 Welcome back, I'm Jay Fidel, 2 p.m. This is Sync Tech and it's the military in Hawaii, one of my favorite series here on a given Thursday. And today we're talking about the US Army Hawaii recruiting program with our guest who is a recruiter Paul Francis Pua Kai Hui. Welcome to the show Paul Francis. Nice to have you here. We live in different difficult and different times these days, you know, although recruiting has existed, you know, from the history of the country, you know, here you are with a different situation. So how is the situation different for a recruiter now today in 2022. So with the jobs that they offer now like with many other like employers, they offer competitive wages, and like tuition reimbursement health care and bonuses. So it kind of like gives us a harder time to recruit people within symptoms that with that sentence that we have. So it's pretty much like we give a bonus, and then the civilian, they'll give a bonus too so it's like. Beating with you. Yeah, I mean our young people or any people willing to recruit these days I mean they're willing to come into the service. I mean are they other lining up at your door. Well, there's times when we have walk ins to want to join. Part of the time we're out there prospecting hitting the streets, the school is doing a table setups career fairs. And it's pretty much we go out there looking for them. A lot of people don't know, like especially like the seven 1617 year olds to like 24. They don't really know too much about the military so like, it's our jobs pretty much like put it out there are the other benefits that we offer opportunities job opportunities, education opportunities that we can provide like right now the density level to service 10%, which is like the lowest since like 2007. So it's been, it's been pretty rough for us so we're sorry I try and do our best. Yeah, that's interesting you know. Before a few weeks ago I read in a paper that you were offering a join up basis a recruiting paid a rather recruiting, you know, bonus. Is that always been the case or that just happened now. Before it was, you could get up to a $40,000 bonus, but they bumped it up to 50,000 so you're able to get a signing bonus up to $50,000, which is like a $10,000 increase since previous years. We offer like other bonuses such as like quick ship bonus, if they leave 30 days 60 days 90 out from when they sign, and it could range from like 2000 to like about 9,000. And like, there's many like different jobs that we offer each job has like their own bonus, and it changes varies depending on what needs at that time. How many of them would be more than 50,000 then. 50,000 will be like the max, you'll have like jobs that offer $20,000. So like infantry would have like $20,000 just for a job. And then if you decide to go like airborne infantry, you'll get another 10,000 so it'd be like 30,000 all together, just for one airborne ranger that combination. Do you want to get your check right there? No, after you finish your training for basic training and the IT or your job that you picked any additional schools such as Ranger, you'll receive it after you've done all your. Was your washout. Yeah, if you wash out then you pretty much go back to the line. The bonus changes. Yeah, what the time and service doesn't include there you deal with your contract. But what's the contract say how long do you have to commit you know to get a bonus like that. Well just depends on the job. So in order to like for bonuses, you got to score a 50 on the eyes. And you don't fight for bonuses, but if you score over a 50 on the eyes, depending on what job you pick like 13 Juliet, which is a fire direction control there. Right now it's $50,000 for six years. Yeah, it just depends on like how many years you serve. If the 13 Juliet did three years it could have been like 10,000. We go in our system and when we're picking the jobs for them. We help them like choose the how many years they want. They want three years for 1000 or six years for 40,000. It's all on the applicant. They make the decision. We're just there to help them. That's the new army isn't it. You know, you're, you're very flexible about it giving giving them options that's terrific makes it more attractive. Is there a certain level of education for these bonuses. Some of them. Yeah, you do need some college, certain algebra classes, many like a higher education of like math, just because like the medical field doesn't deal with a lot of math so you need like extra education. You can help with that, because we provide like tuition assistance, like right now and currently like run a college trying to get my associates, and I never thought I'd be going to college, like ever. So, like, I might as well use it. Sounds like you recruited yourself. Basically, like, I don't know, growing up on the West side like, I never thought like I'd be able to like travel the world, like I've been, I traveled all like New York to Washington State so we me and my family like we visit Mount Rushmore by Niagara Falls New York City. Like we traveled a lot, and I think it'd be possible if I did it on my own. Like tours in the Middle East Central Asian. Oh, which is like, crazy because I'm going to combat MOS. Well, I was a 13 Bravo, which is a few artillery. So that most is usually get deployed more, but God had different plans for me so here I am. Okay, it's okay. So question is, you know, how do you how do you get to be a recruiter I mean if you're, if your MOS is in, you know, combat wake up one morning and you can change. Once you reach a certain rank you have that like time in that rank to pretty much like progress to the next spring. I have to do a broadening assignment so you can either become a drill sergeant, or you can become a recruiter. A lot of my buddies were getting picked for drill, but me and my family, I needed time with my family so I dropped a recruiter