MARINE CORPS RECRUITING COMMAND, QUANTICO, Va. -- This year marks America's 30-year anniversary of building the nation's all-volunteer force. Throughout this period, Marine recruiters have fought side by side with their brothers in arms in the hunt for the youth of America to join our military ranks. Without question, Marines have set the pace and are leading from the "tip of the spear."
From July 1995 through November 2003, Marine recruiters have successfully met their assigned recruiting goals for 100 consecutive months. This recruiting success is a testament to the effort and determination of the recruiters and the outstanding support provided by all Marines to the recruiting force. The accomplishment marks a major milestone in Marine Corps history.
"Successfully meeting our recruiting goals for 100 consecutive months is a great accomplishment for the Marine Corps," said Major General Christopher Cortez, the commanding general of Marine Corps Recruiting Command (MCRC) in Quantico, Va. "The hard work and dedication of our recruiters have sustained the manpower required by our Corps and provided opportunities for young men and women to serve the nation."
Throughout the past eight years and four months, more than 8,000 Marine recruiters have enlisted between 36,000 to 39,000 applicants a year. This annual endeavor reflects the enlistment of more than 320,000 quality men and women during the 100-month period. In addition, recruiters shipped nearly 327,000 applicants to the recruit depots in San Diego, Calif., and Parris Island, S.C.
During these 100 months, the quality of applicants remained high. In fact, the Marine Corps consistently exceeded the Department of Defense standard that 90% of all enlistees be accredited high school diploma recipients. Nearly 97% of Marine Corps applicants recruited during the 100-month period were high school graduates.
"The real stars of MCRC are the Marines on the sidewalks of America, performing the toughest peacetime mission the Marine Corps has to offer," said Sergeant Major Jon Wertjes, the sergeant major of MCRC.
Like Marines in the operational forces, Marine recruiters are known for putting forth maximum effort and accomplishing the mission. According to Lieutenant Colonel Stephen B. Wittle, head of enlisted operations for MCRC and a former recruiting station commanding officer, the effort exerted by recruiters throughout the years has laid a foundation in communities throughout the country that allows them and others to be successful.
"Unlike regions that are exposed to a large military presence such as Southern California or Virginia, there are many communities whose only exposure to the Marine Corps is the recruiter," Wittle said. "This is where the rubber meets the road for the recruiter on the street."
In the long run, recruiters today are helping shape the Marine Corps of the future.
"It's like mining the communities of America for the raw materials necessary to forge Marines," Wittle said. "They put a lot of work into representing the Marine Corps - in essence, they are a testimonial to our success."
The success of the recruiting effort hasn't come easy. During the 100-month fight, recruiters faced many challenges and changes in the recruiting environment such as the impact of September 11th, Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and pressures of a robust economy during a good portion of the 100 months.
"Looking for quality men and women during these 100 months took a lot of effort on the part of our recruiters," said Sergeant Major Clifford Milton-Stewart, former sergeant major of MCRC (2000-2003). "Many recruiters faced obstacles during these 100 months; they learned to overcome and adapt and find innovative ways to reach young men and women, and inform them about opportunities to serve in the Marine Corps. Marine Recruiters are persistent, dedicated and committed to accomplishing the mission."
The Recruiter
The recruiter, with ties in the local community, is the key to the success of making mission. It is here that long hours are spent every day searching his or her area in an effort to find that qualified prospect interested in becoming a Marine.
For some recruiters, success can be linked to a desire to become successful not only as a recruiter, but as a Marine as well.
"I can't stand to lose so that pushes me to try even harder to be successful," said Gunnery Sergeant Jessie W. Cornelius, the 2002 Marine Corps Recruiter of the Year and the staff noncommissioned officer in charge (SNOIC) for Recruiting Sub-Station West Indianapolis, Ind. "One more thing always helps - have fun. If you believe in the Marine Corps and you are motivated, it will reflect on you."
The SNCOIC
Although recruiters are challenged every month to find new men and women to join the Corps, standing behind them are the SNCOICs. The SNCOICs are responsible for attaining mission and the overall management of recruiting substation operations. Additionally, they are specifically responsible for maximizing prospecting activities, improving recruiter sales techniques and performance, and monitoring the interactions with the applicants from initial contact to shipping to recruit training.
"I feel the hallmarks of any unit are the Marine and training of the basics," said Gunnery Sergeant Gregory M. Cramer, the 2002 Recruiting SNCOIC of the year. "Recruiting is no different. I don?t let the recruiters forget who they are or where they come from -they are United States Marines."
Career recruiters or a regular recruiter who has earned the right to lead a team of recruiters usually fills the SNCOIC billet. Career recruiters hold a military occupational specialty of 8412 and are superior recruiters who serve as a cadre of professional recruiters with long-term assignments in key leadership billets. They improve the management and effectiveness of the recruiting effort. These billets include: noncommissioned officer in charge, operations chief, contact team member, and liaison billets. As recruiting command billets rotate, career recruiters provide continuity and institutional knowledge.
