Army Hiring Days: Wiesbaden ‘super recruiters’ match people across Europe with careers

By Emily JenningsJune 26, 2020

WIESBADEN, Germany - Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Raulinaitis, who works at the Army Recruiting Station at the Exchange on Hainerberg, became a recruiter because he “wanted to help people fulfill their dreams of being a Soldier.” He and his colleagues are doing their part to help the Army with its goal of recruiting 10,000 new Soldiers during the Army National Hiring Days campaign, June 30 to July 2.
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – WIESBADEN, Germany - Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Raulinaitis, who works at the Army Recruiting Station at the Exchange on Hainerberg, became a recruiter because he “wanted to help people fulfill their dreams of being a Soldier.” He and his colleagues are doing their part to help the Army with its goal of recruiting 10,000 new Soldiers during the Army National Hiring Days campaign, June 30 to July 2. (Photo Credit: Lena Stange) VIEW ORIGINAL
WIESBADEN, Germany - Sgt. 1st Class Latorrie Smith works June 25 at the Army Recruiting Station at the Exchange on Hainerberg. Smith has been a recruiter for more than 10 years and said he finds his job rewarding. “It gives me great pleasure to take an individual and see them transform from civilians into Soldiers.”
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – WIESBADEN, Germany - Sgt. 1st Class Latorrie Smith works June 25 at the Army Recruiting Station at the Exchange on Hainerberg. Smith has been a recruiter for more than 10 years and said he finds his job rewarding. “It gives me great pleasure to take an individual and see them transform from civilians into Soldiers.” (Photo Credit: Lena Stange) VIEW ORIGINAL

WIESBADEN, Germany – Recruiters at U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden are doing their part to help the Army with its goal of recruiting 10,000 new Soldiers during the Army National Hiring Days campaign, June 30 to July 2.

The virtual campaign is an Armywide effort to inspire eligible people to “Join Us.”

Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Raulinaitis, a super recruiter with U.S. Army Recruiting Command, said the U.S. Army Recruiting Station Wiesbaden expects to recruit 10 to 15 Soldiers over the next few months. Super recruiters are station commander qualified, operations qualified guidance counselors who are able to perform all aspects of Army recruiting.

During Army National Hiring Days, interested individuals can visit www.goarmy.com/hiringdays to see if they meet the qualifications, learn about job opportunities and associated hiring incentives, and connect with a recruiter.

Soldiers can choose from 150 career fields in which to serve.

“The Army has a career for every interest, and many people aren’t really aware of that,” said Maj. Gen. Frank Muth, commanding general for U.S. Army Recruiting Command, in a news release. “You’ll receive the technical training to succeed in your field and then have access to education benefits to go even further.”

Recruiters take into account an individual’s interests and desires when helping them find their place in the Army, said Sgt. 1st Class Latorrie Smith, a super recruiter in Wiesbaden.

“Army recruiting, to me, is helping young men and women take what they’re interested in – what they’re passionate about – and kind of matching that with what their goals are in life,” he said.

Smith, who has been a recruiter for more than 10 years, said they receive letters from Soldiers in basic training who at one time weren’t sure joining the Army was the right decision or weren’t sure they were up for the challenge.

“It gives me great pleasure to take an individual and see them transform from civilians into Soldiers,” he said. “That’s always gratifying to me – especially when they write back home and tell me about the transformation that they go through, and they tell me, ‘this was the best decision I made.’ That gives me great joy; that’s why I’ve continued to do it so long.”

To become an enlisted Soldier in the U.S. Army, individuals must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident; be 17-34 years old; achieve a minimum score on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test; meet medical, moral and physical requirements; and be a high school graduate or equivalent.

This applies to people who have grown up in Germany but hold dual citizenship, which they see a lot of, Raulinaitis said.

“Just yesterday we had somebody that was born in Fulda, Germany, had a father who was in the Army, mother was German, lived here for 24 years and finally decided, ‘I need to do something bigger and better than myself,’” he said.

Wiesbaden is one of only four recruiting stations in Europe. Potential Soldiers are flown in from across Europe and the Middle East to complete their processing in Wiesbaden, Raulinaitis said. Recruits then must undergo medical and academic testing.

Qualified applicants are eligible for bonuses up to $40,000 or student loan reimbursement up to $65,000, depending on the selected occupation, ASVAB scores, contract length and timeline for reporting to basic training.

For more information about Army opportunities, visit goarmy.com or visit the recruiting office at the PX.

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