MSgt. Hamilton and Maj. General Hammond

New Georgia Air Guard Recruiting
Superintendent Selected; Greater Recruiting Emphasis Focused In Georgia

March 2006 -- Georgia Air National Guard officials have revitalized the service’s recruiting programs by hiring a new state recruiting and retention superintendent. They have also instituted a series of new programs to attract candidates to the 3,000-member Air Guard force as it works toward reversing slumping recruiting figures.

Master Sgt. Richard K. Hamilton has been named recruiting and retention superintendent for Georgia, and supervises all recruitment for the Air Guard. Hamilton also supervises 11 production recruiters assigned to Marietta’s Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, and for Georgia Air Guard units in  Savannah and Brunswick.

Hamilton, an Atlanta native and a Powder Springs resident, began his military career in the 1986 when he enlisted in the active duty Air Force.  Following nearly a decade of service in the aircraft maintenance field, he became a recruiter in November 1997 with Marietta’s 331st Recruiting Squadron.  Hamilton held the position until taking the job of supervisor for the Montgomery, Ala., Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) in 2002. The Montgomery MEPS is also part of the 331st RCS.

Hamilton joined the Air National Guard in September 2004 as the 116th ACW’s recruiting office supervisor before being selected as the State Recruiting and Retention Superintendent in January this year.

“For 2006, recruiting is job one, to coin a phrase,” said Maj. Gen. Scott A. Hammond, commander Georgia Air Guard. “We have a great product to sell, but it requires every member of the Air National Guard to be a salesman.”

With its requirement for highly skilled technical personnel, Air Guard officials are rethinking ways to recruit against its high tech vacancies. “I am convinced that we have the quality product, the benefits and the people to make a difference in the future,” Hamilton added.

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