Ramblings of a Recruiter

Freedom

2008-10-13T14:28:00.002-05:00

I came across this blogring in June 2007. Alot of what I read from other recruiters mirrored how I felt being out there. I say "out there" as I am no longer apart of that...society. I had just reenlisted for a new assignment. My final true reenlistment, as my next one I go "indef". I don't even know where to start. I just want to get it all down.

I came to recruiting with a bright and happy demeanor, one which was quickly lost. I saw a side of the military that I never knew existed, one I wish I could forget and know I never will. I almost lost the most important people in my life. I was so driven, so focused, always looking for that next contract, I forgot to remember them. My daughter grew up before my closed eyes. My husband, my strong and incredible husband, he stayed through 3 years, 2 months and 2 days of the worst assignment I have known in the 10 years I have been in.
Since I left recruiting, I have changed. I am no longer jumpy when the phone rings. I spend time...lots of time with my family. We have dinner together. I have seen more of them in the last 6 months than my whole time on recruiting. I sleep at night. I lost weight. I smile because I am happy, not because I have to. Did I mention Germany is beautiful in the fall? I love my unit. I love my job. I love the fact that I have soldiers again. I go to ranges. I pull duty. I get 3 and 4 day weekends every month.
It has been awesome to read that I am not alone. No matter what anyone ever said, I knew that alot of what went on in that world was wrong. Will it ever change? Who knows. I think that getting rid of the super recruiter mentality is a big step forward. The "team concept" will be, IMHO, a Very Good Thing for recruiting. I know that the majority of the recruiters who were in my station (LP) are gone. There are 2 left along with the SC. I hope that they are doing well.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Most all tangible memories of that time have been discarded. I tossed all of my badges before I moved. The last one I wore on my uniform...I took off as I was driving back from MEPS the day I outprocessed. I threw it out the car window at about 90 mph.
The ring, however, I wear. I don't wear it to show off. I am a girl, I do like pretty things, especially little golden sparkly baubles that adorn my fingers. This ring, however, is more than that. This ring symbolizes things lost, things gained, tears, trials and tribulations.

I wear the ring as a badge of honor. I survived recruiting.

Ninja AFK'd~~

2007-09-09T17:09:00.000-05:00

OMG so been long time no blog -- NO TIME!!!

Seems like everytime I try to get one I get distracted by work...how tacky.
So I got told that I not only got my ring but OMG I got promoted!!!

I think that we are going ot box this month. Too many fell through - I had a GA ready to rock and then he calls nad says he "forgot" he had another scholarship. How do you forget that? So I told him I understand that he may not be ready right now to be a soldier to step up and serve...wow that put him on the spot a littloe and he admitted that he was scared. I did the 3 "F"s and still no avail. Ah is ok I guess I wasn't really ocunting on him anyhow. I had my 2 lined up to drop the 1st week of the new RCM next week but have to burn one to cover down on another guy. Tired.

Hiccup

2007-07-21T17:36:00.000-05:00

I rolled a nut. Big fat nut. I have alot of stuff working it just isn't falling right now. Guy who apparently likes the herb a little too much. Guy who needs to lose 1%. Another who needs to lose 2%. A Bravo & 2 Alphas. /sigh.
I did, however manage to ding my cleric 64 and my ranger 71. That is what keeps me really sane. That and my family. They are gone for a few days, visiting Grandma & fishing. It has been weird coming home and having nothing to talk to but the cats. Too quiet.
I took the dep loss.
I was sad.
She had so much ahead of her and now...she has no clue what to do. Influencers. They suck.
On a better note, I heard from Mr. Williams...pardon me PVT Williams. He is in Airborne school. That brightened my day. He still says "Yes Ma'am". I like him. He will go far. Grats PVT Williams. I am proud of you.

excited!!

2007-06-16T10:30:00.001-05:00

So, I am about to write a contract that I have been waiting to write since I came out her. My husband. No, I am not so desparate for a contract to dip into family. He is PS, wants back in. Now that I am on orders, we are working to get him in and maybe...hopefully...to my same duty assignment. Cross your fingers the USAREC Gods allow the waiver to go through. I cannot wait!! I loved being dual military it was awesome. I did, however, tell the applicant that he had better ship or he would be a single soldier! I wonder if the prohibited statement applies here?

Mr. Williams

2007-06-12T11:03:00.000-05:00

My favorite part of this job is when they come back and say "Thanks". No matter how ugly the world is to me (yeah I am the one who told the President to start operations in Iraq...), having a soldier come in my office and say "Thank SGT, I appreciate..." I think that is way too cool.

Take for instance Mr. Williams. This kid was 17 the day he tested for me. Had a GED. Mom was a crack whore somewhere and father non-existent. He was on a bad road, but through a little encouragement, he is now about to be a double stacked gun bunny. Cool. He is so proud of himself, stands up a little taller, smiles more often. THAT is why I do this job to the best of my ability. Because of him and all the other Mr. Williams that I meet.

An oldie...but a goodie!!

2007-06-11T18:16:00.001-05:00

LOADING, PLEASE WAIT...

