European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 14, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday March 14, 19b9 the stars and stripes Page 9 no s target the proud the few Marine Recruiter covers Europe by Ron Jussen staff writer Frankfurt. West Germany when the marines landed in Europe five years ago to establish a recruiting beachhead. In scr gunnery sol. Don Ald. R. Doc bal was Given plenty of ground to cover in search of i he proud and the Taw. We cover All of Europe everything from Iceland in Turkey All of is Lorn Europe says Goebl. Cairo Cyprus. Malta. You name it adds up in i million Square Miles from which Goebl and one colleague can look Tor a few Gand applicants we re the largest recruiting substation in the world says Gocbel a Marine for 24 years. With such a urge territory few recruits just walk Mlo his office in the Frankfurt shopping Center but if they do Roochel is ready. There is a video player for showing a tape of Marine life believe it or not. A Selling Point. Brochures and posters put the Best Side on the smallest of Ameri Ca s major , a. Coffee pol is nearly always plugged in and two maps of Europe spotted with pins hang on the Watt. Hut with Only two men to cover All of Europe Cochel s methods Ofinn vary from those he used during it years visa Recruiter in the United slates. Stateside recruiters do a lot of smiling and dial he says calling potential recruits id arrange appointments with them. Goeld uses inv Telephone Here too but it is difficult to arrange a personal visit with an interested High school senior who lives in say . A lot of our recruiting is done Over the phone says Goebel. A lot of. Limes it s done sight unseen. We Don t even the kid.1 making the Job even tougher in Europe is the Lack of a Marine presence. Liow Many marines do. They see Over Here Goebel asks. Not Many. While older services count their european personnel in the thousands tic marines barely number 1.000, Many of them embassy guards also off duty Marine ate forbidden to uniforms and this makes them even Lew conspicuous. When Goebel wants to create a stir he win Ders around the shopping Center out Side his office in his dress uniform. Gochel t became the first Marine re Cruit Crin Europe when he opened the m Aster gunnery sri Donald k. Goebl. His beat is a million Square Miles office in april 1984 above a Woodland store near the army Hospital in Frank wus Uherc one Yea before mov. Ing to his current location. His first order of business was to Contact the 50. Or. So american High schools scattered throughout Europe first of All we had to find out where they were he says we just started calling them up. Our primary role Ilia was to meet with the Princi pals and Counselor and let them know we re Gocbel seems a Good Choice for the Job. A 42-year-old decorated Veteran of two Tours in Vietnam he is unabashed about his Pride in the marines. Of the four major services the Marine corps is the smallest he says. It s a Light group. As one general put it it s a band of Brothers. " he says there is no such thing a an sex Marine Only a former while Goebel is talking his current colleague. Master sol. John Frey is cruising the highways of Italy from High school to High school. To be really effective with two of a working one of us should be on the Road All the time he my. Even when the pitch is successful gelling the new recruit Inlo the corps is much More difficult than in a Lakeside recruiting. In the states they can see a Guy one Day and enlist him the next. There s no Way i can do thai Cio Ebel says. Over Here a minimum a minimum of a week. And that s rare. That s if a local boy walks in Here and 1 can do it All Here in in the United Stales recruiters get the commitment and turn the new re cruel Over to the military enlistment processing Seal Ion which takes charge of testing and the physical examination. Here we do it Goebel Sayi even Down to scheduling the physical examination at a military Hospital. Consider 100, of excl s target population sons find daughters of army air Force and Navy personnel. Some limes the service member Par civil encourages the child to enter the corps. But other limes in s just the oppo site no. I Don t want you going in the Marine corps " Doc bal says in a Way that makes in Clear he has heard that. Line several limes from parents. In fad he heard it when he joined Lac corps. His an army vet eran. It seems like a lot of work for Sis new marines each month. Cioe Hel s stated Mission hut he says the Marine corps sees More than numbers. Because the people we gel Over Here Are High Quality it s Worth it Date we Haven t had anybody kicked out of Boot also recruits from Europe lend to score higher on military Al elude tells. Gocbel says the reason for the Quality n the same military background Tinl sometimes hampers recruiting this kid it in a much More strict command than in the he says these kids have a tendency to walk the straight and narrow More so than w the. Slates where they have More free Gocbel always finds the Bright Side of his Job. Lie refuses to complain about the hardships the travel or the Isola Tion. He. the ringing phone with an air of optimism confident this Call will be Frova future for Mer Marine. West Point honors Vietnam hero West Point . A on april 16, iq6k, army capt. Thomas Jav Hayes in was killed in Vietnam after dragging two wounded comrades to safety As enemy forces overwhelmed his platoon on sunday. Hayes became the latest fallen hero to liau1 a by slump on the West Point Campus loomed in his Honor. As his classmates from the West pour class of 66 gathered for the dedication ceremony in the spotless gymnasium previously known As the cast gym they reminisced about hayes1 leadership heroism and potential for greatness the quasi pics that led the Academy to rename the gym in his memory. He inspired All of us said classmate John Wheeler former Secretary of the securities and Exchange commission and president of the Washington based Center for the Vietnam generation we knew this Guy would Haic. Been a statesman not just a Soldier but a statesman and thai gave us an extra boost said col. C. Hilton Dunn jr., now assigned to the army corps of Engi neers. Several other buildings on inc Campus which is so Miles North of new York City have also been named after West Point graduates who like Hayes showed exceptional leadership As a Zadul excelled in athletics or some area of study and were killed in action. A few weeks ago a gymnasium was Nashed after Carl Robert Arvin. Class of. 65, who died in Vietnam at As 24. More men will be Way said Wheeler. The program to name building after the fallen heroes was initiated by West Point s commander. Gen. Dave r. Palmer he s updating West Point by bring ing the Best four past Inlo the present said Wheeler. By finding men like Tommy Hayes he s re igniting at West Point the Light Wheeler who counted Hayes among his Best friends said he researched haves death until he was satisfied that he knew exactly what had happened. His platoon was helicopter red Mlo a Landing tone and instantly he by a huge Force of overwhelming enemy tire Wheeler recalled. It was Dayh Ghl hours and they were Wembly exposed., Fie dragged one wounded Man Back to safety and then another Back to the men he rescued lived bul Hajes was Sholand killed on he spot. Hayes whose father and Grandi Uhr intended Wesl i dirt had been ninth in his class. Nearly All of Wajcs 579 class mates went to Vietnam 30 died there More than any other class Wheeler said. Hayes was sent or As an Engineer to handle Battlefield construction but in Slead volunteered for infantry duly. After his yearlong Vietnam Lour a Over he signed up for another. He was killed Halfway through it at age 26 an old Man considering that the average age of a Soldier in Vietnam was 19, said Wheeler it was Tough. It was almost like losing a brother Robert ,.now a Bap. Limore businessman said of learning hat Hayes had died. , guardsmen have feral Gap Columbia . A South Carolina s army National guard is worried too Many sol Diers can l read Well enough Loun de stand the. Manuals for such High Lech weapons As the Hawk missile. Apache attack helicopter and the my Abrams main Bailie Lank the training manuals Are writ Len for Lola graders. Bul 1q percent of the enlistees tested read at the ninth Grade level or below according to recent test scores adjutant Gen t. Eslon mar chant estimated thai 25 percent of those Reading at the a Mph Grade level or below work in High Lech speciality areas or will when the guard finishes its modernisation program