"The career recruiter is the continuity of recruiting," said Master Gunnery Sergeant Ronald E. Pruitt, who is head of enlisted operations and a career recruiter. "They keep the recruiting train on the tracks when commanding officers, executive officers and sergeants majors come and go."
Recruiting Support
During the 100-month effort, the Marine Corps as a whole continued to support the recruiting effort in various ways. For example, announcements for needed recruiter assistants are published several times throughout the year in each Marine's Leave and Earnings Statement (LES). Also, base newspapers continually run advertisements looking for Marines to take part in the recruiter assistance program and career retention specialists continue to encourage Marines to take advantage of the opportunities in recruiting.
"Recruiting is a priority in the Marine Corps," Cortez said. "Marines in the operational forces, bases and stations continue to provide outstanding support to our recruiting efforts. Our 100 months of success was in part due to the leadership and support from the entire Marine Corps."
Every successful organization has a support system working hard to sustain the front line forces. Without the strong supporting arms within the recruiting command structure at the national, regional or district level, the 100-month accomplishment would not have been possible.
"Our support forces were critical in enabling our recruiters to consistently make mission," Cortez said. "Marines from administrative, financial, supply, marketing, and communications billets provided the behind the scenes muscle that powered the recruiting machine. Like combat support elements in the field, recruiting support elements keep Marine recruiters in the fight."
Hallmarks of the MCRC support structure are its flexibility and ability to adapt to the needs of the recruiting force in a changing recruiting environment. Some of that flexibility was used to improve the way MCRC conducted its operations. For example, in the past, when Marine recruiters processed medical waivers, it could take 8 to 10 weeks for an answer. As a result of a reengineered waivers process, the same medical waivers now take about 3 to 5 days to process.
"We are not complacent when it comes to improving," said Michael J. Styka, assistant operations officer of enlisted operations for MCRC and a retired Marine career recruiter. "We are constantly looking for ways to improve any aspect of how we do things for recruiting and how we support the recruiters in the field."
Recruiting operations have been streamlined partly as a result of the assignment of career recruiters to MCRC Headquarters in the mid 90's, according to Styka. With their experience and knowledge in the recruiting arena, career recruiters can apply new and innovative ideas to concepts and plans that affect recruiting operations.
Advancements in computer technology have also played an essential role in improving efficiency and streamlining MCRC operations. The use of web-based programs and improved computer hardware improved recruiting station operations and efficiency and enabled recruiters to spend more time recruiting and less time doing paperwork.
One force multiplier that has aided recruiting station operations occurred with the replacement of the outdated Automated Recruit Management System (ARMS) in October 2001. The forty-year-old database system was replaced with a user-friendly web-based system appropriately named the Marine Corps Recruiting Information Support System - Recruiting Station (MCRISS-RS). This multi-user database system enables the Marines to have a tool for tracking information about applicants, recruiters and recruiting organizations.
"The MCRISS-RS has become an effective enhancement to the proven practice of Systematic Recruiting," said Major David DiEugenio, assistant chief of staff, G-6, MCRC. "Much of that process improves accuracy and gives time back to the recruiting force."
Marine Marketing
Technological and system improvements aren't the only support elements that assisted the Marine Corps in making mission for 100 months straight. Historically, the Marines have capitalized on their reputation as warriors through posters, billboards and radio and television commercials. The Corps has come a long way from its early recruiting campaigns that prompted thousands to join the fight and serve the nation, but it has stayed true to its successful "Smart, Tough, Elite Warrior" brand.
"Maintaining the offensive in marketing and advertising efforts directly supports the recruiters on the streets," said Major Michael W. Zeliff, the assistant chief of staff for marketing and public affairs. -Advertising plays a crucial role in raising awareness of today's youth and driving prospects to the recruiters."
During the course of the 100 months, marketing support included the release of three commercials, the development and operation of an interactive website, a redesign of recruiter sales tools, the partnering with a NASCAR race team and the implementation of a "rolling billboard" campaign where Marine Corps imagery appears on the sides of hundreds of tractor trailers nationwide.
"We realize the decision to join the Marine Corps relies on how much a person wants to be a Marine," said Zeliff. "It's our goal to help that person decide by increasing national awareness through advertising, providing recruiters with critical leads and giving them the support material like information packets or posters that they can use as sales tools."
Even though some may attribute the success of Marine recruiting to the implementation of new programs and processes, the truth remains clear. Marine recruiters, in every community across America, strive daily to pass on the traditions of the Corps and seek out young men and women to join. Recruiters continue to be on the frontlines during times of peace and crisis, providing the lifeblood of the Corps and achieving phenomenal success.
"The future of the Marine Corps and its success begins here in the recruiting trenches," Cortez said. "For the last 100 months, we've witnessed how Marines have shown their dedication to duty and their willingness to succeed by consistently finding the right men and women needed to sustain our ranks."