to serve their country.
Asked their views about going off to war, recruits processing through the Baltimore MEPS expressed a range of reactions, from nonchalance to anticipation.
Its not a factor, said 22-year-old Salvador Goines, who was processing for a four-year-stint in the Army under the Delayed Entry Program and expects to go to basic training in January. After growing up in a rough neighborhood in Wilmington, Del., Goines said he theres not much he might encounter that he hasnt seen before.
It doesnt bother me, Robinson said of going into combat. I know Ill be with people who are well-trained and that I will be fine.
Im not scared, said Jeremy Gardner, age 20, who was processing to go into the Navy. People die here on the streets. There are no guarantees.
Seventeen-year-old Bethany Wade, a high school senior joining the Marine Corps through the Delayed Entry Program, said she has no trepidation about going to war after she graduates from high school in January, five months ahead of her classmates.
If they told me today that I had to go, it wouldnt bother me, she said. I feel that everybody should be willing to go and fight for their country. We lost so many people on 9/11 that I think if you live here you should be willing to support your country.
At the end of their day at the MEPS station, Larsen reminds recruits of the seriousness of the decision theyre about to make as they take the oath of enlistment and begin military careers. If there is any perception that theyre apprehensive about what they are getting into, we wont swear them in, he said.
He recalls one time when he refused to enlist a recruit, despite the fact that she was scheduled to ship that day to basic training. Instead, Larsen sent her home to think about her decision. She returned the next day, convincing him that she was sure she wanted to join the military.
On July 31, as 28 new Marine Corps and Navy recruits assembled to take their oath of enlistment, Larsen reiterated his reminder. This is a monumental day in your life, and I want you to make sure its what you really want, he told them.
Larsen offered one more tidbit of advice -- about teamwork -- to the recruits as they lined up in formation in front of a line of flags. Not one of us can get through basic training as a lone wolf, he told them. You wont make it by yourself. You have to take care of each other -- that person to your left and right -- and they will take care of you.
Then, Larsen told each recruit to raise his or her right hand and began the oath of enlistment. I, your name, do solemnly swear.
No matter how prepared they were for the moment, the new servicemembers said they recognize the importance of the step theyre taking. They marched out of the room silently, breaking the tension with giddiness only after taking seats in the adjoining room to sign their military contracts.
This is a change of life, a change of direction, Samuel Blevins said after taking the oath of enlistment and just before heading to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to catch a flight to Navy boot camp.
This is a big step for me today. Its a part of growing up, Blevins said. You feel the chills.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Booker, a Navy recruiter, leads two recruits into the Baltimore Military Entrance Processing Station. The station processes nearly 8,000 recruits a year for all military services. Photo by Donna Miles '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. |
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TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; US: Maryland
KEYWORDS: defy; fables; into; liberal; lies; military; misconceptions; myths; processing; recruitment; recruits
1
posted on
08/02/2006 4:47:05 PM PDT
by
SandRat
To: 91B; HiJinx; Spiff; MJY1288; xzins; Calpernia; clintonh8r; TEXOKIE; windchime; Grampa Dave; ...
On hearing this news all that was heard from the the LEFT was a collective
2
posted on
08/02/2006 4:48:02 PM PDT
by
SandRat
(Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?)
To: SandRat
I feel that everybody should be willing to go and fight for their country. We lost so many people on 9/11 that I think if you live here you should be willing to support your country.
3
posted on
08/02/2006 4:55:29 PM PDT
by
TheDon
(The Democratic Party is the party of TREASON!)
To: SandRat
My son grew up quite fast during boot in Illinois. We all grew up on 9/11.
4
posted on
08/02/2006 5:00:38 PM PDT
by
flynmudd
(Proud Navy Mom to OSSR Richard T. Blalock-USS Ramage)
To: SandRat
5
posted on
08/02/2006 5:00:53 PM PDT
by
Uriah_lost
(http://www.wingercomics.com/d/20051205.html)
To: SandRat
It's too bad that this wonderful article will never be published in the MSM.
To: SandRat
OH MY GOD NO!
TURN AROUND! RUN!
JOIN THE MARINES INSTEAD!
To: flynmudd
Well,... I'd have to disagree with you that we all grew up on 9/11 just look at the left, they're actually getting more infantile.
8
posted on
08/02/2006 5:19:39 PM PDT
by
SandRat
(Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?)
To: The KG9 Kid
Shut up. I need those kids to turn wrenches and load ordnance on jets.
9
posted on
08/02/2006 5:29:27 PM PDT
by
USNBandit
(sarcasm engaged at all times)
To: SandRat
"We remind them that this is not the Salvation Army, "
I guess the Air Force recruiter must be down the hall....
10
posted on
08/02/2006 5:32:06 PM PDT
by
dakine
To: dakine
"I guess the Air Force recruiter must be down the hall...."
LOL
11
posted on
08/02/2006 5:35:13 PM PDT
by
epaul
To: SandRat
This is a monumental day in your life, and I want you to make sure its what you really want, he told them. Wise words. BTT.
"We need motivated, highly focused men and women...and we have them in abundance." D. Rumsfeld
To: SandRat
Good point. Some of us woke up some are still asleep. Must be too many bong hits.
13
posted on
08/02/2006 5:46:19 PM PDT
by
flynmudd
(Proud Navy Mom to OSSR Richard T. Blalock-USS Ramage)
To: SandRat
Last name first first name middle name last.
That's what they told me to write back in 1970.
14
posted on
08/02/2006 5:50:53 PM PDT
by
Right Wing Assault
("..this administration is planning a 'Right Wing Assault' on values and ideals.." - John Kerry)
To: flynmudd
i grew up real fast in boot camp. I shudder to think what I would have turned out like if i hadn't gone in.
15
posted on
08/02/2006 5:54:15 PM PDT
by
gocats
To: gocats
Don't ever look back, always look forward. You are a better person because of it. Life is all about choices and you made the right one.
16
posted on
08/02/2006 6:08:44 PM PDT
by
flynmudd
(Proud Navy Mom to OSSR Richard T. Blalock-USS Ramage)
To: SandRat
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Derrick Benton, a Marine liaison at the Baltimore Military Entrance Processing Station, reviews a contract with recruit Patrick McGann to ensure he understands what hes committing to in joining the Marine Corps. In the picture the 'Gunny' is smiling ... if the recruit signs on the dotted line, as a former Marine, I can assure you it will be a long time before he ever has the opportunity to see a Marine 'Gunny' smile.
17
posted on
08/02/2006 6:24:19 PM PDT
by
BluH2o
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