| U.S. Army recruiter Joe Rummel meets with Steve Kerr, who is considering enlisting, and Sarah Gardner, who has already signed up for military service. Recruiting is no longer handled by regular Army personnel, but by companies like the one Rummel works for. A native of Carbon County, Rummel feels that, since he grew up in the local area and knows the community, he will have more success in attracting young people to join the military service. |
Most residents can probably remember when United States Army recruiters strolled through the community with uniforms on and talked with young people about joining the military service.
The recruiters were seen at public functions, fairs and other events. Often, they were non-commissioned officers in the regular Army and came from places like North Carolina, South Dakota or Texas.
In most cases, the recruiters weren’t in an area long. They spent a year getting to know the people and the community, then were gone with a change of orders to be replaced by another NCO.
Just as the military branch changed its slogan from “Be all that you can be” to “An Army of one,” it has changed the way it recruits. As of last fall, the Army has also changed who is recruiting for the largest branch of the U.S. military.
“They decided it was more cost effective to have a company’s contract with them to do the recruiting,” notes the new Army recruiter in the local area, Joseph Rummel. “Having us do it cuts the cost of recruiting almost in half.”
The company Rummel works for, Resource Consultants Inc. of Radcliff, Ky., is paid by the Army for the recruits the firm brings into the service.
More importantly, there has been a realization that when a recruiter is an actual part of the community, his or her recruiting efforts are more effective.
“I grew up in Carbonville and have lived here my whole life except for the 13 and a half years I was in the Army,” points out Rummel.
The years in the military serve Rummel well when he speaks to potential recruits. He is able to explain the realities of being in the military service even in combat situations.
“I had spent very little time outside of Carbon County before I joined the Army and, since then, I have been to 27 different countries, including many in the middle east, Japan, Germany and Korea,” explains the recruiter.
He tries to get through potential recruits heads the most is the opportunities the Army offers.
“We are presently recruiting people between the ages of 17 and 34 years old,” explains Rummel. “They don’t need to be a high school graduate to look at the Army. We can help them to get their GED. We offer up to $50,000 for college expenses and there are sometimes signing bonuses for up to $20,000 for certain kinds of skills and abilities.”
Rummel recently recruited a young man who had spent two years on a mission for his church in Yugoslavia. The fact that the recruit had the ability to speak the language landed him one of the cash incentives.
“There are 212 different job categories in the Army,” indicates Rummel. “And both men and women can fit into many of them.”
The women to men recruiting ratio in Carbon County is high.
“We recruit five men for every woman who joins,” adds Rummel. “We get a lot of women who want to join.”
As with past recruiters, Rummel cannot comment on the possibility of war or about whether a draft may be enacted.
“I always tell those who come in here that nobody wants them to die for their country,” states the recruiter. “We want them to live for their country. They are only valuable to all of us if the are alive.”
Interested Carbon County residents may contact Rummel at 637-4970 or visit the U.S. Army recruiting office in the Creekview Shopping Center.