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Every enlisted Airman has started his or her career at a recruiter’s office.
Besides bringing in the Air Force’s next generation, a recruiter is generally responsible for making sure a recruit is physically and mentally qualified for military service before they ship out for their basic training.
“Personally, I enjoy it; I love it a lot,” said Master Sgt. Leslie Sybert, 319th Recruiting Squadron European line officer recruiter, “I get to interact with people … and help them figure out what it is they want to do. If they have a goal, I help them meet that goal.”
At an overseas recruiting location, there are considerable differences compared to recruiting in the U.S., says Sybert, but the job must still be done.
“We have to do what we can,” Sybert said, “It’s challenging, but this is definitely a rewarding job. You just have to think outside the box.”
Recruiters in the U.S. generally have the liberty to go out into the local area and engage the people, but at Ramstein, Sybert and her co-workers do not have this privilege.
“We can’t just go (off base) and walk up to an individual and ask, ‘Hey, do you want to join the Air Force?’” Sybert said. “We can’t do that here. We’re stuck on base.”
Tech. Sgt. Mubarak Rashid, 319th RCS enlisted accessions recruiter, explained that the small number of U.S. citizens or green card holders overseas is one of the factors which limit them from doing community engagement off base.
“If they’re not a U.S. citizen or at least a green card holder, they are ineligible to enlist,” Rashid said.
“It’s (also) not the smartest thing to do … walking around town telling everybody you’re in the U.S. Air Force and that you’re a recruiter,” Rashid continued with a chuckle.
Besides being confined to U.S. military bases, Sybert, Rashid and their co-workers do not have the luxury of a military entrance processing station nearby. Whatever work the MEPS would do with the recruits, the recruiters must do themselves.
This includes administering the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test, handling the enlistment and medical paperwork, taking the biometric fingerprints and shipping the recruit to basic training.
In addition to doing extra work in recruiting overseas, the recruiters at Ramstein cover a very large area of responsibility.
“We service the entire European theater,” Rashid said. “We (also) cover Africa and the Middle East. If (a prospect is) a dual citizen or an American living abroad anywhere in the world, we’re going to cover them as well.”
The recruiters at Ramstein have come up with different ways to work around their geographic separation from the U.S. and MEPS.
“We have a lot of technology now,” Sybert said. “We do a video chat, and that counts as the face-to-face meeting.”
Though it comes with additional challenges, Sybert and Rashid both take pride in their job of recruiting from Ramstein.
“It’s a challenge, but it’s exciting because we get to live overseas,” Rashid said. “Most recruiters can spend a full career in recruiting and never come overseas, so we were lucky enough to be able to recruit (here).”
Being overseas is a benefit, but it’s not the only reward the recruiters receive for doing their job.
“We provide a great quality of life and change peoples’ lives every day,” Sybert said. “There’s nothing more rewarding than that, to take somebody from their current situation and helping them meet their needs or goals, and we do that.”
To speak with a recruiter, call 314-480-3430 or 06371-47-3430.
