Army recruits wowed by YPG
Most newly enlisted recruits’ knowledge of the nature of Army service is secondhand.
If they’re part of the lucky few, perhaps a parent or other close relative served. Others know of it entirely from television and movies. But 10 lucky young adults from the Yuma area recently spent a day at Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) getting a dynamic look at what YPG does and how the post’s Soldiers serve.
From seeing students of the
Army’s elite Military Free Fall School participate in a high altitude, low opening freefall, to touring the Airborne Test Force and Weapons Operations shops, the visitors were consistently wowed throughout the day.
YPG has hosted such visits for much of the last decade, and local Army recruiters say doing so is making a big impact.
“Ever since we started doing these education tours, we’ve seen an increase in interest and leads for the Army recruiting station in Yuma, particularly between young people between the ages of 17 and 22,” said Staff Sgt. Alex Lopez, recruiter. “We see they take pictures and share them with their friends on social media, and it sparks interest in others.”
This visit was more modest than usual due to COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Whereas a tour in normal times typically shows the post to 15 future Soldiers and 15 local educators, the most recent one had less than a dozen. About half were weeks away from going to basic training, while others were still on the fence about enlisting.
One participant was a late addition induced to come by his buddy who had already enlisted. The two local educators who came took personal leave from their day jobs to attend.
“I love helping the recruiters out,” said Jerri Van Sickle, a teacher at Yuma’s Gila Ridge High School.
“We usually have the recruiters come in, but this year we haven’t been able to due to COVID. I wanted to find out a little bit more so that when I talk to the kids and encourage them to look at options for their life, I can give them more information.”
In addition to their wide-ranging experience with the sights and sounds of the proving ground, the recruits also enjoyed a briefing and question and answer session with YPG Commander Col. Patrick McFall and Command Sgt. Maj. Herbert Gill.
“I got a lot of feedback from them about speaking with both the commander and Command Sgt. Maj.,” said Lopez. “They said they enjoyed talking with them and felt that they were genuine with them.”
Both the recruits and teachers felt the visit was worthwhile and informative.
“There were a couple of things that I didn’t know YPG did that I learned about today,” said Van Sickle.