Courtesy Photo | Sgt. 1st Class Nadia Harris, a Retention career counselor, takes time out for a photo...... read more read more
By Master Sgt. Erick Studenicka
Nevada Army Guard
CARSON CITY – Similar to a Major League Baseball franchise owner, the Nevada Army Guard wants to sign its budding, talented All-Stars to a long-term contract as soon as possible to ensure a strong team in the future. The star Soldiers the Nevada Guard covets are those who have completed their military occupational training, have several years of experience and are on the tail end of their initial enlistment.
To guarantee the best possible team of Soldiers in the future and to save the Army hundreds of thousands of dollars in initial training expenditures, the Recruiting and Retention Battalion has added two mid-career counselors, Sgt. 1st Class Nada “Nadia” Harris and Sgt. Dan Gourlay, to its staff this year to inform Soldiers about the benefits of extending their military careers and reenlist the state’s Army talent. The duo focuses on securing commitments from the highly-desirable Soldiers who are fully-trained, experienced and approaching their Reenlistment Opportunity Window (365 days in advance of a Soldier’s Expiration Term of Service.)
Gourlay and Harris team with noncommissioned officer in charge Sgt. 1st Class Rob Diehl to compose the Retention section of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion for the entire state. The section’s small staff is charged with the mission of retaining the Nevada Guard’s eligible Soldiers and mitigating attrition rates. Harris completes the state’s retention documents and focuses on retaining southern Nevada Soldiers; Gourlay is tasked with retaining the state’s northern Soldiers. It’s a Herculean task for the trio; 720 Nevada Army Guard Soldiers (out of the 3,272 total in the state’s ranks) are within their ROW window. The team’s goal – based on an equation calculated by the National Guard Bureau -- is to retain 390 of those Soldiers.
“The reason we are making the push to retain mid-career Soldiers is due to the fact the Army has discovered 80 percent of Soldiers make a crucial decision near the end of their first enlistment to either exit the military or continue with the goal of becoming a ‘careerist,’” Diehl said. “Our focus is on retaining our Soldiers with about 3-4 years of experience and who are usually about 22-24 years old.
“It’s a crucial time of life overall. At that age, there have been a lot of life changes since the start of their initial enlistment, usually when they were less than 20 years old. For many, they have experienced college classes, relationship-status changes and increased financial responsibilities since enlisting. Our team aims to convince these young Soldiers there are many advantages to staying in the National Guard longer than their first six-year obligation.”
Gourlay, a combat engineer in the 609th Engineer Company in Fallon when not on the Retention mission, said a few hundred dollars of monthly drill pay may not be enough to cajole a Soldier into a second enlistment nowadays.
“We remind them of the other benefits long before their ETS – including signing bonuses, educational incentives and GI Bill transfers – and plant the seed of a reenlistment into their head early so they can really think about extending their military career,” Gourlay said.
The top perks for reenlisting this spring, Gourlay said, is a $10,000 signing bonus for a three-year enlistment in certain occupations as well as eligibility in the state’s tuition waiver program for dependents once a Soldier surpasses six years of service.
Harris, an automated logistical specialist in the 17th Sustainment Brigade when not on the Retention mission, said some attrition is unavoidable no matter how attractive the benefits and perks.
“For some Soldiers, it’s just not their time to reenlist: The National Guard Bureau and our retention team understand there will always be some attrition,” Harris said.
Diehl said the Retention staff uses mailers and other communication platforms including the www.staybattleborn.com website and the #staybattleborn Instagram site to keep Soldiers apprised of the benefits of remaining in the National Guard, but he noted the most effective retention tool remains a personal conversation with a Retention sergeant. A face-to-face conversation between a Retention sergeant and Soldier allows the sergeant to discuss in detail the Soldier’s benefits and gives the Soldier an opportunity to give feedback on his/her military experience during his/her initial enlistment. The Retention staff aims to resolve any negative issues the Soldier may mention and inform Army Guard leadership about negative – and positive – trends and topics that are affecting retention.
“Sgt. 1st Class Harris and Sgt. Gourlay ensure we have a real human making a personal connection with our Soldiers in their third or fourth year of service, informing them about all of their benefits,” Diehl said. “They are also eager to hear about the Soldiers’ experience to date and provide the Soldiers an opportunity to share about any negative experiences in confidence.
“If there are negative issues or trends often mentioned, the Retention staff works with leadership to affect positive change. It’s our job to tell leadership what our 23- and 24-year-olds are thinking and what changes we need to make to have them stick around.”
Even after the Reenlistment Opportunity Window has passed and a Soldier has less than 120 days until his/her ETS, the Retention staff continues to inform Soldiers about their benefits by hosting Final Formation Receptions across the state. The receptions are mandatory for exiting Soldiers and focus on guiding a Soldier through the transition to post-military life – they are not a final, last-ditch attempt for a reenlistment.
The Retention team noted Soldiers in their ROW time have some rare leverage with the Army. Soldiers considering a change in units or occupations can work with the Retention sergeants to incorporate major changes into their reenlistment contracts if affected units are agreeable and there are job vacancies.
“A lot of young Soldiers don’t know how easy it is to transfer units or occupations,” Gourlay said. “We want what’s best for the Soldier. If a Soldier wants a transfer, then we’re going to make that happen – if it keeps him or her around.”
Exactly halfway into the 2024 fiscal year, the Retention team has reenlisted 136 of its goal of 390 reenlisted Soldiers. The team said the reenlistment rate usually increases during the spring and summer Annual Training season.
“I’m confident we will reach our goals,” Harris said.
To hear more about the benefits of reenlisting in the Nevada Guard or to suggest ways to improve the Retention program, call Diehl at 775-350-9590.
| Date Taken: | 04.11.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.11.2024 16:34 |
| Story ID: | 468366 |
| Location: | CARSON CITY, NV, US |
| Hometown: | CARSON CITY, NV, US |
| Web Views: | 123 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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Recruiting And Retention NCO
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