The two discussed the role comics played in the American public's perception of military service and conflict throughout the 20th century, and how Esports has become a vital recruiting tool to engage with young people today to discuss the benefits of a career in the U.S. Army. VIEW ORIGINAL
ORLANDO, Fla. — In recent years, Army leadership has come to recognize the value of nationwide Fan Expo conventions as being key opportunities for specialty sporting units to interact with the Generation Z demographic and influencers such as teachers and counselors to share the many benefits and opportunities available to individuals who choose a career in the U.S. Army.
Keeping with this trend, last week the U.S. Army Esports unit, Recruiting Outreach Company, U.S. Army Mission Support Battalion of Fort Knox, Kentucky traveled to Orlando, Florida to take part alongside local recruiters at MegaCon 2024 at the city’s Orange County Convention Center, where the Soldiers were able to engage with thousands of attendees during the four-day event from Feb. 1-4.
“Our goal here at MegaCon Orlando is to display a different side of the Army that a lot of the general public doesn’t necessarily know about; to showcase some of the capabilities of the Esports team and have some fun,” said Staff Sgt. Sebastian Ochoa, a fires support specialist assigned to U.S. Army Esports.
The information provided information for some young people who may have considered an Army career in the past, but never explored the option due to personal or professional circumstances.
“We have a lot of scholarship opportunities for people coming right out of high school, have dual enrollment coming out of high school and for people looking to get their master’s degree, so want to get the word out that we have numerous scholarship opportunities to [help them] put their education first and serve in the Army Reserve, National Guard or Active Duty upon graduation,” said retired Maj. Frank McClendon III, an Army Reserve Officers Training Corps recruiting operations officer supporting Florida Institute of Technology and East Florida State College.
Those assigned to the Esports unit consistently find that the quality interaction with the public regarding their Army experience proves to be educational for both for those attending the convention and themselves.
“I am not [by nature] a very sociable person, but the amount of people I get to talk to with surprisingly common interests is always refreshing for me,” Ochoa said. “It’s a great way to connect and show them that Soldiers in the Army have similar interests with them.”
Coming up with innovative means to engage with young people will be vital in the years ahead to ensure recruitment quotas are consistently met.
“We must move into the new times; this is where our population is now,” McClendon said. “The population we are recruiting from, is going to be at events like this, so in order to get access to those people we need to bring into our fold it is vital to be at events like this.”
The Army Esports team and the recruiters they teamed up with for MegaCon 2024 were pleased by the welcoming experience they experienced and look forward to being exhibitors at these kinds of events in the future.
“Orlando has been great to us and everyone working at the event has been very helpful,” Ochoa said. “I couldn’t be at a better place and couldn’t have a better job.”
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