Best In The Reserves: How the 927th became the top recruiting station in the Air Force Reserve

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shawn Rhodes
  • 927th Air Refueling Wing
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  How does a recruiting station become #1 in the Air Force Reserve?

The answer is simple:

"I let my recruiters do their jobs, and I take care of everything else," said Senior Master Sgt. Donald Cantrell, lead recruiter for the 927th Air Refueling Wing's recruiting station.

This means Cantrell expects his recruiters to perform, and perform they do - his team is the top recruiting operation in Air Force Reserve Command. At the center of their success sits the leadership of Cantrell, a former Air Force security forces specialist. The no-nonsense mentality of the former cop comes across to his recruiters loud and clear: failure is not an option.

"When I took over this station last year, I sat my recruiters down and told them that we were a family, and I expected them to treat each other like that," Cantrell said. "Like a family, they have to know that they can lean on each other for support."

Cantrell thinks of himself as his recruiters' daddy, and even has the name 'Pappy' inscribed on the nameplate that sits on his desk. Part of his job, he says, is to make sure no bad news from above gets down to his recruiters unless it's through him, and that all bad news from his recruiters goes through him.

"If anything goes wrong with my recruiters, if they don't make mission that month, it's my fault," Cantrell said. "If they do good, it's because of them."

How does a recruiter always have new applicants beating down their door? Cantrell beleives there are no bad recruiting locations for the Air Force Reserve. His recruiters are ordered not to wait for applicants to come to them. He insists his recruiters integrate themselves with their communities; Be in the schools, the colleges, the local media. Once people in the community know the Air Force Reserve is out there, it then becomes a matter of taking care of applicants. Paradoxically, this sometimes means pointing them away from their office door.

"If an applicant needs a full-time job, we walk them down to the active-duty recruiter," Cantrell said. "Because we take care of our applicants by doing what's best for them, we find they take care of us, too."

Cantrell recalls a day early in his recruiting career when a single mother working at a fast-food restaurant approached him about joining the Air Force Reserve. The young recruiter recognized the mother needed a full-time job that would offer her the pay and health benefits she needed. Cantrell's lead recruiter was not happy to lose the applicant.

"My lead recruiter wanted to know what the heck I was thinking, sending her to the active duty!" Cantrell said.

When the single mother told her friends about the honesty and fairness Cantrell had showed her, she sent three of her friends to his office.

"That woman gave me three applicants who joined the reserves ... it was the right choice for them," Cantrell added.

In addition to insisting that his recruiters look out for their applicants' best interests, Cantrell also insists his recruiters be well-rounded.

"My recruiters should be able to talk to anyone about any subject at any time," Cantrell stated. "If an applicant has a question about the reserves or about world events, my recruiters should be able to give them an informed opinion."

Having informed, integrated, proactive recruiters who have the freedom to do their very best is a recipe so simple that it often goes unnoticed.

"Sergeant Cantrell streamlined our administrative processes, allowing us to focus on recruiting," said Tech. Sgt. Michael Gabryszewski, the Tampa Recruiter for the Air Force Reserve. "When we're not tied up with the peripheral stuff, we can focus on doing our jobs ... getting the best candidates in the Air Force Reserve."

Gabryszewski pointed out that it's not hard to be the best when you've got a little help from up top.

"All the time we spend taking care of paperwork and administrative hold-ups, we miss qualified applicants," Gabryszewski said.

His logic speaks for itself - he and the other recruiters on his team have succeeded in finding dedicated, qualified Airmen to carry on the Reserve's mission of making citizen-warriors month after month. With 'Pappy' clearing the way for them, his recruiters can claim to be the most successful in the Air Force Reserve.

"When you enjoy coming to work, you work harder," Cantrell said. "I create that environment for my recruiters, and the rest takes care of itself."