Courtesy Photo | 181214-N-XX999-0001 NEW YORK (December 14, 2018) Aviation Boatswain's Mate 1st Class...... read more read more
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By Electrician’s Mate (Nuclear) 1st Class Adam Glover
In Tribeca, deep in the heart of Manhattan, Aviation Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Koffi Atanley calmly and clearly explains the requirements of the Navy’s Physical Readiness Test to a Future Sailor. “Like this,” he says as he drops to the deck, pumps out ten perfect pushups and hops back up, his Navy Service Uniform (NSU) still looking perfect.
His current career path is a far cry from where he was before the Navy. Born in Lome, the capital of Togo, he loved where he lived, but there was limited career opportunities and the economy was struggling. So after he graduated high school, his mother, Akouavi Koutodja, used the money she had saved to send him to New York to continue his education. However, he quickly became frustrated trying to maintain the balance of school and providing for his family.
“I was taking classes part time while trying to support my family. I was hustling everyday but couldn’t build the foundation to move forward with my life,” said Atanley.
This lead him to the Navy Recruiting Station in East Orange, New Jersey, where he joined the Navy as an Aviation Boatswain’s Mate. He chose the Navy because of all the technical jobs available and he saw a lot of opportunity for career development and wanted to build a strong foundation for the rest of his life.
Following training he was assigned to USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) performing launch and recovery of airplanes over the course of two deployments. He says the George H.W. Bush shaped him into the man he is today, and he’s thankful for everyone he met there who helped him succeed at his job.
Recognizing the positive changes that the Navy had brought him, he jumped at the chance to return to New York as a recruiter and help find the next generation of Sailors.
“The Navy helped me grow in every aspect of my life,” he said, “I had great mentors and leadership in the Navy, and it made me into the man I am today. Now, I get to be that to the young men and women in my community, by helping them reach their goals in the same way the Navy helped me reach mine.”
He quickly adapted to the recruiting lifestyle, traveling up and down Manhattan to meet with his applicants. “It’s hard to find the highest quality applicants,” he said with a laugh, “so I was constantly on the subway, and even ended up finding applicants on the One Line.” His persistence and enthusiasm paid off, and in the last year he succeeded in bringing 47 people into the Navy, including a personal high of seven in the month of September.
As he walks through the streets of New York’s Times Square, people stop him to thank him for his service, shake hands, and in some cases even take pictures with him. “This is normal,” he says sheepishly, “It kind of makes me feel like a movie star when people look and treat me like this.”
However, Atanley recognizes that being a recruiter is not just about bringing people into the Navy but also being an example to his local community. “Weekends, I’m serving meals at the homeless shelters nearby,” he says, “I always bring the Future Sailors with me. It’s important that my Future Sailors learn early on the importance of service”
As he moves forward with his recruiting career, Atanley says the best part isn’t the awards he earns, but it’s the effect he has on people in the community. He said, “sometimes it makes me feel like crying when my Future Sailors get out to the fleet and call back to me just to say – thank you.”
The Navy’s recruiting force totals over 6,100 personnel in more than 1,300 recruiting stations around the globe. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
NRC consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, 20 Navy Recruiting Districts and six Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 1,300 recruiting stations across the country.
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NavyRecruiting), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 12.14.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 12.14.2018 12:26 |
| Story ID: | 303651 |
| Location: | NEW YORK, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 141 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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