An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Feb. 24, 2010

ANG recruiters, retainers celebrate the best of times

By Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith National Guard Bureau

DALLAS - The Air National Guard's top recruiters were celebrated for their accomplishments here last night after what many described as a tough, but landmark recruiting year in 2009.

The formal awards banquet was held on the first day of the Air Guard's annual Recruiting and Retention Training Workshop this week. The winners were:

Recruiting and Retention Superintendent of the Year Senior Master Sgt. Connie M. Bacik, Headquarters, Wisconsin

Recruiting Office Supervisor of the Year Master Sgt. Loren M. Bell, 146th Airlift Wing, California

Production Recruiter of the Year Tech. Sgt. Jeremee H. Tate, 146th Airlift Wing, California

Recruiting/Retention Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Master Sgt. Gary D. Dowling, 103rd Air Communications Squadron, Connecticut

Rookie Recruiter of the Year Tech. Sgt. Eric D. Martin, 188th Fighter Wing, Arkansas

Retention Office Manager of the Year Master Sgt. Roselina B. Weldon, 154th Wing, Hawaii

Rookie Retention Office Manager of the Year Tech. Sgt. Paul F. Havran, 132nd Fighter Wing, Iowa

Unit Career Advisor of the Year Master Sgt. Terri L. Rogers, 142nd Fighter Wing, Oregon

"I cannot thank you all enough for the tremendous work that you do each and every day," said Col. Mary Salcido, director of Air Guard Recruiting and Retention. "I feel a great passion for the outstanding people in recruiting and retention."

They are celebrating, because the Air Guard's recruiters and retainers are on a two-year win streak with back-to-back fiscal year end-strength goals exceeded. It's a dramatic turnaround from years of missed goals.

In January, the Air Guard reported its monthly accession goal of 470 Airmen was exceeded with a total of 563 Airmen, or 120 percent. In December, it was 154 percent.

The numbers are proof of their success, but challenges remain in officer recruiting and in filling technical vacancies and the health professions.

But Salcido told the crowd that she is extremely confident that they would excel.

"We set our goal this year . battlefield weather was our hard-to-fill, and we filled them, just like that," said Tech. Sgt. Jeremee H. Tate, the recruiter of the year, who brought in 101 people in 2009, which is nearly double the yearly work of one recruiter.

"I recruited 70 people the year before, and then I stepped it up," he said, smiling.

Tate admitted that the economy may have played a part in some of the success, because he did see bigger crowds at the job fairs. "But I would like to say that it's also the hard work that we did," he said.

In the last year, Tate's wing went from 89 percent manned to 106 percent manned.

But it's not just about numbers and percentages and goals. It's about people. Tate said his job is not complete until he follows each new individual through their initial training.

"We're the first people they see when they get back [from training], and I get to see that transition from civilian to Airman, and that's cool," he said. "Then, I actually see them working, supporting and functioning in the unit, and that's cool too."

Senior Master Sgt. Connie M. Bacik of the Wisconsin Air National Guard agrees. She spent most of her military career as a recruiter - her first recruiting position was in 1994.

"I love being able to help people achieve their goals," she said just before the award ceremony.

"I've brought people in as cooks and seen them become pilots . I didn't just put somebody in, I got them in the right place and helped them get to their future . my feeling is that we recruit somebody for 20 years, not their first term."

In fact, three of the Air Guard recruiters in her state were recruited by her.

Bacik climbed her way up the recruiting and retention ladder to the state's top recruiting position. As a superintendent, she advises and supports two Air Guard flying wings and a geographically separated unit and coordinates and communicates with the National Guard Bureau.

She credited the success to her team and to her skills as a motivator.

Filling critical vacancies was a big motivator last year, and officials said Bacik focused her team to fill them. The Wisconsin Air Guard also suddenly found itself in need of 100 maintenance Airmen for a new mission.

Her recruiting team met those challenges, she said. Recruiters from outside the unit helped fill those maintenance positions. Then a recruiting competition among them brought in 61 new Guardmembers between July and September with 51 of them filling their critically needed vacancies.

"My team is fantastic . I have a great team," she said.

Now, with vacancies and technical schools filling up and even some of the critical vacancies filling, Bacik said a growing concern is that she can only put people where there are actual positions.

Another concern is the wait times for technical schools. Some new recruits tire of waiting for a school and cross over to the other services.

"It's really against my grain to turn away qualified people," Bacik said. "But we have been there before, and we will get through it."

 

 

Related Articles
Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, adjutant general of Louisiana, discusses briefing details with Col. Augusto Villalaz, director of the Joint Staff for the Louisiana National Guard, during the annual Hurricane Rehearsal of Concept (ROC) Drill at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, May 21, 2025. The drill helps synchronize plans and strengthen coordination across LANG’s senior leadership ahead of hurricane season.
Louisiana Guard Rehearses Emergency Plans for Hurricane Season
By Capt. Peter Drasutis, | May 28, 2025
NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana National Guard conducted its annual Hurricane Rehearsal of Concept (ROC) Drill at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Baton Rouge May 21, uniting key personnel across multiple commands to refine...

U.S. Soldiers assigned to 3rd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery Regiment, New Hampshire Army National Guard, sling load a reduced range practice rocket to a Moroccan CH-47 Chinook during a multinational sling load operation at African Lion 2025 (AL25), May 17, 2025, in TanTan, Morocco. AL25, the largest annual military exercise in Africa, brings together over 50 nations, including seven NATO allies and 10,000 troops to conduct realistic, dynamic and collaborative training in an austere environment that intersects multiple geographic and functional combatant commands. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF,) on behalf of the U.S. Africa Command, AL25 takes place from April 14 to May 23, 2025, across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia This large-scale exercise will enhance our ability to work together in complex, multi-domain operations - preparing forces to deploy, fight, and win.
New Hampshire Guard Teams with Morocco for Sling Load Training at African Lion 2025
By Sgt. 1st Class Jessica Forester, | May 28, 2025
TAN TAN, Morocco – Soldiers assigned to the 744th Forward Support Company (744TH FSC), 3rd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery Regiment, New Hampshire Army National Guard partnered with the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR), for...

From left, Sgt. Edward Acda, Lt. Col. Vern Perez, Sgt. 1st Class Celine Taitano, Capt. Ryan Arellano, Staff Sgt. Jovencio Mortera, and Sgt. Avery Tyquiengco of the Guam National Guard participate in Balikatan Cyber Defense Exercise, Manila, April 27, 2025. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the U.S. and Philippine armed forces designed to strengthen the alliance, showcase the capable combined force, and demonstrate the commitment to regional security and stability. (Courtesy asset)
Guam Guard Participates in Balikatan 2025 Cyber Defense Exercise
By Mark Scott, | May 28, 2025
MANILA, Philippines – A team of cyber professionals and an intelligence analyst from the Guam National Guard attended Balikatan 2025, participating in the three-week Cyber Defense Exercise alongside teams from various...