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AmericanProtest.net > Arizona Appreciates Recruiters |
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Arizona Appreciates Recruitersby Wayne Boettcher Military life can be fun and exciting, especially if you travel to exotic locations. For my service term I was stationed near a beautiful resort town in Germany called Idar-Oberstein where the people were nice and the town picturesque. The countryside was beautiful and the job worthwhile: protecting Europe from the Soviet war machine by maintaining our MLRS battalion's readiness to fight with our brother German artillery unit. Those were the good old days. In current times the troops face much more hardships. Besides fighting terrorism in war zones and the myriad undertakings of humanitarian aid and other help our military provides, they must also face political machinations from Congress and the Senate. Liberal news media await every opportunity to denigrate the military while pretending to honor them. Protesters target military bases, hospitals and recruitment stations with vandalism, desecrated American flags and signs advocating surrender. Yet our troops endure. What does it take to be a Military Recruiter? First you have to be very good at your regular military job. Besides that, you must be smarter than average, able to maintain a sharp appearance, and have a very thick skin! The Recruiters of today include combat veterans who quietly tolerate the ignorant rantings of local newspapers and TV news media about the war while laying out facts for young men and women who, undaunted by propaganda, wish to serve their country. These troops receive little gratitude. After a tour of Recruitment duty they usually return to their regular Military Occupational Specialty to continue their service. But they deserve recognition. That's why Gathering of Eagles (GOE,) a troop support organization, decided to have a special day for them in tandem with Armed Forces Day. The target date was May 19th, 2007, although any nearby day would do. Volunteer members of GOE in each city would accomplish whatever they could to encourage and thank Military Recruiters. "Have you ever heard of "Recruiter Appreciation Day?" I asked in phone calls to the Recruiter Commanders of various services in Tucson. None of them had, of course. As Arizona Coordinator, I laughingly explained that the first one would be May 19th, 2007 and Gathering of Eagles would be having a picnic for them. The Recruiters were very happy to hear about that! After securing a local park Ramada local Tucson troop supporters went about gathering donations. Some local churches, other troop support organizations and patriotic people donated almost $300. Although the troop supporter volunteers spent more than that, the donations of food, funds and door prizes helped make this a stellar event. Some of the businesses donating to the picnic were Tucson Quads, Mama Louisa's Italian Restaurant, Desert Surplus, Radio Host Charles Heller, a Checker Auto Parts store and Dan Starr, a local piano genius who has written several books on the subject. Mr. Starr played fantastic music for the picnic and provided the PA system but refused payment, stating it was an honor to serve the troops who protect our nation and freedom. Non-profit groups such as Marine Moms and local churches also donated funds and food. Saturday morning the Tucson troop supporters met and made final plans. While I am the only Gathering of Eagles member, the other troop supporters are always willing to help with a GOA event. We split up and purchased much food and charcoal. However, we overestimated how many would come. It was no problem, though. We just gave away the extra food to the Recruiters. Whatever was left after that was given to Gospel Rescue Mission. About 15 volunteers showed up and approximately 70 Recruiters and family members. We were all ready for the food right away but I was a little late firing up the grill because I was posting signs at the park entrance so people wouldn't get lost. I used extra lighter fluid to get the charcoal going, though. GOE volunteers soon grilled bratwurst, hamburgers, and hot dogs to perfection. Pastor Gene Chewning, a Vietnam Veteran who was also a missionary but now pastors a local church, led us in a moving prayer and we began to eat. Many people had brought dishes, salads, and casseroles. After we ate I seized the microphone and gave out door prizes with a quiz format while everyone mingled and had a great time. We also had games like tug of war although we never did get the softball game going. After the tug of war I decided the new slogan "Army Strong" is very appropriate! Desert Surplus lent us a camouflage net for extra shade and added their troop support poster to our many flags. A local church lent coolers, water dispensers, tables and chairs. My lovely and clever wife Judy set up a play area on the grass for kids with toys and water balloons that was very popular. (Toys were given away to children as well.) Many of the troops vowed to tell their Recruiter friends who missed out this time to be sure and come to next year's event. One improvement I will be sure to incorporate next time is better scheduling of picnic events. But it was a great time for the troops regardless. All the volunteers worked as a team to provide food and serve the troops. As I told one young combat veteran US Army Recruiter, most Americans understand that these are some of the toughest times for our military and appreciate what they are doing. He explained that he just re-enlisted himself and hoped to be transferred to Iraq. He believes in the mission of freedom for Iraq and Afghanistan. Gathering of Eagles events in other parts of Arizona also supported Recruiters. In Glendale, a GOE lady visited a Recruitment Center with care packages, doughnuts and coffee. In Sierra Vista, a GOE man brought pizza gift cards in to Recruiters on Monday morning so they could share pizzas among all four services’ stations there. Across the country, other GOE volunteers held parties for the troops in restaurants, distributed gifts and/or food, and let Recruiters know they are appreciated with signs, flags and banners. This was a great first time project, but next year will be even better. Gathering of Eagles won't wait till then, but will soon have another event. God bless our Armed Forces and keep them safe from harm, but let us not sway from Victory as we stand up for our troops, their mission, and America! Wayne Boettcher is the head of AmericanProtest.net Related Links: |
