Movie Inspires Record-breaking Recruiting                                                         By Master Sgt. Jodie Stafford                                                                                 Indiana National Guard Recruiting Command

Inspired by the indomitable spirit of the Spartan warriors in the movie “300,” Detachment 18 Recruiting and Retention set a goal to add 300 Soldiers to the Indiana Army National Guard in August, and succeeded with “the biggest month in history, since we’ve been keeping history, in Indiana” according to Command Sgt. Maj. Otis Pugh.

A major recruiting event in Indiana every year is the Cyclone Challenge where high school students from around the state visit the Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center in Edinburg, Ind. to try troop tasks such as rappelling from a tower, firing an M-16 rifle, and playing combat-simulation video games. Recruiters are on hand if questions are asked but the purpose of the event is to show what Soldiers do and to build self-esteem in the students. Photo by MSG Jodie Stafford, Indiana Army National Guard.

His recruiting teams met the goal Friday afternoon, August 31, closing the month with 305 new troops in service to the state. It is the first time the state has exceeded 300 in a single month since 1993. The leader in the program was the Officer Procurement staff, which added 42 new officers to the state’s rosters.   

It was a team effort across Indiana, as shown by the final statistics. The number one recruiter in the state, Sgt. Kevin Crist of Ft. Wayne, led the way this month by adding 10 Soldiers to total. Team Bloomington, led by Master Sgt. Dale Blubaugh, had the best overall percentage on gains with 115 percent, and Team Gary had the honor of being the first team to hit 100 percent of mission for the month. Overall, the best command for the month was Team 38th, headquartered out of the 38th Infantry Division Armory in Indianapolis.

“It was an all around fight, from the whole command,” said Pugh. He explained that the 305 is not comprised of all new troops, but is also made up of Soldiers coming back from the Inactive National Guard, interstate transfers, and prior service Soldiers coming on board to serve again.

True to form for the Indiana Recruiting Command, Pugh went on to say that though the teams did great work, there is still room to improve because there are still citizens in the state who have yet to experience the honor of service to state and country.