GULFPORT, Miss. -- Career recruiters, recruiting station commanding officers and sergeants major all along the east coast gathered at Keesler Air Force Base, Gulfport. Mississippi, for the 6th Marine Corps District Career Recruiter Symposium, July 29 - August 2. Career recruiters and commanders engaged in the weeklong event to discuss and develop the role of recruiters and the future goals of the district.
Marines with the occupational specialty 8412 are career recruiters specially chosen to dedicate the remainder of their Marine Corps career to the improvement and development of recruiting. These Marines serve in recruiting stations and commands around the country and its territories. Marines with the 6th district operate out of the Southeastern United States stretched out across eight recruiting stations spanning an area that covers nearly 363 thousand square miles.
The commanding officer of the 6th Marine Corps District, Col. William Bowers, provided motivation and guidance in his welcoming speech to the commanders and career recruiters.
Bowers explained his intent and expectations for future recruiting operations in the 6th district.
“The overall goal of this conference is to focus on training and proficiency with a continued emphasis of how to drive prospecting in our daily activities,” said Bowers.
The symposium invited key personnel in the recruiting field to brief the Marines on various subjects, such as the future of Marine Corps recruiting, increasing recruiting resources and the latest techniques and training available to maximum taxpayer dollars.
“Career recruiters are the backbone of the Marine Corps Recruiting Command,” said Master Gunnery Sgt. Michael Bragin, the Marine Corps Recruiting Command career recruiter monitor, during a brief on the current state of career recruiters. “We [career recruiters] are national assets available for service throughout the nation and are the epitome of awesome tenacity.”
The purpose of this conference was to build on our professional development and understand where we stand and how we can continue to meet the commandant’s mission of making Marines, said Master Gunnery Sgt. Frederick Gaston, the district training team chief.
“At the end of the day, the common goal is to build the trust of the American people, continue to be ambassadors in our community, and importantly, we continue to take care of our Marines and their families.”