Fort Living Room
From Army Recruiter to Rehab
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January 2008, The Fort Jackson Recruiting School, South Carolina.
It’s 0700 (7:00 a.m.), and it’s a chilly morning. There’s a class room full of potential army recruiters all gathering inside. The room is large enough to hold almost sixty soldiers. Up front, there’s a platform with a podium, and to its side is a large American flag beside a Recruiting flag. There are rows of desks with chairs from one end of the room to the other.
Some are here by choice, serving proudly, ready to put the finest America has to offer into the army. Others are here for other reasons like being “voluntold” by Uncle Sam. Voluntold is a term meaning they didn’t actually volunteer to be here. They received orders to be here and had no choice otherwise. If Uncle Sam needs you, you go. Period.
Most have recently returned from either one of the ongoing wars taking place. I can see that many have fresh new combat patches on the right sleeves of their uniforms, either from serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Everyone is chatting, telling war stories to each other and bumping into some familiar faces from somewhere from their past duty assignments as they wait.
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About the Book
Kenneth Lugo asked to be a recruiter, even though it came with a reputation of being a thankless job that required long hours.
Suddenly, instead of using a firearm, he was taught how to use a laptop. Pushing keys became much more important than pulling triggers.
It was a huge adjustment for him and his peers, with some of them changing from driving armored fighting tanks to compact cars. Instead of killing techniques, they were taught interpersonal skills.
At times, he found himself worrying that his post-traumatic stress disorder would get in the way of his learning. Flashbacks from his time in Iraq could creep into his mind at any time, and it was never fun.
In this memoir, he shares how he dealt with PTSD, how he embarked on a new military career, and the challenges a military recruiter must overcome as they encourage people to fight for their country.
About the Author
Kenneth Lugo served in both the active duty and Reserve components of the U. S. Army from 1983 through 2014. He worked in several occupational specialties, including field artillery, transportation, as a drill sergeant, and finally as a recruiter. Although he enlisted out of Miami, Florida, he grew up on the streets of the Bronx, New York.