Feeling much better now.

You know, as I was posting the last, I realized that I was feeling a bit, well, bitchy. Then I realized the last time I ate was lunch yesterday, and that low blood sugar is not a good thing for my mood. So, I skedaddled on down to the mess hall (I refuse to call it a dfac- I grew up with mess hall and mess hall it shall remain) and got me some grub. Roast cornish hen, spinach, mashed taters and cottage cheese. Yum, yum. I do feel much better now.

Being able to skedaddle on down to the mess hall is a novelty to me. I'd been out in Recruiting Land for 14 years, far far away from military bases, and it's comforting to be back on post. I didn't realize how much I'd missed it. For $3.65 you can get yourself a pretty darn good meal that's good for you, too. Beats the heck out of the BK right across the street, that's for sure.

All righty, then. If my last post seemed a bit pessimistic, that's because I've had a couple conversations lately that kind of got my hairs stood up. See, recruiting ain't easy. Yep- a recruiting lifer is saying it out loud. RECRUITING AIN'T EASY. That old story about making mission and going fishin', that's BS. Once you make mission, then you really go to work. Cuz now you have a whole squad of Johnnies that need babysat. They'll call you at 2am to tell you their gf broke up with them. They'll call you at 4am to tell you they got back together. Their parents will call you and complain that Johnny moved out and won't come home and they are worried (Johnny is around 30 yrs old.) If he's in high school, the school will call you and tell you Johnny skipped class. Johnny's gf will call you and tell you she's pregnant but it ain't his and can she still get military benefits for the baby. And this is after you spend hours, days, weeks, months chasing his sorry butt around to get him to commit to join the Army, get him processed, and all that. Then Johnny ships (usually) and he quits calling you for a bit but now parents and gf and his late Aunt Marie call even more because he hasn't bothered to send them a letter in the last 24.

So when people start talking about my Recruiters, I get a bit upset. Because I know that the vast majority of Recruiters are doing the hard right thing, all the time. However, comma, there are a few who just defy all reason by doing the easy wrong thing at any one time. And although MOST Recruiters do right, it's the ones who do wrong that get all the attention.

Let me tell you a story about when I first inprocessed here at the Puzzle Palace for my current assignment.

As part of the inprocessing, I got to talk to a senior officer. That officer said, (and I paraphrase here) "So, recruiting's going great for you, huh? You didn't ask for the position, you were nominated, so you must be a high roller- making mission and going fishing, right? Four day work week?" To which I replied, "Um, no. I did ok, but I never in the last 14 years had a four day work week. Once you make mission, then you really go to work." And that senior officer seemed a bit confused, and talked about an area just visited where everyone was on four day weeks and making mission and life is grand for them. I let it go, for the sake of keeping the conversation short.

Later, the same day, I get to sit in on a briefing on a major investigation going in an area very near the one we'd been talking about. Kids, these recruiters (I use a small "r" here because they don't deserve the big one) were doing things I'd never have dreamed up in a million zillion years. And then I got to thinking- "No wonder they're on four day work weeks." Kids, I am here to tell you that Recruiters are being held to a standard that is in some cases upheld by less than honorable activity. And that makes me angry. I know dozens of honest, honorable Recruiters who will never be top Recruiter. They do their jobs, and do them to the very best of their ability, sometimes to the detriment of their families and their health. But they will never be "Top anything". They make mission every now and then, and they roll a donut every now and then (hopefully they make mission more than they roll donuts!) But they never, ever put their careers, their livelihoods, their families in jeopardy by doing the wrong thing. I do know of at least a couple recruiters (there's that small "r" again) who have been "Top whatever" lots of times. I've investigated them. And what I found was unappetizing at best, downright disgusting at worst. To find out some of what we've seen, go to the command homepage, click on the SJA and read the newsletter.

So, when bad stuff happens, the doer of the bad stuff gets to go somewhere else, and they replace him with a newbie. And that newbie now has not only the regular difficulties that go with the job, he also has to contend with the people there in the community who knew the old guy and now have expectations of the new guy. This can be tough to overcome. You can't have a weak moment, kids. Stay strong.

For those of you who are doing the right thing, keep it up. Good things happen when you do good things. Don't look for awards as a measure of success. Look at those letters from basic training, at the new kids on HRAP, and the pride in their families' faces. That's your reward. You took a snot-nosed Johnny and turned him into a Soldier. There is nothing better than that.

For those of you what are not doing the right thing: We are watching. You are neither invisible nor invincible.

'Nuff said.