Recruiting: If Only They Were All Qualified
Station Commando got me thinking about a few "interesting" experiences I had out on the block.
On the particular day I'm recalling, I was the only one in the station. My desk was nearest the door, so I always saw everyone first. Now, this was waaaaay back in my early recruiting days when I was still detailed and new to the recruiting game. I had been there for about 6 months or so and I felt like I knew what I was doing even though I didn't. I'd written a few contracts, I'd shipped a few Soldiers and life was pretty OK.
Like I said, I'm alone in the station. A large station of 6 or 7 including the USAR recruiter and station commander. To be alone was unusual. I'm making phone calls, plugging away, maybe making contacts, probably not making appointments, when in the front door walks a big guy. Not fat, just tall and broad... and a little dirty. It was obvious that this guy seriously worked out at one time and that he still was strong. It also quickly became obvious that this guy was not living in the cleanest of situations. I couldn't tell if he was homeless or just poor and lacked good hygiene.
Anyway, he came in, let the door close, said hello to me and then peered out the window as if he was expecting to see something or someone. I looked at him for about 20 seconds before I said anything. I asked him if he was ok which seemed to snap him out of his trance and remind him where he was. Big guy sat down at my desk and started telling me that he was prior service Army and would like to get back in.
KACHING! Wow! A walk-in, prior service ready to enlist. Slam dunk contract and since I was alone in the office, no question about whose contract this was. So I ask him the pre-qualifying questions and so far, so good. Then I ask him for a DD214. He has is with him! Great! While he digs through his wallet (yeah, he's got it in his wallet and yeah, he had to dig. His wallet was at least six inches thick and looked like it had every scrap of paper he'd ever touched folded up in it) he started to tell me why he wanted to re-enlist. Turns out, aliens have set up camps outside all major cities in the US and are capturing folks and putting them in these camps. Once in the camp, it is only a matter of time before you are made into a meal for the aliens. I was surprised to learn, however, that the police are in on it with the aliens.
It was about this time that big guy found his DD214 and wouldn'tchaknowit, he was discharged from the Army for a mental disorder and had an RE-3 reentry code, meaning that he could not re-enlist, no waiver considered. I explained this as gently as I could. I felt like big guy could be just a wrong word away from snapping me in half. All my "Green-Beret-kill-you-with-my-thumbs" training aside, this guy frightened me. Now he decides to tell me that he's watching out the window because the policeman at the pawn shop at the other end of the strip mall saw him come in and probably radioed the aliens to come pick him up.
Alrighty then! Big guy, it's time for us to go. I have an appointment and you need to make a break for it. Neither one of us need to be here when the aliens show up. You slip out the back door, down the alley and into the street at the end of the block. Me? I'll lock up and head out the front. They'll never suspect that I know, and if they stop me, it'll give you more time to get away.
I never left the office so fast. I'm pretty sure I locked the door.
On the particular day I'm recalling, I was the only one in the station. My desk was nearest the door, so I always saw everyone first. Now, this was waaaaay back in my early recruiting days when I was still detailed and new to the recruiting game. I had been there for about 6 months or so and I felt like I knew what I was doing even though I didn't. I'd written a few contracts, I'd shipped a few Soldiers and life was pretty OK.
Like I said, I'm alone in the station. A large station of 6 or 7 including the USAR recruiter and station commander. To be alone was unusual. I'm making phone calls, plugging away, maybe making contacts, probably not making appointments, when in the front door walks a big guy. Not fat, just tall and broad... and a little dirty. It was obvious that this guy seriously worked out at one time and that he still was strong. It also quickly became obvious that this guy was not living in the cleanest of situations. I couldn't tell if he was homeless or just poor and lacked good hygiene.
Anyway, he came in, let the door close, said hello to me and then peered out the window as if he was expecting to see something or someone. I looked at him for about 20 seconds before I said anything. I asked him if he was ok which seemed to snap him out of his trance and remind him where he was. Big guy sat down at my desk and started telling me that he was prior service Army and would like to get back in.
KACHING! Wow! A walk-in, prior service ready to enlist. Slam dunk contract and since I was alone in the office, no question about whose contract this was. So I ask him the pre-qualifying questions and so far, so good. Then I ask him for a DD214. He has is with him! Great! While he digs through his wallet (yeah, he's got it in his wallet and yeah, he had to dig. His wallet was at least six inches thick and looked like it had every scrap of paper he'd ever touched folded up in it) he started to tell me why he wanted to re-enlist. Turns out, aliens have set up camps outside all major cities in the US and are capturing folks and putting them in these camps. Once in the camp, it is only a matter of time before you are made into a meal for the aliens. I was surprised to learn, however, that the police are in on it with the aliens.
It was about this time that big guy found his DD214 and wouldn'tchaknowit, he was discharged from the Army for a mental disorder and had an RE-3 reentry code, meaning that he could not re-enlist, no waiver considered. I explained this as gently as I could. I felt like big guy could be just a wrong word away from snapping me in half. All my "Green-Beret-kill-you-with-my-thumbs" training aside, this guy frightened me. Now he decides to tell me that he's watching out the window because the policeman at the pawn shop at the other end of the strip mall saw him come in and probably radioed the aliens to come pick him up.
Alrighty then! Big guy, it's time for us to go. I have an appointment and you need to make a break for it. Neither one of us need to be here when the aliens show up. You slip out the back door, down the alley and into the street at the end of the block. Me? I'll lock up and head out the front. They'll never suspect that I know, and if they stop me, it'll give you more time to get away.
I never left the office so fast. I'm pretty sure I locked the door.
posted by JACK ARMY at 11:14 PM
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