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188th Fighter Wing Recruiting Office earns national awards at ANG assembly

  • Published
  • By Capt. Heath Allen
  • 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs officer
FORT SMITH, Ark. --  The 188th Fighter Wing Recruiting Office brought home the hardware at the Air National Guard's annual Recruiting and Retention awards banquet held in Dallas, Feb. 23.

The 188th saw a jump in unit strength from 96.1 percent at the end of fiscal year 2008 to 103.2 percent at the conclusion of fiscal year 2009. Those numbers helped the 188th earn the Patriot Team Award for the ANG's top recruiting office nationally.

During the ceremony, Tech Sgt. Eric Martin of the 188th was named the Rookie Production Recruiter of the Year at the national level after taking home both accolades at the state and regional levels already.

Martin led the state of Arkansas, exceeding a recruiting goal of 27 by acquiring 65 new Airmen.

"It's a humbling experience to receive this kind of recognition for doing a job I love," Martin said. "I truly enjoy my job and providing opportunities for people in our community."

The 188th Fighter Wing was faced with myriad challenges following its transition from F-16 Fighting Falcons to A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthogs."

One of the 188th's most daunting obstacles was manpower. Once the Air Guard unit's manning document was established with the new aircraft, the 188th was forced to cope with personnel shortages in many key career fields, not an ideal predicament while transitioning to a new mission.

Martin helped fill those vacancies. Master Sgt. Craig Gardner, 188th Recruiting Office supervisor, said Martin was responsible for approximately 40 percent of the office's acquisitions for fiscal year 2009.

"It was an amazing feat for any recruiter," Gardner said. "But for a rookie recruiter to have that much success so early in his career is astounding. He works very hard and is very good at what he does. He earned this award. It's an incredible accomplishment."

The 188th's recruiters had already collected multiple honors at the Arkansas Air National Guard Recruiting and Retention State Conference held at Mount Harbor Resort in Mt. Ida, Ark., Oct. 29, 2009.

The 188th recruiting office also earned the state accolade and Region III Patriot Team Award for Outstanding Recruiting Office of the Year. Staff Sgt. Jean Jackson, Tech Sgt. Jeff Mathews, Gardner, Martin and Ms. Stephanie Parrish were each honored for their efforts during a commander's call March 6.

"Getting that amount of production from our recruiters came at a very opportune time for the 188th," said Col. Tom Anderson, 188th commander. "I'm proud of what they were able to accomplish in a very short time. They certainly earned their state and national recognition. They work very hard to recruit quality personnel and we're all very happy to see that dedication rewarded."

188th Fighter Wing Recruiting Office earns national awards at ANG assembly

  • Published
  • By Capt. Heath Allen
  • 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs officer
FORT SMITH, Ark. --  The 188th Fighter Wing Recruiting Office brought home the hardware at the Air National Guard's annual Recruiting and Retention awards banquet held in Dallas, Feb. 23.

The 188th saw a jump in unit strength from 96.1 percent at the end of fiscal year 2008 to 103.2 percent at the conclusion of fiscal year 2009. Those numbers helped the 188th earn the Patriot Team Award for the ANG's top recruiting office nationally.

During the ceremony, Tech Sgt. Eric Martin of the 188th was named the Rookie Production Recruiter of the Year at the national level after taking home both accolades at the state and regional levels already.

Martin led the state of Arkansas, exceeding a recruiting goal of 27 by acquiring 65 new Airmen.

"It's a humbling experience to receive this kind of recognition for doing a job I love," Martin said. "I truly enjoy my job and providing opportunities for people in our community."

The 188th Fighter Wing was faced with myriad challenges following its transition from F-16 Fighting Falcons to A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthogs."

One of the 188th's most daunting obstacles was manpower. Once the Air Guard unit's manning document was established with the new aircraft, the 188th was forced to cope with personnel shortages in many key career fields, not an ideal predicament while transitioning to a new mission.

Martin helped fill those vacancies. Master Sgt. Craig Gardner, 188th Recruiting Office supervisor, said Martin was responsible for approximately 40 percent of the office's acquisitions for fiscal year 2009.

"It was an amazing feat for any recruiter," Gardner said. "But for a rookie recruiter to have that much success so early in his career is astounding. He works very hard and is very good at what he does. He earned this award. It's an incredible accomplishment."

The 188th's recruiters had already collected multiple honors at the Arkansas Air National Guard Recruiting and Retention State Conference held at Mount Harbor Resort in Mt. Ida, Ark., Oct. 29, 2009.

The 188th recruiting office also earned the state accolade and Region III Patriot Team Award for Outstanding Recruiting Office of the Year. Staff Sgt. Jean Jackson, Tech Sgt. Jeff Mathews, Gardner, Martin and Ms. Stephanie Parrish were each honored for their efforts during a commander's call March 6.

"Getting that amount of production from our recruiters came at a very opportune time for the 188th," said Col. Tom Anderson, 188th commander. "I'm proud of what they were able to accomplish in a very short time. They certainly earned their state and national recognition. They work very hard to recruit quality personnel and we're all very happy to see that dedication rewarded."