packet and went that route. Like drill sergeants, I give them all the props, but I need time with my family. Yeah. It strikes me this is more appropriate for you anyway as a matter of personality. You don't seem like a drill sergeant person to me, actually, you know, Paul Francis, you seem like a recruiter than a drill sergeant. It's the same personality. Yeah, yeah, I don't I don't like yelling, like, even my soldiers like they know if I started to yell then something's wrong. How long do you want to stay in this this this this MOS I guess it will start rather the recruiter MOS how long is that last for you. So this tour is three years long, but I can extend for a year if I like it, but work convert to become a full time recruiter for like the rest of my time serving. But I kind of missed the gunline shooting artillery like that's what I signed up for that's what I like doing. So I don't know it's all up in there. Yeah, I think it's an important view of the army is good to rotate people through so that you are doing something you know, you're doing other things other specialties before you get to be recruited. So I'm just wondering, you know, the, the way you engage with possible, you know, soldiers who enlist these if you will. So what is it like what you know, you're going to tell them what what what they're about to get. And I like to hear it in terms of the benefits I like to hear it in terms of the, you know, the education especially, because to put in six years and now you, you know, you might choose to get out, I guess a lot of them do. You want to be trained so you can get a decent job, you know, in the civilian world so if the army can train me on some technical thing that I'm much better off the end of my six years, because I'm now I'm six years older. Yep. So query what you know what sort of benefits what sort of education can I get what what kind of schools. Would you would you say that I could go to when you are recruiting me. Like if you enlisted as a 68 whiskey, which is a combat medic. After you finish your training as a combat medic, you're pretty much a certified empty. So you can like be going to like reserves, just so you can go to college. You can get reserves as a combat medic come back with your empty so that that's like a big chunk of change that you just saved with all that like college that you have. You also earn college credits while you're in training and basic. And then from there, you can use the tuition assistance, which is 4,000 a year. And that replenishes every year. If you use it, you use it if you don't then it's gone. I'm in the service. This is in service. I go to college in service with this program. Yep. Yeah, from there after you do decide to get out. That's when you utilize your jet bill to cover the rest of your education. You can get a pretty good degree offer just the tuition assistance alone over a six year course. Yeah. And then I'm a veteran I get veteran administration, the eight benefits right when I get out to get more more benefits for education right. Oh, with that you get your via benefits as in like medical, like whatever medical problems that you acquired over the years of your service. Like, I know like in Tennessee, where I was just station loss, like they have a pretty much like this program where if your father or mother or your guardian serve. If your kid graduates in a Tennessee high school, they'll be able to get like free education for two years. And that's not even, you can transfer your jet bill to your kids too. So you can use the two years of Tennessee education for free, and then stack on the GI bill for your kids. So I got three kids so that's my plan. That's great. That's very attractive when you when you add all these things up. And then what you know what about the pay these days if I go in as an E one. So what's it going to be like for me in terms of, you know, a my basic pay be any special pay because I'm here in Hawaii, I don't know if there's still is something like that. If I have, you know, alive for kids. And what about housing I mean what, what kind of economic experience am I going to have if I'm saying my early 20s. What can you offer me. So, well, it just depends on what you choose to. So like if you do decide to go reserve, you'll have part time pay because reserve is pretty much part time. And then if you decide to go active, you'll get full time pay. So on the active side, if you're a wife kid are dependent, you'll be able to get BH, which is a basic allowance for housing, and that basic class for housing just depends on where your station. So like for Hawaii, your station in Hawaii, like for me, I would get like 3000 for just your housing allowance. And then per month. Yes, yes. Yeah, I can find a decent place for that. Yeah. Yeah. So 3000 for boy when I was in Tennessee over there was 1500 for my BH. I think that helps too is if you're all illness, because there's colonists and all corners. So, colonists is like the mainland. All bonuses, why Korea, Japan, Germany, anything overseas. So we were considered all colonists so we get a cola to which helps. And I think that's an extra kicker on top. Yeah, just to be away from the continental you us. Yeah, because cost of living over here is not so. It's true. Price over here compared to Tennessee isn't unreal Paris and yeah. Yeah. So what about my, my choice of duty station. When I come and see you and I say look, I want to, I want to go to Tennessee, or I want to go somewhere in the country. How specific, can you promise me, if at all, can you can you arrange it so I go where I want to go, or is it is up for grabs. So right now there's like this program, you can actually choose your initial duty with patients so we have for Campbell, Kentucky where I just came from for hood. Which is in Texas, Polk, Louisiana, for Germany or joint based Elizabeth court is in Washington and Alaska. You can choose those places for your first year initial contract. So that's pretty good because when I was in the guard before so I joined the guard three years, and then from there, like, I was like man I gotta, I gotta do something better because construction was telling me like, I got laid off in the laborers union. I had a wife, two kids like with her new wife was hurting like we're gonna have like $20 in our column. So, in the National Guard, like, it's like I need to go active because I can't afford living over here. And then from there, that conditional release talk to my recruiter, which isn't couple it, which is I'm recruiting and now which is weird. Talk to my recruiter, and then they set me up for success. I'm in a conditional release. My first duty station one is in Ford drum in winter. 