Future Soldiers spend a day at YPG
With less than 1% of the population joining the Armed Forces, recruiting can be a difficult task.
Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) is doing their part to assist in the United States Army Recruiting Command’s (USAREC) mission to recruit the enlisted, noncommissioned and officer candidates for service in the United States Army and Army Reserve.
In an attempt to raise awareness of what the Army can offer, Staff Sgt. Christopher Rivera, Yuma recruiting station commander, brought a mix of 21 applicants and those already enlisted awaiting to ship for basic training onto the installation for an up close and personal view of life in the Army.
These young men and women had a jam-packed day of exciting and educational opportunities which started with watching the Military Freefall School, a joint forces training school covering all aspects of military freefall parachuting, jump into Cox Field. Next they toured the base gym, housing, medical clinic, pool, bowling alley, restaurant, and commissary. After this came the eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicle, the Stryker. Each person was able to don a helmet after a safety brief and take a short tour of the hills of the desert terrain inside the Stryker.
Next came the inner workings of the Airborne Test Force. The applicants viewed different parachutes, packs, and learned some interesting details of the occupation of parachute rigors and parachutist’s. Shortly after, they were off to take a closer look at weapons systems consisting of a variety of small arms.
Identified as stand outs from Gila Ridge High School, Zachary Contrabasos ships to basic training on June 17 and will become a supply specialist while Dixzzy Fernandez from Cibola High School will ship on July 1 to become a logistics specialist.
It has been said that recruiting for military service is difficult during one of the most challenging labor markets since the inception of the all-volunteer force, and approximately 71% of youth do not qualify for military service because of obesity, drugs, physical and mental health problems, misconduct, and aptitude. Couple these statistics with the fact that 50% of youth admit they know little to nothing about military service and you can see why recruiting the most highly qualified candidates for our nation’s military is a tough job. Yuma Proving Ground made accomplishing this mission a little easier by showing applicants that life in the Army is exceptional and that serving will give you the pride that you are doing something bigger and better, and for the greater good.