Photo By Chief Petty Officer Joshua Keim | 210312-N-VH839-1001 HOUSTON (March 12, 2021) Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Berly Lue poses...... read more read more
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HOUSTON (NNS) – It was a rather pedestrian midweek morning at the Navy recruiting station (NRS) in Humble, Texas, and the room was quiet except for the clicking of computer keyboards and the humming of overhead ventilation. Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Berly Lue and her colleagues stretched out across their desks and settled into their lists of morning phone calls, unread emails and crowded appointment schedules. Then, one after another, prospective applicants eager to join the Navy began pouring through the door, smiling as if to see an old, familiar companion. The first two came to meet with Lue, and hours ticked by before she found another moment to herself. Confident, hopeful and sincere, she acknowledged a question about her total number of new Navy contracts for the month of September.
"I have no idea," she said, smiling. "I don't pay attention to awards. I don't even look at the statistics. I get why it's important to put people in the Navy, but I don't see people as numbers. When people come in, they know that I really care about their future, and I'll spend as much time with them as it takes discussing their career choices and available jobs. I don't think about the next person coming in behind them because I'm not focused on numbers."
Her modest charm and meticulous care for building authentic relationships with each prospect is a known commodity which has helped her earn dozens of awards, titles and privileges in her two fleeting years at Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Houston. Whatever her methodology, it works. With two days remaining in fiscal year (FY) 2021 at the time this article was written, Lue leads NTAG Houston this FY with 55 new contracts, placing her at 92 total new contracts since she arrived at the command in the summer of 2019. With more than five months remaining until she transfers, Lue has plenty of time to cross the threshold required for the coveted Centurion Award. To qualify, a recruiter must net at least 100 new contracts in one tour of recruiting; a feat accomplished by only five recruiters over the past eight years.
When asked about the secret to her success in recruiting, she offered another humble and revealing confession.
"I think it's about how I was raised with my mom," said Lue. "I don't put myself first, and I always give my time to other people. Both of my parents had a big impact on my work ethic. I can do the smallest thing, and I will give it 150% of my effort. I'm determined to be the best."
Lue was indoctrinated into the military culture as a child. Her father, a retired Air Force Master Sergeant who was always cryptic about his precise military occupation, educated and qualified Lue in weapons, self-defense and security as a young schoolgirl.
"You're vulnerable, and I want to teach you how to be invulnerable," her dad often told her. "I want you to know everything you can possibly know. I need to prepare you for the outside world."
Born in the Republic of Panama and raised in Japan and then Florida by two immigrant parents, Lue quickly learned to adapt to novel environments, pick up new skillsets, and connect with unfamiliar people and cultures. Her mother, industrious and driven by necessity from a modest start to her life, taught Lue to value hard work and discipline, building on a growing resume of valuable competencies for military service.
"My mom had very high expectations for me and my brother," she said. "School and an education were very important to her because she didn't have one. She didn't speak English when she met my dad. She learned through her jobs. She didn't have anything and wanted us to have everything. She wanted us to do our best and to be the best."
Knowing she wanted to join the military one day, Lue enlisted in the Navy Reserve after high school and, for 10 years, she balanced her military career with a private sector job. When she decided to accept active-duty orders for recruiting duty in Houston, she felt unsure about her potential as a recruiter.
"I didn't think I was going to be able to do this," she admitted. "I didn't think I would be good at recruiting. It isn't easy. There are long days, and you need a lot of patience. Coming here as a reservist [master-at-arms], I'm totally outside my comfort zone, but I've surprised myself. This job has proven to me that I can do a lot of different things."
From selections as the junior sailor of the quarter, talent scout of the quarter, and nuclear recruiter of the quarter to the top gun award recipient, which is conferred to the recruiter with the highest number of new contracts in a single month, and multiple other individual and unit awards, Lue has transcended her expectations for FY 2021.
"I have a lot to be proud of," said Lue. "For me, it isn't about the awards that I've received. I'm proud to have been able to push past all the obstacles I've been presented with and to help change lives. It's been strenuous and demanding, but to get through everything and to help these kids positively affect their futures has been my greatest accomplishment. Nothing compares to the feeling you get when it's in service to others."
As ordinary a morning as it may have appeared at NRS Humble that Wednesday, the recruiters inside were of an extra-ordinary breed; Lue chief among them. She may not pay any attention to numbers and accolades, but the young men and women to whom she offers lifechanging career opportunities, NTAG Houston leadership, and Navy Recruiting Command are all certainly paying attention to her.
NTAG Houston has 34 Navy recruiting stations covering more than 44,000 square miles in rural and metropolitan areas around Southeastern Texas and Western Louisiana. NTAG Houston has two Talent Acquisition Onboarding Centers – TOAC Space City and TAOC Bayou City – and employs more than 300 recruiters, support personnel and civilians. Follow NTAG Houston on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NTAGhouston) and Instagram (@NTAG_Houston).
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, and 26 Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations across the world. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MyNAVYHR), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 09.30.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 09.30.2021 14:15 |
| Story ID: | 406432 |
| Location: | TX, US |
| Web Views: | 619 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Master-at-Arms Finds a New Mission in Navy Recruiting, by CPO Joshua Keim, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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