85 degree weather to 15 degree weather. It could be worse. It could be worse. But from there, like, you know what they say is two kinds of people in the service, okay. The two kinds of people in the service. One is the kind of person who likes his duty station, and the other, but he doesn't like his duty station. And usually it's consistent throughout his career, you know. Yeah. Like, I showed up in New York with T shirt and shorts, and it's 15 degrees. I was like, Oh my God, what I get myself. Yeah, like, I like, like the opportunities that have after that, I've been able to play. Yes. You have my family's like we're living good, we have a roof overhead, the kids have food on the table. They're medical is taking care of dental is taking care of like, I can't ask for anything else, as long as my family's taking care of. I'm good. Yeah, this is great. I just wonder, suppose a young person walks into your office and says, Yeah, that's nice but I want to go to OCS. I want to be an officer. I want to handle that. What, what do you tell him when he tells you that he wants to be an officer from officers training school. Yeah. So for me, being a new recruiter on these, I've been recruiting for like, six months, I'll go to my station commander and be like a boss like this guy's trying to go or his, or his girls trying to go, yes, I need help. I don't have a lot of mentorship. I never came across one personally, myself, but from there I would, I would talk to my station commander, and they'll help me out with that situation. Well, it's, you know, if you have the qualifications for it, it sounds pretty attractive, you know, becoming an officer right out of the box. Yeah. I wanted to ask you the other thing is that I have a lot of questions for you. You're the army, okay. Look at you, you're the army, you're dressed in fatigues, you got your patches on, you're the army. What about the Navy? What about the Marine Corps? There are other recruiters too, right? Are they shoulder to shoulder in the same office? Down the row, where are they? And do you compete with them? Well, there is a competition between each branch, like that's just the name of the game, but we have a new Navy recruiters right next door to us. We help each other out too at the same time, like if we can't process someone, we'll send them to the Navy, see if they can process them. Like, I don't really, well, like when I talk to these kids, I don't really care if they go Air Force, Marines, Navy. But as long as, to me, as long as they have a plan of what they're going to do after high school or just in general in life, like that's all I care about. I'll walk them into the Navy myself. I'll walk them into Air Force myself, like I don't care. As long as they have a plan, I'm willing to help them. Okay, so I guess some services are better for some Analysties and some not. You know, I mean, my own self, I went looking for a job in the service and I went to, you know, some recruiting offices back when I'm looking for OCS. And they said, I was too short, because I'm short. And they said, well, why don't you go down the road, go to the other one. They don't care about your height. And so that's how I got a job in that very way. One recruit have passed me to another. I went with tattoos too. You know how like for wines and like just Polynesians we have travel tattoos. And we'll have it on our arms and this and that. Like Marines, they didn't take like travel or like tattoos on our farms, like they just change your policy that they can. A lot of the times is like, all Marines won't be able to help someone just because of tattoo, so they'll send them to us. And then, yeah, from there, process them. You have a job. You don't care about tattoos. We do have policies on tattoos, like you can't have it pass your wrist bone. So like for my one is like up to your wrist bone right here. Because you have to be presentable in uniform. And then like on your neck or face or head. Other than that, like you can have it for a sleeve like me. And you can have it anywhere on your body. Yeah, pretty much. Yeah, legs. So, you know, I mean, we live as I said beginning of the show we live in strange times. Sometimes, you know, one political geopolitical issue or another. Somebody in Washington decides that you have to go somewhere. And that could happen in Ukraine any day I mean, I'm not sure if there's troops that actually have been deployed but there's a fair chance they will be seems to me. So, so how do you deal with that when somebody's coming to talk to you and recruiting himself or herself. Will you, can you promise me I'm not going through a theater of war that I don't have to, you know, not going to get shot up here. What do you say when they ask you that. I don't make any promises I can't keep. So, I get to, I usually tell it's all up in there, like me, I'm in a combat MOS, like, we supposed to be deploying, but I never deployed over the 12 years I've been in. I'm 13 years in there. So, there's times where some troops got to their station and deployed within a few months. But like it's just all up in there. I can't