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Life is full of choices that can lead an individual down differing paths. Some paths lead to choices that can change your life forever and for Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Antonio Bassett, a recruiter at Navy Talent Acquisition Group Ohio River Valley (NTAG ORV), that choice came during an in-school suspension.
“I was sitting there pretending to do my work. I was always a smart kid, but I was one of those kids that got bored in class and got in trouble.” HM2 Bassett recalled. “A recruiter walked in that day, looked at us and said ‘none of y’all are worth my time, you can’t do well in class, you won’t do well in life.’ I looked at him and said I guarantee I’m smarter than you.”
This back-handed challenge led Bassett down a 14-year path to where he is today. After the Navy recruiter from his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio reviewed the scores, HM2 was indeed smart.
“I had an 83 ASVAB and was like see, I told you I was smarter than you. Little did I know I was talking myself into the Navy.” Bassett remembered smirking.
HM2 had been looking into colleges and knew he wanted to work in the medical field. When he found out the Navy could lead him down a road that many people don’t know about, he jumped on the opportunity to better himself.
“I couldn’t afford college and had a partial scholarship based on my ACT scores, so I needed a way to pay for school.” Bassett said.
Bassett recalled talking to his family about his choice to join the Navy and said that his mother was always behind him but the rest of his family didn’t support his decision, in the beginning.
“Once they saw my growth, me making a good living, and having a career right away, they came around, but it took time for them to get over their preconceived notions,” he said recalling the feelings of his family early in his career.
The preconceived notions of his family helped to motivate him. They gave him a drive to show others that not everything you hear from friends, family or media is always correct.
“My path has brought me recruiting because not having the support from my family and knowledge of the Navy made me want to bring what I learned to other people,” he said.
“I came to recruiting to help young men and women have a better viewpoint on what the Navy can do for them. I wanted to show them a different way, a better path to success rather than college which puts most of us in debt or small jobs or street life.”
For the past two and a half years this drive has filled HM2’s life allowing him to succeed on recruiting and giving him the feeling of giving back.
“I feel like I’m actually touching people and changing lives,” HM2 said with a smile. “I love seeing the smiles on parents and prospects faces when I sit in houses and they see a young black man who’s doing something, doing well in life, moving up and moving forward. Their sons and daughters are learning about all the great things I’ve been able to do and places I’ve been. I show them that there is another way they didn’t realize, show them what they could get from America’s Navy.”
| Date Taken: | 04.16.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2023 22:53 |
| Story ID: | 442689 |
| Location: | CINCINNATI, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 58 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, HM2 Antonio Bassett Featured as Recruiter in the Spotlight, by PO1 Theron Godbold, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
