CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Master Sergeant Richard Toby was recently named one of the nation’s top recruiters for the Air National Guard.
The officer, responsible for 31 officer accessions last year in West Virginia, said that new acquisitions were fortunate because they needed a lot of help.
“We were able to exceed our goals. We had a large need this past year,” Toby said. “We had a large need this past year: for officers, especially health professionals. And we did up a wonderful magazine highlighting the health profession careers in the air guard.”
Toby recruited 15 health professionals to the Charleston-based 130th Airlift Wing but he’s not resting on that success.
“It never stops because there’s always constant rotation,” he said. “People are retiring, moving on, and transferring units to a different base or different states. So there are always openings and we’re always looking for new talent to come on board.”
He said usually the reputation of the Air National Guard precedes them when it comes to recruiting, but West Virginia is always one of the proudest military states. He described a recent mantra of the organization.
“We may not be the greatest generation, but we’re the greatest of our generation,” Toby said. “When it comes to military veterans and current members of the military, West Virginia has always been a proud state, always been a big supporter of the military, and we get lots of people that come in.”