Charlotte Recruiters and Gastonia Grizzlies Team Up

The Charlotte Recruiting Company recently teamed up with the Gastonia Grizzlies Baseball Team in Gastonia, N.C. to host US Army Camouflage Night at a Grizzlies game on Saturday, July 16. The event was held to honor and remember Gastonia local Lance Corporal Nic O'Brien, and all Military members alike.

Thanks to photojournalist Tammy Cantrell and the Gastonia Grizzlies for the video.

Members of the Columbia Recruiting Battalion Staff Give Back

By: Kimberly Elchlepp

Columbia Recruiting Battalion

            Every Tuesday night Columbia Recruiting Battalion Staff members, Gail Pray and Derrick Newell, volunteer at the USO center located in Columbia Metropolitan airport.

            The USO’s mission is to lift the spirits of America’s Troops and their families.  Volunteers man the center which provides snacks, Internet access, phones services, television and gaming consoles for  Soldiers and their families who travel through the airport.  Everything is provided free of charge and the center is open 13 hours a day, seven days a week to include holidays.  The USO is 100% a non-profit organization, and while it is recognized by Congress and the Department of Defense, which receives no government funding for supplies or its operations.

            “Without our volunteers and donors we would not exist,” said Joanie Thresher, director of Columbia’s USO center. “Everything you see from the snacks to the structure itself is donated and we couldn’t operate without the amazing mix of volunteers that offer their time to give something back to the men and women who risk their lives for us.”

            Pray and Newell are not only members of the Columbia Recruiting Battalion staff but are also retired members of the United States Army.  Their prior service to our country is what makes volunteering with this particular organization so important.

            “You have to give back, you can’t always take in life,” said Newell.  Pray added, “I like being able to interact with the soldiers especially the new soldiers coming through on their way to basic training.  We’ve been there so we know what it is like. It’s nice to be able to talk with them and hear their stories.”

            Over 6,000 soldiers travel through the USO every month and without volunteers like Gail Pray and Derrick Newell pitching in to help, the organization could not complete its mission. 

            There are currently 116 active volunteers at the Columbia USO Center and over 100 hundred people on a waiting list. There are three three-hour shifts and one four-hour shift every day. For information on how you can volunteer or contribute to your local USO center visit www.uso.org.

Columbia Recruiting Station will help honor Military at 2011 Colonial Cup

Chloe Rodgers, Columbia Recruiting Battalion

Members of the Military and their families will be honored at the 42^nd Annual Colonial Cup International Steeplechase Race Day on November 19 in Camden, SC.

Patriotic parachuting at last year's Colonial Cup

The annual Colonial Cup, sponsored by TD Bank, will feature a special pre-race show with a Soldier swear-in, patriotic song medley, Color Guard presentation, Military equipment display, and more.

The Columbia Recruiting Station will be involved with the event, participating in the Soldier swear-in and sponsoring a recruiting booth at the race.

 Race-goers enjoy a Flag Mural at 2010 Colonial Cup

            
           The Springdale Race Course, host of the Colonial Cup, is offering complimentary tickets to Military members and their families for the race on a first-come first-serve basis beginning on September 6, 2011.

            For more information about the 42^nd Annual Colonial Cup and getting your free Military tickets, see the flyer below and visit http://midlandsbiz.com/news/around-columbia/1521/.

Columbia Recruiting Station hosts Future Soldier Orientation

By Chloe Rodgers and Yalonda Wright, Columbia Recruiting Battalion

More than twenty young men and women from the Columbia area visited Fort Jackson Thursday for a mock Basic Training exercise.

US Army Recruiters from the Dentsville Recruiting Station in Columbia chaperoned the Future Soldiers in an effort to orientate them to and dispel some to the myths about Basic Training. 

Future Soldier Manager, Sgt. Kyle Busby explained the importance of this particular Future Soldier orientation: “The purpose of this event was for the Future Soldiers to face their fears and adversities about Basic Training.”

Future Soldiers answer a question asked by Retired First

Sgt. Dwight Blue during the Army benefits presentation

at the beginning of Future Soldier Orientation

“Two weeks ago, I had the Future Soldiers fill out a survey about Basic Training - what their biggest fears were and what they were most excited about,” Busby said.  “The biggest fears across the board were the gas chamber, Victory Tower, and the Confidence Obstacle Course.”

