Recruiter story

By Emily Farrington-Smith 
Staff writer

As a child, Tech. Sgt. Rachael Darnes, 43^rd Force Support Squadron, knew she wanted to go to college and do something important with her life. Thirteen years ago, she made the decision to join the Air Force and has not looked back since.

“I grew up in Central Penn. where the economy thrived on steel mills and coal mines, then when I was 12 my family moved to upstate New York where there didn’t seem to be a lot of opportunity for growth and development,” Sergeant Darnes said. “My family couldn’t afford to send me to college so I had to find another way.

“I had a friend who was joining the Marines. I went with her to meet a Marine recruiter and he decided I would be better off speaking with the Air Force, so I went down the hall and spoke to a recruiter. I joined there on the spot, spent six months in the Delayed Entry Program and here I am 13 years later,” explained Sergeant Darnes.

In a few weeks, Sergeant Darnes is embarking on the next chapter of her Air Force life; she is leaving Pope to be an Air Force recruiter in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sergeant Darnes believes in the Air Force and what it takes every day to complete the mission at hand.

“I have the opportunity to tell other people about what the Air Force does and how being an Airman can give them the same opportunities,” she said.

And it is because of those opportunities that Sergeant Darnes decided to put in to become a recruiter.

“I chose to become a recruiter because the Air Force has afforded me ways to better myself and that of the family I now have. As a parent, I believe that we all want to give our children a better life than we had … no matter how good our own childhood was,” Sergeant Darnes said. “Being a recruiter gives me the chance to offer that same freedom to other people by showing them all the options the Air Force has to offer, especially through the training, travel and educational opportunities and medical benefits.

“There are a thousand different reasons to join the Air Force and I have the chance to deliver that message to every person I come into contact with. There is no better reason than that,” Sergeant Darnes exclaimed.

Aside from the chance to better her family’s life, Sergeant Darnes feels that the life of an Air Force recruiter is, simply put, important.

“I feel being a recruiter is important because we are often the only exposure that people get to the Air Force, especially if they did not grow up in an area that has an Air Force instillation. We are the first glimpse for prospective Airmen into the life of the Air Force,” she said. “It is our responsibility to ensure that our Air Force continues to grow so that we can continue to be the world’s greatest Air Force.”