You have entered Denny's.
You say, 'Hail Denny's hostess'
Denny's hostess says 'Hello, Tyranadin. Welcome to Denny's. [Smoking] or [non-smoking]?'
You say, 'non-smoking'
You say, 'I would like non-smoking please'
You say, 'what about non-smoking'
Denny's hostess says 'Right this way, please.'
You are out of food and drink.
Erlen says out of character, 'has anyone seen the waiter?'
Daegarmo shouts, 'no and ive been camping him for a half hour'
You are out of food and drink.
Ester shouts, 'I see him'
Erlen shouts, 'dont kill him, i still have to do the order quest'
You are hungry.
You are thirsty.
You are out of food and drink.
You say, 'Hail Denny's waiter'
Denny's waiter says 'Hello, Tyranadin. You look like you could use some [coffee]'
You say, 'Yes I'll have some coffee'
You say, 'what about coffee'
Denny's waiter says 'Ah, excellent! We have [regular] and [decaf].'
You say, 'I will have some decaf'
You say, 'what about decaf'
You say, 'what about decaffeinated coffee'
Denny's waiter says 'I expected nothing less of you. Here, take this.'
You gain experience!
Your faction standing with Juan Valdez got better.
You drink your coffee.
You were hit by non-melee for 39 dmg
YOU are burning!
You shout, 'Ow hehe this coffee's hot'
Kyrani shouts, 'Haha u sux0r'
You are hungry.
You are out of food.
Annoying kid says 'Pikachuuuuuu'
Annoying kid tries to hit YOU, but misses!
Annoying kid tries to hit YOU, but misses!
Annoying kid hits YOU for 3 points of damage.
Auto-attack on.
You hit Annoying kid for 17 points of damage.
You hit Annoying kid for 22 points of damage.
You have slain Annoying kid!
Your faction standing with Disciplineless Mothers got worse
Your faction standing with Denny's Customers got better
Your faction standing with The World at Large got better
Annoying kid's corpse_01 says 'My mother will avenge my death!'
You receive 3 copper as your split.
You are hungry.
You are out of food.
Disciplineless mother says 'Your actions and history are a personal affront to all I stand for.' Disciplineless mother begins casting a spell.
Disciplineless mother pet is enveloped in flames.
Off-duty police officer says 'Hey! No pets in the building!'
Disciplineless mother pet hits YOU for 18 points of damage.
Off-duty police officer hits Disciplineless mother for 287 points of damage.
Off-duty police officer hits Disciplineless mother for 234 points of damage.
Off-duty police officer kicks Disciplineless mother for 27 points of damage.
Disciplineless mother is slain by Off-duty police officer!
Disciplineless mother pet hits YOU for 12 points of damage.
Off-duty police officer hits Disciplineless mother pet for 262 points of damage.
Off-duty police officer was burned.
Disciplineless mother pet is slain by Off-duty police officer!
Off-duty police officer says 'Let this be a lesson, that none can withstand the wrath of the Little Rock Department of Public Safety.'
You are hungry.
You are out of food.
You say, 'Hail Denny's waiter'
Denny's waiter says 'Can I get you some more [coffee]?'
You say, 'No, I want to place my order'
You say, 'Can I place my order?'
You say, 'Let me place my order dammit!'
Denny's waiter says 'Ah, would you like to try our [Grand Slam Breakfast]?'
You say, 'I will have the grand slam breakfast'
Denny's waiter says 'How would you like your [eggs]?'
You say, 'scrambled'
You say, 'I would like them scrambled'
You say, 'what about eggs'
Denny's waiter says 'You can have [scrambled eggs] or [fried eggs].'
You say, 'I will have scrambled eggs'
Denny's waiter says 'Excellent, would you like anything to drink? Some [orange juice], perhaps?' You say, 'I will have orange juice'
You say, 'what about orange juice'
Denny's waiter says 'Our orange juice is fresh squeezed from concentrate.'
You say, 'give me orange juice' Denny's waiter says 'Okay, I'll be right back with your orange juice.'
You gain experience!
You are hungry.
You are out of food.
Gordon shouts, 'Attention, your bacon is now raw, because fully-cooked bacon lacks the inherent risks associated with our Vision of Bacon.'
Valshire says out of character, 'Wait a minute, this bacon hasn't been cooked for months'
Gordon shouts, 'Uhh... yes it has.'
Tunso says out of character 'You kidding? We've been complaining about this stuff being raw for ages'
Gordon shouts, 'Uh, whatever.'
Gordon shouts, 'Oh.'
Gordon shouts, 'uh.... I've just been informed that the bacon has been raw for several months now, but we were unable to determine this until we fixed a bug with the pancakes, which were previously large enough to obscure the bacon.'
Gordon shouts, '... Oh, yeah, we nerfed your pancakes too.'
Denny's waiter says 'Here is your breakfast, Tyranadin.'
You gain experience!
Your faction standing with Denny's Customers got worse
Scrambled eggs looks at you threateningly - what would you like your tombstone to say?
You taste your eggs.
You are chilled to the bone.
You shout, 'oh man my eggs are cold'
Tunso shouts, 'petition a manager then'
You petition, 'my scrambled eggs are cold'
Raynara shouts, 'Ack train to restroom!!!'
Aikbach says, 'Cailleach, I still can't believe you can eat this stuff'
Denny's waiter says 'Here is your breakfast, Cailleach.'
Cailleach begins to cast a spell.
Cailleach is protected from poison.
Cailleach says, 'I always come prepared'
You shout, 'Man, where's the manager'
Kyrani shouts, 'Haha u pteitond a managr u sux0r'
Napoca tells you, 'Greetings, Tyranadin, I am Napoca, the Denny's manager. How can I assist you?'
You tell Napoca, 'my scrambled eggs are cold'
Napoca tells you, 'I will be with you as soon as possible, please stay patient'
You sip your coffee.
A cool breeze slips through your mind.
Napoca says, 'Greetings, Tyranadin. Are your eggs still cold?'
You say, 'yes'
Napoca begins to cast a spell.
Scrambled eggs burst into flame.
Napoca says, 'Take care'
Elionia says, 'Ack, I don't feel so well'
Elionia begins to cast a spell.
Alka-Seltzer staggers.
Elionia staggers.
Elionia beams a smile at Alka-Seltzer.
Elionia says, 'Ahhh, I feel much better now...'
Denny's waiter says 'Here, let me clear that away for you.'
You say, 'Hey, wait, that's my food, I'm not done yet....'
You shout, 'Hey, this waiter took my food'
Erlen shouts, 'Yep, they do that sometimes if you let your food sit there'
You say, 'Hail Denny's waiter'
Denny's waiter says 'Hello there, Tyranadin, how can I help you?'
You say, 'Check please'
Denny's waiter says 'Okay, here you go.'
You gain experience!
You say, 'Hail Denny's cashier'
Denny's cashier says 'Hello there, would you like to pay your [check]?'
You say, 'Yes I want to pay my check'
You say, 'what about my check'
Denny's cashier says 'You must give me the check before I can reveal more to you.'
Denny's cashier says 'Ah, excellent! Would you like to know your [total]?'
You gain experience!
Your faction standing with Denny's Cashiers got better
You say, 'what is my total'
Denny's cashier says 'Your total is 6 gold, 7 silver, 9 copper. Will you be paying with a [MasterCard]?'
You say, 'yes I will use a mastercard'
Denny's cashier says 'Unfortunately your MasterCard is over-limit. Would you prefer to pay with [cash]?'
Your faction standing with MasterCard got worse
Your faction standing with Cheesy-Ass High-Interest-Rate Credit Card Companies got better You say, 'yes I will pay with cash'
Denny's cashier says 'Your total is 6 gold, 7 silver, 9 copper then.'
You gain experience!
You receive 2 silver. You receive 1 copper.
Denny's waiter says 'You have stiffed me on my tip for the last time!'
Denny's waiter crushes YOU for 217 points of damage!
Denny's waiter crushes YOU for 204 points of damage!
Denny's waiter hits YOU for 226 points of damage!
Denny's waiter tries to hit YOU, but misses!
Denny's waiter bashes YOU for 74 points of damage!
You are stunned.
Denny's waiter crushes YOU for 189 points of damage!
You are bleeding to death!
Denny's waiter crushes YOU for 221 points of damage!
You have been slain by Denny's waiter!
You are no longer stunned.
LOADING, PLEASE WAIT...
You have entered Verant.
You shout, 'Can I get a SOW? My corpse is all the way over in Denny's'
Kyrani shouts, 'Haha u sux0r'

