Military Recruiters to Capitalize on Ocean City Air Show, 'H.S. Senior Week'

Military Recruiters to Capitalize on Air Show, 'Senior Week'
Military recruiters zero in on OC

by Brian Shane


OCEAN CITY - At this weekend's OC Air Show, you'll hear jet engines scream, helicopters whirr, and the oohs and ahhs of thousands of visitors.


"Roxy the Recruiter" at a Chicago Air and Water Show. (flickr photo by TheeErin)

Beneath the din, along the Boardwalk, listen closely and you might also hear an enthusiastic young man or woman asking: "How do I get to fly one of those?"

On the surface, air shows are about tourism and the spectacle of military might. But such large-scale events also are a cornerstone of military recruiting. Representatives from several branches of the armed services will be here during the OC Air Show -- and they're pumped that it dovetails with Senior Week.

"When I found out that it was Senior Week, I was like, wow, what a perfect time for us to be down there," said Staff Sgt. Thomas Chiusano, an Air Force marketing representative whose recruiting squadron covers Delaware, New Jersey and eastern Philadelphia. "It's not only going to be a great event for them to see the air show but it's going to be a big opportunity for us to touch thousands of high school seniors who are getting ready to graduate, who may not know what their future's going to hold, whether it's going to be college or the military. Down on the Boardwalk is a prime location, because you're going to have so much traffic."

The military's marketing toolbox is has expanded beyond handing out ball-point pens or T-shirts. At the Inlet parking lot, the Army's "Virtual Army Experience" offers a life-sized video game where players take their seat in a real helicopter and Humvee to battle digital insurgents across an array of garage door-sized screens. Later, players get to watch footage of their game play -- or rather, the "mission" -- and are encouraged to "continue the mission" and "join the team."

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http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/06/11-6