The orientation began with a briefing about Army benefits such as the GI Bill, which provides educational benefits to veterans and their family members; Service members Opportunity Colleges Army Degrees (SOCAD) Agreement, which governs a network of institutions selected by the military Services to deliver specific associate and bachelor’s degree programs to service members and their families; as well as other financial and health benefits.  

Future Soldiers watch a Soldier do the rope obstacle at the
Confidence Obstacle Course

At the Confidence Obstacle Course, they experienced some of the challenges they would have to complete in an actual Basic Training environment.

“Orientation is going great because it’s so hands-on,” said Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Simpson, a Recruiter at the Dentsville Recruiting Station. “A lot of the (Future) Soldiers thought we were exaggerating about Basic Training, especially with the obstacle course.  They are getting to see that we weren’t exaggerating; this is what will be expected of them. They see that they have to work together to make it in Basic Training.”

Future Soldiers line up and prepare to enter the gas chamber,
an exercise they will do during Basic Training

Another portion of the orientation focused on the importance of chemical warfare. The team got to experience the gas chamber firsthand, where they learned the usage of the gas mask, while getting a lesson in confidence building and trusting your equipment in an emergency situation.

Also included in training was a visit to a replicated Forward Operating Base (FOB) much like the sites in Iraq. Here the group saw what it was like to live and operate in a wartime environment – from dining to sleeping to hygiene.

The next stop, Victory Tower, was listed as one of the most feared parts of Basic for the Future Soldiers. It is an obstacle used to reinforce the skills and confidence of the individual Soldier.

“I think what I’m worried about most is the obstacle course,” said Julianne Sevier, a 19-year-old Future Soldier. “I think I’ll be okay with the tower because you can work with a team, but I’m worried about the rope climb.”

After lunch at the Basic Training dining facility, the Future Soldiers toured the barracks, where they got the 4/11 on living conditions during Basic Training.

Future Soldiers explore Fort Jackson's barracks

“I’ve learned a lot about things I didn’t know about, like FOB,” Sevier said. “My favorite part was definitely the gas chamber.  I’m excited (she said about shipping out) …a little scared, but mostly excited.”

 “We exposed the Future Soldiers to a lot today and showed them that Soldiers do these things every day, said Busby. “Many barriers and fears were alleviated today.”

The Future Soldier Orientation ended on a high note with the Future Soldiers asking questions of Drill Sergeants about the rules for contacting family and friends and attending religious services during their Basic Training. Columbia Company Commander, Capt. Karen Roxberry, then thanked the group and commended them on their dedication and courage.

            “We are so close to Ft. Jackson; it would be doing a disservice to our Future Soldiers to not expose them to the training,” Busby concluded. “Now they can go into Basic Training with a better mental focus and really succeed.”

The event was so successful; Busby said he will begin scheduling the event every quarter. “This event will continue to get better each time we execute it.” 


For more photos of Future Soldier Orientation and other events held by the Columbia Recruiting Station, check out our flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/columbiarctgbn/sets/.

Staff Sgt. Karl Gore Named Station Commander for 2Q FY11

By Kim Elchlepp
Columbia Recruiting Battalion

Staff Sgt. was named the Station Commander for the second quarter of 2011. As a station commander, Gore oversees the everyday operations of the Myrtle Beach Recruiting Station. It is his job to make sure that the recruiters in his station are prepared to go out in the community and speak with potential future soldiers.
“I attribute my success as station commander to the fact that I love my job and to the amazing team I get to work with everyday. I enjoy giving back to the same types of communities that I grew up in,” Gore said.
No stranger to hard work, Gore grew up on a farm in Nickels, S.C. He said he is proud of where he came from, but he also wanted to see more of what the world had to offer. So, he joined the Army in 1989 as an Infantry Soldier who worked on helicopters. In 1999, he decided to become a recruiter and in 2003 was made a station commander. He has also been a Special Forces recruiter and a part of the Mobile Exhibition Battalion at the U.S. Recruiting Command in Ft. Knox. His awards as a recruiter include the Gold Badge, the Recruiter Ring and the Glen E. Morrell Award.