Ohio Sailor Finds Joy in Recruiting at Home

Courtesy Photo | Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Zachary Smith, a recruiter assigned to Navy Talent Acquisition Group Ohio River Valley, is featured as Recruiter in the Spotlight.  

COLUMBUS, OH, UNITED STATES

10.29.2021

Courtesy Story

Commander, Navy Recruiting Command

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Success can be defined by a multitude of things. For E-Talent Scout Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Zachary Smith, success is defined by what he has given back to his community. Smith is currently stationed at Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Ohio River Valley in Columbus, Ohio. As an E-Talent Scout, he has been able to give opportunities to applicants wanting to better themselves. Not only is this rewarding to his applicants, but it is also rewarding on a personal level.

Being born and raised in West Unity, Ohio, he did not see a lot of the country, let alone the world. Growing up in a small town created its own set of problems. One of them was financial stress.

“When I was 16, I got a job to help my family make ends meet,” said Smith. “After working for temp agencies and never getting hired full time, I made the decision to locate my Navy recruiter.”

He wanted to live a life of adventure while still being able to set up a good path for his future. In 2014, he enlisted into the Navy as an undesignated seaman.

After his first deployment, he struck gunner’s mate and was sent to “A” school in Great Lakes, Illinois. Once he completed “A” school, Smith returned to sea and served aboard the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) for almost four years and three deployments. Next, his stop was NTAG Ohio River Valley. He was going home!

“The Navy has allowed me to go to places that I never thought I would ever go and challenge my mental and physical limitations,” said Smith.

During his short time onboard, Smith has hit the ground running. He has been instrumental in the success of Navy E-Talent across the country. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Smith feels his job has taken even greater responsibility because he is the “voice of the Navy” in lieu of applicants being able to meet recruiters face to face. Since being in E-Talent, he has contributed to over 80 applicants joining the Navy.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be part of such an amazing and supportive team,” said Smith. “I like to encourage those around me to push themselves to never accept where they are, but to strive for greatness in and out of the classroom.”

Smith’s personal goals include completing college and becoming a teacher. He is currently enrolled at Western Governor’s University majoring in education. It is his dream to become a teacher because he has seen the impact a teacher has on the minds of today’s youth. Until then, he will continue to make an impact through recruiting.

Smith tries to go into every day with a positive attitude. He sums it up with, “Much love, God bless and go Bucks! O-H-I-O!”

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 (www.facebook.com/MyNAVYHR), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).

• Date Taken: 10.29.2021
• Date Posted: 10.29.2021 14:10
• Story ID: 408333
• Location: COLUMBUS, OH, US