Marines Meeting Recruiting Goals at Ohio Station

By Samantha L. Quigley

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2006 – Five years into the global war on terrorism, there are still plenty of Ohioans who want to become one of the few and the proud, an official here told American Forces Press Service. "Marines are the type of people who answer a higher calling. People that enter the Marine Corps do it because they want to serve their country and they do it because they know what they're getting into," said Marine Sgt. Chris Flurry, the Marine public affairs chief for the Canton area. "For us ... it's just business as usual, I guess."

Goals for the number of new recruits change monthly. Summer months are higher because people have just graduated from high school and are able to go to boot camp, Flurry said. Recruit training also is at its highest point during the summer.

Marine recruiters in the Canton area have met almost every monthly goal recently, Flurry said. If they have missed, it was by just a few recruits.

Most people don't just walk into the office and look for more information, Master Sgt. Sandor Vegh, the noncommissioned officer in charge of Recruiting Substation Canton, said. Making the goal requires effort.

"You talk to as many as you can," Vegh, a two-time Iraq veteran, said. "A couple of appointments a day are what the Marines are looking to get."

Local recruiters also "try to hit two to three schools a week," he added.

In addition to in-office appointments, Marine recruiters also visit area malls and occasionally attend local concerts, Flurry said.

As they seek new Marine Corps members, recruiters find a steady supply of interested candidates, he said.

"I think more than anything, when you speak about Canton, or you speak about northern Ohio in general, the people are extremely patriotic and they really want to serve their country," Flurry said. "That's why we're proud to allow them the opportunity to do that."