Sharing Your Army Story: What You Can Do to Help Recruiting
Recently, headlines have highlighted the massive shortfalls in military recruiting throughout the armed services. The Army contends the lower numbers stem from the lingering economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to the ever-increasing health and academic disqualifiers that leave only 23% of 17-23-year-olds medically able to serve. In a recently published memo entitled “A Call to Serve,” both the Secretary of the Army, Christine Wormuth, and the Chief of Staff of the Army, General James C. McConville, identified the Army’s strategy to compete for qualified recruits during the current crisis. Historically, the All Volunteer Force has not seen this type of issue since its initiation in the post-Vietnam War era. When reviewing the memo, I keyed in on one point, the stated portion that described what most other soldiers and I can do to help ameliorate this issue; addressing the Knowledge Gap. The “Knowledge Gap” defined by the memo is that “The Army’s story is not reaching enough Americans, most of whom have limited exposure to currently serving Soldiers or veterans.”
What do you say you do in the Army again?
There are many reasons this “Knowledge Gap” exists. It is identified by numerous general officers, politicians, analysts, and pundits. Simply put, there aren’t as many active duty and veteran service members dispersed among the population as there once were. Those of us serving have often heard the familiar line, “you are the less than 1%” who serve our country.” There is something to be made of this; the smaller the overall size of the military, the less likely you are to encounter a veteran or an active duty servicemember, let alone a veteran in an elected position or in local education. To counter this gap, it is pertinent that, as leaders, we share our personal Army stories with those who have questions and are willing to listen. Further, leaders must empower their subordinates to do the same.
As leaders, we must do our part in telling the Army story to our friends, family, and those who are generally curious about what it is we do. I admit that often, I find myself unable or unwilling to convey ideas about the military profession to civilian friends or precisely explain what it is I do as an Army officer. Unfortunately, at times, I find myself speaking in the code of acronyms, or when the question is posed, “what do you do,” I respond “tanks,” and that is about as far as the conversation goes. My reason for saying “tanks” comes from my experiences in discussions from the grocery store to the airport. “What do you do?” I’m an armor officer. “Oh, you manage the armory?” I’m in a Cavalry unit. “So you ride on horses?” These are just some examples of engagements I have experienced as I try to explain what I do in the Army. Unfortunately, though, I have shortened the answer to something that doesn’t convey what I do nor what I have done in the Army. This isn’t necessarily entirely my aim, but it gives a very quick picture of my Army experience without having to delve too deeply into the actual nuance. This personal shortcoming may have broadly answered the question, and an image of an Abrams tank may have popped into the mind of the person on the receiving end, but its shortness doesn’t explain what I do or what the Army does in a broader context. This failure is something I have identified and am working on for those willing to listen to what it is I do and how being a soldier has impacted my life. With this, I propose that as soldiers, we shed a little of the silent professional mentality and be willing to share our Army story with our communities, giving them a better insight into what their Army does and what we have to offer America’s sons and daughters.
We go to work and come back home without being able to build relationships with our neighbors outside the gates.
In the challenging recruiting environment, uniformed personnel and veterans must engage, reach out, and be involved in their local communities as much as possible. In the active Army, we often slip into a closed environment just by the nature of living on a post or primarily spending most of our time interacting with other soldiers. We go to work and come back home without being able to build relationships with our neighbors outside the gates. I don’t want to infer that living on post or using the many amenities of a military installation are bad; they are great. At times though, it isolates us from those who seek to know more about the life of a soldier. I currently live off the post to have exposure to the community where I serve and live. While this is not feasible for all service members, it is a conscious decision made with my family to allow us exposure and assimilation into our current duty station. Through this, I have met a host of diverse neighbors and veterans and shared conversations about who we are, what we value, and what we do. Through these recent experiences, I find that I have become more comfortable with sharing my Army story and letting down my guard of only discussing military matters with military people. Through these conversations, I hope to give some insight to the American people on who “we” are and what the Army does. Hopefully this will offer a deeper look than YouTube or social media’s recruiting paradigms.
When I think of what the soldier serving can do to address recruiting, I can think of nothing better than sharing your personal Army Story with those who will listen. My personal Army story begins with someone else’s. As a freshman in college with little direction of what I wanted to do, I had multiple conversations with my uncle about his Army experience, the good, the bad, and the lifelong bonds established through a shared purpose. If not for this experience, I may have never conducted an ROTC interview or served in any capacity. I wouldn’t have been able to travel the country, live in four different states, and I certainly would not have had the honor of leading soldiers at home and abroad. In the current job market and a Post-Global War on Terrorism Army, it is more important than ever that we share what the Army can offer young Americans by revealing our own experiences and stories. I believe we are charged with being candid and open when discussing our experiences in soldiering, the good and bad, to potential recruits and making ourselves available to the young Americans who are interested in serving their country or have never thought about it at all.
Be proud and tell your story.
I would like to encourage all to read the Chief of Staff’s message to the force regarding recruiting and take time to understand the incentives offered to recruits. Secondly, although you may not be serving in a recruiting assignment, you are the face of the U.S. Army in your local community. You remain the greatest link between potential recruits and the Army, whether at an active-duty installation or part of the reserve components. Be proud and tell your story.
About the Author:
Bret Wilbanks is an active duty Armor officer attending the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
* The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not represent those of the Army, the Department of Defense, or any part of the U.S. government.