The 8th Marine Corps District announced its top performers in recruiting for fiscal year 2018 in November, which included the Staff Noncommissioned Officer of the Year and Recruiter of the Year for both recruiting and prior service recruiting.
The Marines were selected based on their excellent performance throughout the year, overcoming the challenges, demands and sacrifices typical of recruiting duty to lead the 8th District in finding the high quality applicants in alignment with the Marine Corps recruiting mission.
Selected as the FY18 SNCOIC of the Year was Gunnery Sgt. Michael Sifuentesgarcia, the SNCOIC of RSS Harlingen.
Earning the title of FY18 Recruiter of the Year was Staff Sgt. Tyler Jennings, a canvassing recruiter with RSS Mansfield, RS Fort Worth.
Awarded the honor of FY18 SNCOIC of the Year in prior service recruiting was Staff Sgt. Daniel Stewart, the SNCOIC of Prior Service Recruiting Substation Houston.
Selected as the FY18 Recruiter of the Year in prior service recruiting was Gunnery Sgt. Ivan Garcia, a canvassing recruiter also from PSRSS Houston.
For these Marines, the recruiting data speaks for itself. However, what the numbers cannot illuminate is the passion, determination and ‘never say die’ spirit that contributes to success in recruiting and are the hallmarks of the Marine Corps.
“Challenges start from the moment you wake up until you fall asleep,” said Jennings. “The biggest challenge is submitting yourself to start something you know nothing about, but continuing to believe the process while keeping a positive mental attitude.”
Echoing this sentiment, Garcia explained that hard work, dedication, and the ability to adapt to the required tempo for mission accomplishment are the keys to his success.
In order to remain successful in this duty, Stewart said it takes a strong sense of confidence.
“If you’re defeated even before arriving at your office for the day, effort will resemble that mentality and you’ll punt that day into the bleachers,” said Stewart.
Although each of these Marines are driven by an internal passion and determination to make a difference, they all agree that their overall success is directly due to their support network.
“My success is from the people who really support me in my life, my family,” said Jennings. “No matter what each day may bring me I know my family, my Marines and my friends will continue to remind me of my personal ‘why’ reason I am out on the streets.”
However, those support systems extend beyond the individual recruiter. The Marines work together to support one another and celebrate each other’s successes, which exemplifies the ‘one team, one fight’ mentality.
“My wife is the reason for my success, knowing that she’s taking care of my family while I do my best at work helping and assisting Marines to get back in the fight,” said Garcia.
At the end of the day, each of the Marines knows that what motivates them and makes them proud is the ability to influence lives.
“Once I saw how the Marine Corps changed that one life, it was all about changing lives after that,” says Jennings. “Once I recruited that first person and was really able to change that their life, that was all I needed. From then on, it became about changing lives.”
As Ronald Reagan once said, “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world.” The Marines of the 8th District, and the FY18 awardees particularly, don’t have that problem.