say anything about that. Like, if it happens. I promise them anything for sure yeah. Yeah, but we do provide the best training for it to be able to survive you know I mean like basic training they're trying to actually take care of themselves and go through all this like firing ranges and firing and all that so it's not like we're improperly trained before we do go. Yeah, well that's that could be life and death. But you mentioned earlier about how some people get to be drill sergeants and all this and can you tell me what it's like these days can we see all these movies right and they always depict you know the hard times. What is boot camp? What is boot camp like now in 2022? What's it like? So you said times are ever changing back in the day it was they'll punch you, beat you, pretty much drown you if they find a puddle. Now it's when I went it was more of the screaming which I'm used to from the west side so it's like the screaming yelling that's nothing to me. And then it's got to be worse, got to be worse and then it's not so it was easy to get to basic like you just got to get past all the yelling. That's how they train you. If you panic and you're home as you go to war you're going to panic and like just stay on spot no you got to move. Move, shoot back, turn fire. But yeah and now it's like some of the recruits that I got drill sergeant buddies they're like man it's not the same. Like generation change that's kind of like now. How long has it been through eight weeks and that sticks in my head but is it more or less? It's nine weeks and then like a week of processing the processing starts before the basic training making sure it is right, making sure the beneficiaries are taken care of and all that. If you're getting like your dependents, making sure to make sure it's good, housing allowance because once you go to basic training if you're married or have dependents you get housing allowance for wherever you're at. So when I was gone for basic training, my wife pretty much shaved up all the BH that we made over here. So when I came back from basic training, I were pretty good. Yeah, thanks you got to manage the management situation. So what about you know what about being in the army being in the military these days. You know, what do you say to them when they ask you is, is this very regimented is this do I have to follow a lot of rules and regulations and standard attention all the time and salute everybody and you know, am I going to be feeling like I'm locked into something. What kind of conversation do you have with them about that. Well, we do have a military customs and Percy so yes you will salute officers every time you see them in uniform, not, but what job, even in a civilian side doesn't have regulations. You know what I mean, like, you can't wear it like Coca Cola Pepsi if you work for Pepsi, you kind of get caught drinking Coca Cola, or you can't be, you know, there's so much regulations that they worry about. But ours is more like tradition on like, I mean like saluting like I said, yeah, it's tradition, but you also like learn like auto creeds, and it gets like embedded in your head. You, pretty much from the drill sergeants and not get like broken down just to be built back up again. And it's not necessarily a bad thing, you know, I mean, like, I was a naughty kid back in the day. So, it's kind of good to like, get like, built up to something better, more professional. Well, stange in good stead your whole life really. You know, the other thing I wanted to ask you about is, is the, the relationships that you have. Of course, you know, your commander is not likely to be your friend but your, you know, the guys in your in your unit, they're likely to be your friends, and they're likely to be your close friends and give you comfort and help and, you know, become become friends because you remember your whole life. Can you talk about that how is that now in the army. So, to this day, I still have buddies from basic training, and I was like 13 years ago, and we still keep in contact. The brotherhood sisterhood that you make in the army will. Some of them last like forever. Some of them may not just because he may butt heads with somebody but for the most part, you'll know, people that you never thought you had come across like so many different walks of life. We exchange food in different ways like Mexicans will cook something for me I'll cook some wine food for them. And we just build like this trust that you would lay it on your life for your, your body, you know. So, it just depends on like, like the unit to a lot of the time though like, I make good friends everywhere I went. Well, so, you know, one thing that strikes me is that, you know, the military has always been, especially in World War two a melting pot. We get a diverse group of people from all over the country every race creed nationality, you know, everything, which made, at least in those days it made the military a great thing, socially and culturally and so forth. I wonder how that is today I mean you hear sometimes you hear little stories about, you know, racial bigotry and the like in the military and of course outside as well. How is the how is the military these days about that if I'm, if I'm in a minority. You know, am I going to have a bad time. Do you expect me if you know if people, you know, do bigoted things against me. Yeah, so military will protect you every unit has a sharp representative for sexual harassment and they have an equal opportunity representative for my last unit I was the equal opportunity So what would happen is like if somebody feels like they're being like targeted or whatever they come to me, I either handle the situation right then and there and make sure everything's good within my company. But if it's something like really bad bump it up to the next level and the brigade will take care of it. So you had like