National Guard Bureau aims high with Milwaukee launch of high-tech recruiting effort

Date: June 24, 2010
By Senior Airman Ryan Kuntze
128th Air Refueling Wing

Expectations are sky-high for the National Guard Bureau's new interactive recruiting program which the Wisconsin Air National Guard will launch at Summerfest.

The "Rise to the Challenge" tour program offers potential recruits a hands-on taste of the Air Guard through interactive simulations and mission-themed challenge kiosks, according to Master Sgt. Duane Butler, the marketing and outreach non-commissioned officer-in-charge for the National Guard Bureau.

In the refueling challenge, the player takes control of a B-2 Spirit "Stealth Bomber" and, using new augmented reality game play, the player has to fly up to a KC-135R Stratotanker to be refueled, Butler explained. The recon kiosk challenges players to examine satellite photographs for 10 seconds, and asks the players to answer questions regarding minute details from the image.

Players face three challenges at the medical kiosk, where augmented reality scenarios are used to perform procedures such as CPR, maintaining an open airway, and stabilizing a patient with a neck injury, Butler said.

"We will be one of the first displays to use augmented reality in an interactive display," he said.

Augmented reality scenarios involve a real-world environment that can be manipulated by a player, and is akin to a realistic video game. The games and interactive scenarios available in the Air National Guard's new outreach program were built specifically for the display, Butler explained.

The recruiting tour will "let [people] know what the Air National Guard does and how it can help them achieve their goals," he said.

According to Senior Master Sgt. Connie Bacik, the recruiting and retention superintendent for the Wisconsin Air National Guard, the new recruiting tour aims to bring the Air National Guard to the forefront of military recruiting.

"We won't be even with our competitors," Butler said. "We'll blow them out of the water."

"I think we're going to dominate," said Master Sgt. Angela Petri, the 128th Air Refueling Wing recruiting office supervisor. "We're usually the underdogs."

The "Rise to the Challenge" tour took off Monday (June 21) at the 128th Air Refueling Wing by filming a "sizzle reel" of Air National Guard recruiters interacting with potential recruits and hired actors.

"The reason I picked the 128th Air Refueling Wing, and Wisconsin as a whole, was because Wisconsin has one of the best recruiting teams and the 128th Air Refueling Wing has always been helpful," Butler said.

The new recruiting tour and outreach program will begin during this year's Summerfest in Milwaukee, Bacik said.

Summerfest runs from June 24 through July 4 at Milwaukee's lakefront. "Last year, Summerfest was rated as the number one outreach venue," she said. "Outreach events are huge, because even if we're not looking for [recruits], they keep people interested and maintain brand recognition."

Butler said the "Rise to the Challenge" tour will visit 38 events across the nation, including fairs, sporting events and NASCAR races.