Philly recruiter pulls no punches - Air Force recruiter tells prospects exactly what to expect - Brief Article

PHILADELPHIA -- Staff Sgt. Mary Harley doesn't pull any punches when she tells people about life in the Air Force. An Air Force recruiter, she feels it's her duty to tell it like it is -- good or bad.

Too bad that's not what happened when she Joined 13 years ago. Her recruiter didn't tell Harley many things she needed to know about the Air Force.

That's still a problem with some recruiters, Harley said. But not in the northeast Philadelphia neighborhood where she works. She's making sure of that.

"When I took this Job, I decided the young people I put in the service would know everything they needed to know to make an educated decision on whether or not to Join the Air Force," she said. "After all, we're talking about their future."

After a year and a half on the job, the former personnel troop is still living up to her promise.

Sean Ryan is one of Harley's recruits. He started basic training in mid-January and will go on to become a firefighter. He said she had all the answers to his questions.

"I really mattered to Sergeant Harley; she put me first," Ryan said. "And she didn't pressure me into a job. She let me choose what I wanted."

Harley volunteered for recruiting duty. But the Air Force needs more recruiters. It'll make a "cultural shift" in the program in March when it ends the all-volunteer system and adopts a selection-based one.

If it doesn't get the volunteers to fill a growing need for recruiters, the Air Force will select airmen from other jobs to fill slots. There are 1,364 recruiters on duty now, but the Air Force wants 1,630 on the Job by August.

The additional recruiters will relieve some of the pressure for those now on duty, Harley said.

"But I don't think we'll ever have enough," she said.

Harley has advice for those about to Join her ranks. First, the Job is more than just getting a bigger paycheck. It's more than setting your own work schedule and being autonomous.

There's a lot of responsibility, stress and long hours. "Sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day to do your job," she said. And at times a recruiter must be a parent, sister or brother to young recruits. To do the Job well takes commitment and dedication, she said.

"You do things because you want to, not because you have to," Harley said. "The job doesn't mean anything if you do it because someone is telling you to do it."

In her first year, Harley put about 40 people in the Air Force. She's proud of that. Sometimes, parents call to thank her for helping their sons and daughters. That puts a smile on her face.

"You don't often get a reward for doing something you love," she said. "That's a great feeling."

COPYRIGHT 2001 U.S. Air Force, Air Force News Agency
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group