Army Recruiter Suicides

[Richard]

Lot of press and concern over this issue around this neck of the woods.

Richard's $.02

Why Are Army Recruiters Killing Themselves?
Mark Thompson, Time, 2 Apr 2009

When Army Staff Sergeant Amanda Henderson ran into Staff Sergeant Larry Flores in their Texas recruiting station last August, she was shocked by the dark circles under his eyes and his ragged appearance. "Are you O.K.?" she asked the normally squared-away soldier. "Sergeant Henderson, I am just really tired," he replied. "I had such a bad, long week, it was ridiculous." The previous Saturday, Flores' commanders had berated him for poor performance. He had worked every day since from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., trying to persuade the youth of Nacogdoches to wear Army green. "But I'm O.K.," he told her.

No, he wasn't. Later that night, Flores hanged himself in his garage with an extension cord. Henderson and her husband Patrick, both Army recruiters, were stunned. "I'll never forget sitting there at Sergeant Flores' memorial service with my husband and seeing his wife crying," Amanda recalls. "I remember looking over at Patrick and going, 'Why did he do this to her? Why did he do this to his children?' " Patrick didn't say anything, and Amanda now says Flores' suicide "triggered" something in her husband. Six weeks later, Patrick hanged himself with a dog chain in their backyard shed.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now the longest waged by an all-volunteer force in U.S. history. Even as soldiers rotate back into the field for multiple and extended tours, the Army requires a constant supply of new recruits. But the patriotic fervor that led so many to sign up after 9/11 is now eight years past. That leaves recruiters with perhaps the toughest, if not the most dangerous, job in the Army. Last year alone, the number of recruiters who killed themselves was triple the overall Army rate. Like posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, recruiter suicides are a hidden cost of the nation's wars.

(cont'd) http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...sletter-weekly

[gagners]

Thanks for the post Richard.

My father was in recruiting for many years and it took a toll back then - and that was a peacetime Army.

I wouldn't trade a year's worth of deployment for a month's worth of recruiting duty. Imagine your career hinging on the LIFE CHOICES of other people. Not to mention an increasingly liberal-it's not my fault-fat kid society.

No thank you.

Prayers out to those that have lost loved ones and to those who continue to introduce the military to America's youth.

[greenberetTFS]

Originally Posted by Richard

Lot of press and concern over this issue around this neck of the woods.

Richard's $.02

Why Are Army Recruiters Killing Themselves?
Mark Thompson, Time, 2 Apr 2009

When Army Staff Sergeant Amanda Henderson ran into Staff Sergeant Larry Flores in their Texas recruiting station last August, she was shocked by the dark circles under his eyes and his ragged appearance. "Are you O.K.?" she asked the normally squared-away soldier. "Sergeant Henderson, I am just really tired," he replied. "I had such a bad, long week, it was ridiculous." The previous Saturday, Flores' commanders had berated him for poor performance. He had worked every day since from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., trying to persuade the youth of Nacogdoches to wear Army green. "But I'm O.K.," he told her.

No, he wasn't. Later that night, Flores hanged himself in his garage with an extension cord. Henderson and her husband Patrick, both Army recruiters, were stunned. "I'll never forget sitting there at Sergeant Flores' memorial service with my husband and seeing his wife crying," Amanda recalls. "I remember looking over at Patrick and going, 'Why did he do this to her? Why did he do this to his children?' " Patrick didn't say anything, and Amanda now says Flores' suicide "triggered" something in her husband. Six weeks later, Patrick hanged himself with a dog chain in their backyard shed.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now the longest waged by an all-volunteer force in U.S. history. Even as soldiers rotate back into the field for multiple and extended tours, the Army requires a constant supply of new recruits. But the patriotic fervor that led so many to sign up after 9/11 is now eight years past. That leaves recruiters with perhaps the toughest, if not the most dangerous, job in the Army. Last year alone, the number of recruiters who killed themselves was triple the overall Army rate. Like posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, recruiter suicides are a hidden cost of the nation's wars.

(cont'd) http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...sletter-weekly

Richard,

It's unreal, I share your feelings........RIP,Warriors ................

GB TFS

[The Reaper]

Great time to be cutting bonuses, reducing benefits, and stereotyping vets as deranged. .

RIP, prayers out to the families.

TR

[Saoirse]

A huge tragedy and loss! Rest in peace, Warriors!

I remember when my stepfather was a recruiter back in the 80s. I would constantly hear him complain about the quotas placed on recruiters, the amount of hours spent on kids/parents only to have a huge "NO" at the end of all that work, liberal minded teachers/parents that thwarted his best efforts. He never made any bogus promises to any potential recruits because he believed honesty was the best policy. Looking back, it's no wonder his drinking increased and his surliness got worse! I was his easiest recruit!

[f50lrrp]

My father was a recruiter during the 50s & 60s. I remember, as a child, that he was very moody toward the end of each month being worried about "quotas". I really appreciated it when I spent a year as the SF Recruiter at Fort Ord after my second tour in RVN. The pressures that were placed on me by Bragg were unspeakable.

[uboat509]

I was thinking about this when I was reading another thread where a young recruit was questioning some advice that his recruiter had given him. It was bad advice and everyone immediately declared the recruiter a POS who should be crushed. I was thinking that maybe he was a worthless POS or maybe he was a good guy who has been pushed past his limits by the situation he is in. For every guy I have known who had a positive experience as a recruiter, I have known four or five who had negative experiences. When one one perceives their career/livelihood/ability to feed their families going down the drain, especially when it is not their fault, it may very well push them make choices that one might never have even considered before. Some have chosen suicide others choose to give bad advice to potential recruits. The Army recruiting program has been broken for years and I have yet to see any real effort to fix it.

