Marine Corps recruiter earns Army Achievement Medal

By Mr. Edward Tom Conning (USAREC)September 16, 2014

Marine Sgt. earns Army medal
Lt. Col. Vylius Leskys, Seattle Army Recruiting Battalion commander, awards Marine Corps Sgt. Bradley Schmidt the Army Achievement medal during a ceremony at battalion headquarters Sept. 12. Schmidt was responsible for five Army enlistments during th... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

SEATTLE ARMY RECRUITING BATTALION, Wash. -- U.S. military recruiting can be challenging, rewarding and downright competitive. Policy changes, other military services and civilian occupations can further enhance the competitive nature of recruiting, so it's unique when a U.S. Marine Corps recruiter refers applicants to the U.S. Army and vice versa.

However, that has been happening on a regular basis within the Seattle Army Recruiting Battalion and the Marine Corps Recruiting Station Seattle. Marine Corps Sgt. Bradley Schmidt, Recruiting Sub-Station Puyallup recruiter, was responsible for five Army enlistments during the current fiscal year.

"Most importantly, whenever I sit down with somebody, really what meant most was what was going to help that individual the most," said Schmidt. "Everyone has different needs and I want them to see what they had available to them."

Due to this effort, the Seattle Army Recruiting Battalion awarded Schmidt the Army Achievement Medal Sept. 12 during a ceremony at battalion headquarters.

Schmidt said he was grateful. It's cool to have some part of the Army to take with me, he continued.

Schmidt worked closely with recruiters from the Tacoma Mall Army Career Center, including Staff Sgt. Clint Conant, Tacoma Mall's assistant center commander.

"In both our offices, we're always putting the applicant first, based on their needs," said Conant. "It's almost like doing joint operations when you're deployed," he said. "You have a common goal and your goal is to meet that mission, whether it's the Marine side or Army side."

Lt. Col. Vylius Leskys, Seattle Army Recruiting Battalion commander, awarded Schmidt the medal in front of a room full of Army and Marine Corps officers and enlisted troops.

"His consistent efforts to reach across the aisles to assist in the Army recruiting mission embraced the ideals of inter-service camaraderie and demonstrated his appreciation for a unified effort to recruit within all services," said Leskys. "Ultimately, Sgt. Schmidt's commitment to build solid relationships with the Army helped to ensure mission success of the Tacoma Mall Recruiting Center," he said.

Schmidt provided a total of 15 leads to the Tacoma Mall Army Career Center. Of those, five applicants enlisted in to the Army.