Pending DEP losses

2007-06-11T16:06:00.000-05:00

I have been here in the 7th realm of hell (aka USAREC) since Jan 05. Some days are good, some are better, then there are some that blow me away.
I enlisted a girl on the 23rd of May. She was excited, I was excited, it was an exciting day. Chaplain's assistant, 2 years. Good job, short term contract, enough to get her feet wet and go on or whatever she wanted. SHE called ME to enlist. I have known her for about 8 months, her fiancee is one of my Future Soldiers.
Then today I get a letter faxed to me from MEPS. Dated the day before the FSP orientation. Quoted word for word from a website I prefer not to list. I just don't understand. I have been nothing but honest and straightforward with her and she goes and sends me a damn letter? She does not even have the courage, the respect, to call me and say "Hey, SGT, I really am having second thoughts here".

WTF OVER?

2007-06-11T15:31:00.000-05:00

OK so I am a little late starting this...I have been out here for 2.5 years. I have seen stuff out here that I never thought I would. I thought that leadership understood both parts of the NCO Creed...accomplishment of the mission and the welfare of my soldiers. USAREC fails to balance the 2.
Example:
A soldier's wife is pregnant. She has to have a C-section. They already have a 4 year old. The soldier requested 14 days of leave to take care of his wife (major surgery), newborn and the 4 year old. Guess what? DENIED. Make other arraignments. WTF? I say again...WTF?
How in the hell can they get away with that? The person telling the recruiter this? Yeah, he took emergency leave when his wife left him. He goes home on a regular basis because he has to take care of his kids. I don't get it. The mentality here is insane.