SFC W

[Firebeef]

In 1984, I was a young, newly promoted, hard chargin SSG. I had a packet in to try out for SF and was awaiting orders to PCS to Ft Bragg (you were reassigned in those days before selection) I was sure my 1SG had recieved the orders to Bragg when I was called in from a field problem at Ft Polk. When I walked in the door I was told I was heading for USAREC, or the US Army Recruting Cmc. better known as USARECTUM.
This was during the Reagan build up, and this was supposedly a "Choice" assignment according to those that tried to console me at having to wait to try out for SF and "suck it up" out in recruiting. There was no escape other than to ETS.
For brevity's sake, I can sum it up by saying it sucked royally. The pressures are immense and never ending. Not only are you constantly under the gun from the CO leadership team to "Make mission" or else..... but the constant rejection by candidates, their parents, teachers, administrators, bar tenders and anyone who sees your uniform and feels they just HAVE to tell you their opinion of the Army is relentless. Everyone....EVRYONE had an uncle or cousin that was a "whacked out" Vietnam vet, who of course, had been totally lied to and abused by his recruiters, causing his current malaise.
When a kid comes home from Basic after telling the CO that he often thinks of suicide, mass murder and killing kitty cats.....do you believe this kid comes home and tells his family and friends this???? HELL NO!!! It was that f#@*ing POS recuiter that lied his ass off that caused little Johnny to fail.
Anytime I was sent to a school or training amongst "Regular" Army troops, you were constantly bombarded with jealousy, animosity and the always asked: "So, how does it feel to lie to people all day and get paid???"

While I was a recruiter in the time frame 1985-1988, there were at least 3 suicides and i don't even know how many melt downs in our Battalion. (A recruiting BN in those days was probably 300-400 troops) This was "peace time"...remember that?? The night after the USAF bombed Libya, I was sitting in the office around 1930, when someone fired a pellet gun through our window about 10' from where I was "dialing for dollars". I was spit at, cussed at....to this day....I would rather go from Ranger school, to SFAS and back to Ranger school without a cycle break, than return to USARECTUM

The point to my story is: Recruiting is a tough assignment. I can only imagine how hard it has become in the last 5 or 6 years since the GWOT became so unpopular with so many people. If you really want to help with this situation, next time you see a recruiter in the mall or burger king, go up and tell him he's doing a good, hard job and that you believe in the cause. Better yet, drop into a station sometime, and just jawjack with the guys and gals in the station. Buy em all a coffee! It caused suicides in peacetime, of course some of the will go over the edge in times like these.

My heart goes out to all the families and survivors. Even more so to anyone who is "command selected" to become a recruiter. May it pass quiclky.

[69harley]

I was hit with orders to recruiting command while assigned to 3rd Ranger Bn. I was crushed. The chain of command got me out of it once, but the second time I had to go. It sucked allot. I was a SSG then, close to be being selected for SFC. I was called on the carpet often. My SERE training came in very handy. I just kept thinking about being in my happy place. I was threatened with losing stripes, money, whatever. Bad NCOER, I didn't care. A bad NCOER for recruiting, I had three smoking hot NCOERs written by some of the finest infantrymen in the world. I didn't give a shit about anything recruiting command could threaten me with. It was a long three years, and yes I did loose a rank. I went back to the regiment, got my rank back and caught up with my peers.

After being chewed up and spit out by recruiting command, my advice for recruiters is to work hard, don't lie and don't let recruiting command get to you. Eventually it will be over, and whatever they did to you can be undone after you get back to the warfighting Army. F-ck 'em!

[Richard]

I was a SGT in the 7th SFG and had to go for an interview with USAREC at Bragg for consideration for a 6 months 'Hometown Recruiting' TDY. They never told me why I wasn't selected, but my guess is I flunked their interview when my stock answer to their "What if's.." regarding making mission and recruit quality was to tell them I'd advise the guy to go see the Marine/Navy/Air Force recruiter because I wouldn't want the guy with me and wouldn't want to pawn him off on anybody else in the Army, either...and it didn't matter whether I was gonna make mission or not.

From discussions with friends who got sucked into USAREC, the pressures there are no lie.

Richard's $.02

[BigJimCalhoun]

Originally Posted by Firebeef

If you really want to help with this situation, next time you see a recruiter in the mall or burger king, go up and tell him he's doing a good, hard job and that you believe in the cause. Better yet, drop into a station sometime, and just jawjack with the guys and gals in the station. Buy em all a coffee! It caused suicides in peacetime, of course some of the will go over the edge in times like these.
.

As a civilian I did not realize that the recruiters are under that much pressure. I figured it was an assignment of sorts and though there are goals, failure to meet those goals did not affect the recruiter's job/lives directly.

I will take efforts to better the lives of the recruiters that I meet.

[Richard]

Recruiting is a sales position, you are selling the Army. Some people are better salesmen than others.

And don't forget - some locations are better than others as far as quality and availability of recruits is concerned.

Richard's $.02

[72_Wilderness]

I'd say shame on Time Magazine for bringing it back up to the surface. Let the men be remembered the way they should be, with respect.

RIP SFC Henderson, SSG Flores

[gagners]

Originally Posted by Richard

And don't forget - some locations are better than others as far as quality and availability of recruits is concerned.

Richard's $.02

There are areas less than 15 MILES apart that can mean the difference in meeting/exceeding mission or getting the "piece of shit with ears" NCOER.

[swpa19]

I have worked with a variety of recruiters in and out of the service. The pressures on these young soldiers is intense. One friend broke state recruiting records for enlisting X amount of soldiers. He was given a plaque, letters of accomodations, a handful of "attaboys", and told to try and get XX amount of soldiers for the next quarter.

I have the highest regard for those that are recruiters.