Vice Chief of Naval Operations Honors Recruiters of the Year

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Charles Newcomer

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, spoke to the 2010 Recruiters of the Year and their families at an awards ceremony held Jan. 26 at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The mission of today's recruiter is not just about finding people to fill positions Greenert told the audience, and adding the 2010 Recruiters of the Year went "the extra mile" in procuring specific, professional talent that will carry the world's finest Navy forward into the future.

"What these folks do is beyond just recruiting," Greenert said. "They have a tremendously tough job. They have to find the talent for this Navy of ours; the greatest Navy in the world ... [and] they do it in an excellent way.

"They have to find the right quality. Only one out of four, 18-to-24-year olds qualify [for the Navy] for a host of reasons," he continued. "They have to find the quality we want, and then distinguish from that the person with the right talent for the job."

Greenert also acknowledged the role the recruiters play in the public's perception of the Navy.

"They not only recruit, they are [also] the face of our Navy - your Navy. They are the Sailors the populous sees first. Our recruiters put a human face on the Navy," Greenert said. "They can often give a young person thinking of entering the military a glimpse of what their future will be like."

On a night where heavy snow fell in metropolitan Washington D.C., canceling flights and halting ground traffic, nothing could put a chill on the enthusiasm the Vice CNO had in thanking the awardees and their families for a job well done.

Greenert emphasized the human factor that goes into being a successful Navy Recruiter.

"We have 5,300 Recruiters out there in 26 districts, and here we have the best of the best," Greenert said. "What you - spouses, mothers, fathers, and families - do for these award winners is amazing. You are the wind beneath our wings, and I thank you greatly. What they [recruiters] are doing is planting the seed so that we will reap that and become the Navy of tomorrow. It was your predecessors who made us the great Navy we are today ... and you're going to decide the great Navy of tomorrow."

Navy Recruiting Command (NRC) consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions and 26 Navy Recruiting Districts that serve hundreds of recruiting stations across the country.

NRC's mission is to recruit the best men and women for America's Navy to accomplish today's missions and meet tomorrow's challenges.

For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnrc/.