to put in a 41 87 which is like this form that you fill out that would have to remove this person from our unit and send it to another unit, just so we don't have that negative atmosphere in our company. That's not good for promotion a if you if you have been found to be, you know, discriminating against people that gets on your, your record, you're going to be, you're not going to, you're not going to get promoted so easily am I right. I don't want to get far, especially with that kind of negative remark. If it that if your attitude doesn't change from then, you probably might just kick out that and sexual assault like zero tolerance. Yeah, yeah, I can't complain about that. And so, so you recruit these people for any number of years depending on the circumstances and say six years. Okay, what's the level of success. You know, what's the level of, you know, this is stick, does it stick. In other words, they have the kind of experience that hopefully brought them in. How does it work for them, and do they stay in, or do they drop out as soon as their obligated period of services over. Well, honestly, that just depends on the person I've like had soldiers that was like, they only had a three year contract they're like, sorry, I'm done, like I can't do this, or blah blah blah. And I just talked with them, I was like, what's their plans, it's not come to find out they don't have any plans. So to end up reenlisting for another three years. And it's like from there, they just keep reenlisting over and over again, and they end up loving it. And then there's some that like are like full on army cool cool. And it just depends on the person, like, for me, I do it for my family, just because the benefits are there, obviously. Like I said, my wife, kids are taken care of so I can't, I can't argue with that. Yeah. And you'll stay till retirement at 20 or you think you'll stay beyond 20. I'm trying. I'm trying. It's the combat and getting to me. I like the brass ring because you know you get benefits then and you're still relatively young. They get a check all the time it's it's a terrific result. I think, thanks for calling me young. Yeah, well if you do 20 so that's the best thing about this to is like a lot of companies pretty much have to work till you're dead. So if you do age retirement, like, if somebody started off at 18 working till 67, like what are you going to do with the rest of your life. Yeah. Army if you join at 18, you can retire at 38, and then have like retirement check everyone and like set. So it's like, just depends on the person. Well, I mean it's very interesting. And I, and I, I'm hoping that the army and all the services will figure out ways to bring in because I believe, as I was telling you before the show I believe in national service. Not just because it's a job that you know has benefits and you know lifetime benefits in so many ways starting with education and ending with retirement. So, you know, because it's national service we all have to be connected with the United States with the government. We have to support the government that means a lot, especially now when you know things are so upside down. So I guess I want to leave you one last opportunity. Thank you, Francis to speak to whoever might be listening to this, to this interview this talk show, and talk to them about why they should consider the possibility of enlisting in either in the army or the other services. What would you say to them to encourage them to take a look at it. So benefits wise, you have signing bonuses that will help you out after you finish your training traveling, you're able to travel, wherever you want, as of right now to any duty station and you want. If you're looking for education wise reserves will be your best bet. If you come back home to boy, and then just knock out your college and from there, you can go to active or just get another civilian job with auto military training that you accomplished, but honestly, like, benefits is what the generation doesn't look at right now. Like, you can make a lot of money but if you don't have medical or dental, like, it's expensive, it gets expensive, and sure enough to like, even pick up a prescription, the one prescription bottle I had was, I looked at how much it was a $350 for one bottle of pills. I'm like, I think you're dying. I'm covered that so yeah, wise. Yo now one body. Yeah, conservative the best way you care. Yeah. Yep. Well, I guess the last thing I want to ask you is how can they find you. Suppose they would like to talk to you about it. How can they find you. So, we're looking at a couple of right across 711 zippies. It's 1001. Kamakila Boulevard. And there's parking on the post office side on the street, or as a garage parking, it's called a Campbell parking, and it's like a structure goes downstairs to parking there and it's free. And we have rowing security too, so your car should be safe. But even if you want to just give us a call, we'll direct you to a closer recruiting station to where you're at. Okay, I'll be down. I'll see you. Oh, yeah, well last question is, you know, I mean, I'm older than most than most people you want to recruit. But is there what what's the what's the maximum age, you know, because if they're beyond a certain age, you can help them now. Yeah, so before it was 35 and you would have to ship before your 36 birthday. And now it's 38. So 38 years old and come down still check it out. Okay. Thank you Paul Francis is great to talk to you at it makes me feel that there's this really options here for young people. I appreciate that, not only for the benefits the education and the possibility of getting really getting great jobs afterward, plus the retirement possibilities. Yeah, also also to serve the country. Very important to all of us. Thank you so much. We really appreciate the discussion. Thanks for coming down. Thank you. Thank you, Jay.