Photo By Staff Sgt. Robert Adams | Sgt. Steven Wiseman of Marion, Illinois with the Recruiting and Retention Battalion...... read more read more
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SPRINGFIELD, Illinois – The Illinois Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion is reaching beyond lunchroom displays and promotional items, and becoming part of the educational process in Illinois high schools and colleges.
“It is a mutual benefit between the learning institution and Illinois National Guard recruiting,” said Sgt. Maj. Chad McDannald of Franklin Illinois, the battalion’s operations sergeant major. “We have specific presentations that teach students about leadership, how to plan and obtain goals, financial planning classes and how the Guard can benefit them in all those areas.”
They also will bring in military equipment and teach the students about the equipment, allowing them to put hands on some equipment they may have only seen in photos or on film before.
Sgt. Steven Wiseman of Marion, Illinois, took an up-armored Humvee to Elverado High School in Elkville, Illinois, on April 14 to teach a class on the vehicle.
“The feedback we have had from these kinds of classes has been very positive,” said Wiseman. “Along with the positive feedback from the students, I have also been able to set up appointments with four students to come into my office and talk to me about joining the Army National Guard.”
Wiseman said this is the third time he has brought Army equipment to a high school.
“Every time has been a good experience and has been a great community outreach,” he said. “This has such a positive effect on recruiting because it’s in person and tangible for the students.”
Neil Hargis, the principal of Elverado High School, said it helps the students’ education because it helps expand their horizons. Whether or not they are interested in military service, getting the equipment and Soldier in front of the students helps them visualize.
“When they see something like the Humvee in person they can think to themselves, is that something I can envision myself working on,” said Hargis. “Maybe even is that something I can envision myself driving or using in some kind of military action.”
Having the equipment and Soldier there in-person brings military service closer to home for the students, Hargis said.
Auna McClure, an Elverado High School student, said she had never experienced something like this before. “It was a really good learning experience,” said McClure. “It was cool to learn how difficult it is to get in and out of a Humvee.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges to people and organizations all around the world and Illinois Army National Guard recruiters are no exception. While the battalion has done well despite COVID-19, “For us to continue to be the powerhouse the recruiting and retention battalion has been over the past two decades, we really need to get into the schools,” McDannald said.
Recruiters find that going beyond the sales pitch and being value-added to the educational curriculum helps them recruit and does the community a service - a win-win for the recruiter and the school.
“Getting out in front of the students, especially during COVID-19 times is crucial and we have to continue to be creative to make that happen,” Wiseman said.
For McClure, it was an opportunity to learn a little bit more about an organization she already holds in high regard. “It’s very honorable for people to serve in the military,” said McClure. “They fight for the country and it’s something to respect.”
| Date Taken: | 04.14.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.21.2021 12:25 |
| Story ID: | 394350 |
| Location: | MURPHYSBORO, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 180 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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