Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Timothy Walter | 170331-N-FU443-0985 JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (March 31, 2017) Aviation Structural Mechanic...... read more read more
The young girl already knew his name as she walked into the Navy Recruiting Station in Kingsport, Tenn. For Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class (AW) Jake Gray, it was the first time they met. However, his reputation and the service he represented preceded him in public. For this young girl, she encountered it at a local gym.
As she was working out, she saw a group of people performing some particularly vigorous exercises when she decided to inquire about what they were doing. They told her that they were training for the Navy’s special warfare programs. Intrigued, she asked more questions and found herself with a name of the person who could help her answer them.
She wanted to be in special warfare and Petty Officer Gray was there to show her the path. A small medical condition presented a road block for that particular route, but Gray was able to show her another way to improve her life.
If she couldn’t face the biggest physical challenge in the Navy, perhaps she could dare to take on the biggest mental challenge by joining the Navy’s nuclear program. A few months later, she signed on and this fall, she will be on her way to helping run a nuclear reactor on either an aircraft carrier or submarine.
Oftentimes, people say imitation is the sincerest form of the flattery but in recruiting it’s probably a referral. Nothing says that you believe in a branch of service or your recruiter quite like telling a stranger or a friend to trust your time and future with them. It was lesson that Gray learned firsthand when he joined.
He was working at a Dairy Queen with his friend, when he was challenged by him to join the Navy. Today, both men serve in the same branch, Gray in aviation and the other as a hospital corpsman. It’s a decision that Gray still stands by throughout the years.
“One thing I wouldn’t have changed. I would have enlisted and done my time,” he said.
Following opportunity is what led that gym referral to Gray’s office and it also led Gray to recruiting to try something new and be closer to his hometown of Benton, Ky. After nearly three years of recruiting, he still draws upon the skills that he honed in the aviation community to make the most of this opportunity.
“Attention to detail has been the most valuable asset that I have carried over into recruiting. On an aircraft, if you do something wrong, people lives are at stake. Here the stakes aren’t quite as high but being precise with paperwork and performing my due diligence makes a difference for everyone involved in the recruiting process,” he said.
In March, he was awarded the distinction of Recruiter of the Month for Navy Recruiting District Nashville and he entered the district’s “21 Club”, which honors recruiters who have written 21 contracts during their tour. With each new recruit, he has seen lives changed and obstacles overcome. Recently, one of his earliest candidates returned while utilizing the Hometown Area Recruiting Assistance Program (HARP) to assist at the office. Her family was with her for one of the days and they made it clear to Gray how proud they were that she was serving in the Navy.
“I’ve known her pretty much my entire time in recruiting. But when she started out the process of trying to join, it was hard for her because she couldn’t do well on parts of the ASVAB. There were times when she was in tears at the office. However, she continued to study and I continued to encourage her. She finally succeeded and became one of the best members of our delayed entry program. She brought in many more referrals and went to the schools and told her friends. Now she is an aviation orndanceman.”
Stories like this are what encourage Gray as he continues to find the next generation of Sailors.
“It’s fun to interact with other people and tell them what I do and see how that inspires some of them. I have people come back and shake my hand. Families tell me that this is the greatest thing that their kid has ever done, and they just want to thank me for my efforts. I’m happier that they got something out of it rather than just saying I got another contract,” he said.
Navy Recruiting District Nashville is responsible for recruiting efforts throughout more than 100,000 square miles of the states of Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky and Virginia.
For more information on NRD Nashville, visit us at http://www.cnrc.navy.mil/nashville/ or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NRD.Nashville
| Date Taken: | 06.28.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.28.2017 14:16 |
| Story ID: | 239496 |
| Location: | KINGSPORT, TN, US |
| Hometown: | BENTON, KY, US |
| Web Views: | 315 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Referrals and Navy Recruiting: Building a Reputation that Lasts, by PO1 Timothy Walter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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