Finding Community in Navy Recruiting: A Story of Gardening and Growth

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Timothy Walter | 171107-N-FU443-0007 NASHVILLE (Nov. 7, 2017) Navy Counselor 1st Class Brandon Weintraut poses for a photo outside of Navy Recruiting District Nashville Headquarters. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Timothy Walter/Released)  

NASHVILLE, TN, UNITED STATES

11.20.2017

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Timothy Walter 

Navy Recruiting District Nashville

The harvest was plentiful but the workers were few. That is when Navy Counselor 1st Class Brandon Weintraut had an idea. He had just spent the last year helping to recruit future Sailors from around Kingsport, Tenn., and now he thought about recruiting them for a more local mission: helping to harvest the community garden.

Weintraut knew the garden well. Since he lives with his wife in an apartment in Kingsport with no space for planting, he used a raised bed in the community garden that he tended to once a week. He grew kale, cabbage, broccoli and peppers “so hot they make your face hurt.” His wife had found the garden and signed him up for a free planting bed due to his passion for growing things. And while he was there, he found more than fresh produce and a chance to be outdoors. He found a community of people, many of them decades older than himself, but knowledgeable and willing to teach him. He learned from master gardeners and gained experiences that he couldn’t find in a book.

Then the harvest came. A nearby tomato plant that towered 10 feet in the air fell onto his plot and he could see the arriving bounty would just be too much for many of his neighbors in garden. So he asked for volunteers. Five future Sailors answered the call to help the gardeners and clean up the excess plant material from a year of growth.

For Weintraut, a native of Rock Island, Ill., it was a joy to see young people from his community helping out an older generation.

“There are some people that just can’t do what they once could. Too many younger people fail to get out their house and help others as much as they can. People get stuck on their TV, phones or Facebook. But the future Sailors came out to the community and helped. They were the youngest people there. Everyone else was 45 and older except for me,” he said.

The future Sailors were surprised by the gratitude people showed them for the service that they were ready to embark upon in the upcoming months.

“Even though they haven’t stepped foot into boot camp yet, the gardeners were thanking them for making the decision to join the Navy. They had to opportunity to talk to prior-service members who are now gardeners and they saw how appreciative the people were to have the help,” he said.

Now that the planting beds are cleaned, Weintraut is learning how to grow winter crops. But in a way, he already knows how. Helping young people find direction for a career requires time and tending and in the case of the Navy, some water. This is why Weintraut says he loves recruiting. He converted to a full-time recruiter a few years ago because of the opportunity it gave him to affect people’s future.

“I really enjoy the fact that I get to help people by giving them a plan and helping them move forward with their life. There aren’t enough people who take an interest in helping others find direction. People are quick to judge, but no one wants to help. However, we strive to do more and help give people a choice,” 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/pages-nrd/nashville/default.html or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NRD.Nashville

• Date Taken: 11.20.2017
• Date Posted: 11.29.2017 15:48
• Story ID: 256817
• Location: NASHVILLE, TN, US
• Hometown: ROCK ISLAND, IL, US