Uncle Sam Wants You
The moment I step into the Armed Service Recruiting station in Plymouth MA I’m assaulted by propaganda. “Army Strong”, “Born Ready”, “The Few, The Proud”, and many other posters adorn the vestibule as you enter. There aren’t any pictures of the cooks holding crossed spoons in front of the stars and stripes. I see posters depicting the United States’ tip of the spear: Seals, Recon, Airborne, Pararescue. These posters (even after I already served in the military) conjure up a real sense of duty, honor, and glory. You can’t look at a picture of a Navy Seal in blacked-out scuba gear and not think: “That’s me, where do I sign?”.
The office is set up as a long hallway with offices on the left and right. The Army has the largest office running along the left side of the wall. To the right, the Air Force and Navy have equal sized offices. Tucked into the back in two tiny offices are the Marines. The majority of the offices have glass panes on the outside so you can see inside. As you enter the hallway you can see the recruiters heads from all offices immediately turn and look at you appraisingly. Its sort of like being a gazelle on the plains of Africa, having predators staring at you. As you walk down the hallway you are being judged. “Is this a Navy sort of kid? Nope, he still walking. Maybe he’s interested in the chair force? Nope. Don’t tell me he’s a jarhead.”
As a younger man (a kid really) still in high school I used to love walking down this hallway and defiantly walking right past the other branches offices until I reached the hatchway to the Marines office. I know the other Marine hopefuls loved it as well. We almost felt honor bound to stare them down as we walked past. As if there was something fundamentally wrong with anyone who didn’t join the Marine Corps. There’s a lot of good natured ribbing between the services. It was common for the poolee’s (recruit hopefuls not yet 18) to have physical competitions, like a pullup challenge in the office. The comradery gained amongst service members often times starts right here in an office like this. Its also where the inter-branch rivalries begin.
When I step into the Marines office I quickly notice that almost no space is left on the wall that hasn’t been USMC’d to oblivion. There are plastic M16 replicas on the wall, inspirational quotes from generals, and everywhere the Marine Corps colors of red, green, and gold. It is difficult to spend time in this office for even a moment and not become taken away with thoughts of glory and leadership(by design of course). One wall is reserved for pictures of former recruits that have gone on to become Marines. Its almost like a mugshot wall of fame.
There are 4 recruiters in the Marine office. Two fulltime recruiters, and two Marines on recruiters assistance. Recruiters assistance is reserved for Marines just getting back from boot camp. It’s when you’re the most physically fit, most squared away, and most likely to encourage your friends to join. All the Marines in the office wear Dress Blue deltas. This is the signature blue trousers with red stripes with a beige shirt. Upon the shirt are chevrons on the sleeves denoting rank, and ribbons on the breast. All the recruiters have neat high and tight haircuts and the freshest shave possible. They are the embodiment of what Marines are supposed to look like, and play their part well.
The days are fairly monotonous. As soon as they arrive in the morning, they begin making and receiving phone calls. Anytime a recruiter answers a phone they don’t say “hello”, they practically bark “MARINES” as a greeting. The phone calls they place are to individuals that have requested information, or they just make cold calls and see what they catch. The Marines are tough to recruit for. It’s the longest boot camp training, the worst living conditions, the worst assignments. Recruiters don’t talk about that though.
There’s a very specific process they follow for a potential recruit who walks through the door. It’s called the benefit tags. They are eleven little placards with phrases on them, all positive things. For example: Travel and adventure, Financial Security, Education, and pride of belonging to name a few. The recruiter lays out these tags and asks the young man/woman “ which of these do you want to gain?”. Typically they ask you to pick 3 tags, and then based on what you pick they will explain how the Marine Corps can provide that. If you select Travel and Adventure for instance the recruiter might say “Look no further, the Marine Corps will send you to beautiful and exotic locations around the globe”. They might not mention that beautiful and exotic could mean somewhere like Baghdad or Somalia. Everything is spun in the most positive light possible.
Its on full display when seventeen year old Jeremy walks through the door. As per usual the potential recruit is timid and the conversation is mostly driven and steered by the recruiter. Its almost like watching a very formal and polished used car salesman. Every objection is addressed and countered, as if the Marine Corps can solve all your problems. Jeremey says “ I want to join but I don’t want to miss out on a college degree”. “No problem” says the Recruiter. “ The Marine Corps provides tuition assistance to active duty members and the GI Bill after your discharge”.
Again, what isn’t mentioned is that although they do offer the tuition assistance, you need command approval which is rarely granted in combat or mission critical jobs. Its funny because they even have posters in the office that say “We don’t promise you a rose garden”. And that’s true, they don’t. But they do try to portray it as this pinnacle of a fighting force with all kinds of tangible benefits and no drawbacks.
Before I had ever walked into a recruiting station I knew I wanted to enlist in the Marine Corps. When I walked out after the first time, it was like I was the Blues Brothers on a mission from god. They are amazing at not only convincing you to make this life altering decision, but also garnering strong fervor about signing up. You become almost dogmatic in your mission to become a Marine. I plastered bumper stickers all over my car. I carried my keys on a Marine Corps lanyard. I studied for the ASVAB( the Military’s SAT test). The recruiters job isn’t so much to outright lie to people, but rather to spin in the most positive light their brand. They are some of the best sales people in the country. Not many people can convince you to potentially sign your own death warrant. But like all Marines, they know their craft well and always adapt and overcome.