Hometown Recruiting and Understanding the Future Generation of Naval Personnel

Hometown Recruiting and Understanding the Future Generation of Naval Personnel

By LT Geoffrey “Milk Man” Fries HSC-2 Fleet Angels

At the onset of the new fiscal year, I was lucky enough to travel back to my home state of Oklahoma to recruit future Naval Officers through the Navy’s Officer Hometown Area Recruitment Program (OHARP). During my travel, I reflected back on what was important to me as a 17 year old high school student seeking a commission in the U.S. Navy. At the time, in 2010, I was focused on having zero student debt, a guaranteed job, and a way out of my Oklahoma town to “see the world.” I didn’t ask many questions, and I didn’t care to ask. I was focused on the opportunity and willingly signed up without much understanding of what I would experience. Well, fast forward 12 years and I received a commission, completed flight school, executed multiple deployments, and enjoyed a shore tour. I am amazed how different the high school students of this generation are. My experience with OHARP exposed how I need to shift my perspective in order to become a more effective Naval Officer.

During my time in Oklahoma, I was able to sit down with over 80 high schoolers interested in receiving a commission across five different public schools throughout the eastern half of the state. I was struck by how specific and detailed these students’ questions were. They wanted to know the intricacies of my commitment, the details of each available service selection, the differences between Restricted and Unrestricted Line Officers, and the typical experiences while deployed. All of these were questions that I never thought to ask as a rising high school senior.

This reminded me of my time as a Division Officer working alongside my Senior Chief. We frequently chatted about how these new Sailors were always asking the question, “Why?” to nearly any task presented. Upwards of 10 years ago, the answer was always, “Yes, Sir,” and the leader’s command was never answered with a question. Times are changing.

At first, both as the young Division Officer and as the Officer Recruiter, I was surprised to hear these responses. But after getting to know the junior Sailors and prospective Naval Officers, I have come to appreciate the thoroughness of both groups. The desire to understand and evaluate a decision is something that should be celebrated. It breeds confidence in all the ranks, and creates a more cohesive unit that is aligned from the top down. I am not saying that commands should be questioned, and there are plenty of time-critical commands that must be executed immediately. However, these questions have highlighted a generational difference that I see playing out within the Navy. As a selfish introvert, I often ask, how does this affect me? This experience has taught me that making decisions that affect personnel, regardless of the severity, must always have a solid foundational reason. By doing this, I have seen the younger generation gain even more confidence in what the Navy is doing. After the high school visits, multiple students are now seeking Navy commissions who otherwise would not have. It is no secret that the Fiscal Year 2022 Goal for DOD enlistment fell well short of expectations. There are many factors that contribute to this shortcoming and I believe a lack of understanding of the generational differences is one of the key pieces to understanding this problem. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to go back to my home state and engage with the younger generation. The experience helped change my perspective, has shaped how I will interact with Sailors, and how I will lead as an Officer. It is time to embrace the conversation. Instead of seeing these differences as a hindrance to efficiency, I value them as an invitation for cohesion in order to build a more effective force.