Air Force, Army look to recruit

Air Force Maj. Les Hayden handed another hot dog across the table in front of Bessey Hall.

When the day was done, he and his Air Force ROTC cadets had distributed more than 200 free franks to passersby, along with candy and prepaid calling cards as part of a massive recruiting drive Wednesday.

Hayden, who serves as education officer for the Air Force ROTC, said new recruits are always needed.

“The military numbers tend to fluctuate with the economy,” he said. “When the economy is up, recruiting’s down.”

The Air Force ROTC offers many incentives to its enrollees, Hayden said.

“You’re given responsibilities, which are typically above and beyond what the average person walks out of college with,” he said. “We might hand somebody a million-dollar fighter or a billion-dollar bomber to fly.”

But the force isn’t for everyone, he said.

“If you don’t like moving a lot (and) don’t like traveling, don’t join the military,” he said. “We’re going to do that.”

Cadet 1st Lt. Ian Walker agreed.

Walker, a political science and pre-law senior, said he’s known since ninth grade he wanted to be in the military, but not everyone is like him.

“Some people serve their country by working regular nine-to-five jobs and making sure our economy’s strong,” he said. “Some people go into the military to make sure our country is a safe place to live.”

Walker, who will be joining the security forces at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio after graduation, said he has been very happy with his decision to join the Air Force.

“I’ve met some of the best people I know,” he said.

But the Air Force isn’t the only military organization on campus looking for new faces.

Lt. Col. Jim Rhoads, scholarship and enrollment officer for the Army ROTC, said bringing in new people is an ongoing task.

“I recruit some every day,” he said. “We always need people.”

Rhoads said he’s got several recruitment campaigns underway, including mobile billboards, newspaper advertisements and informational displays throughout campus.

Interdisciplinary studies in sociology sophomore Jared Nisch was walking down Farm Lane with friends when they noticed the Air Force ROTC tent.

“We just wanted to see what you had to do to get into the ROTC,” he said. “From what they said, it’s pretty cool.”

But Nisch hasn’t signed his name yet.

“I want to get some more literature and read up on it a little bit,” he said.

For more information on the Air Force ROTC, contact Capt. Jeff Mailley at 355-2168. Information on the Army is available through Lt. Col. Jim Rhoads at 355-1913 ext. 23.