Recruiter gets in hot water over Craigslist ad

Recruiter gets in hot water over Craigslist ad
by Brian Barker

PORTLAND, Ore. – An Oregon National Guard recruiter is in hot water after posting an ad on the popular Web site ‘craigslist’ promising recruits they would not have to serve overseas if they signed up.

The ad, which has since been deleted, was posted in the Portland section of craigslist and read “our unit is deployed, so you will not have to serve overseas.”

However, Colonel Ray Meyer with the Oregon National Guard says there is absolutely no guarantee that a recruit would not get deployed.

“No, that’s not a good thing and that has been removed,” he said. “There’s always a potential for deployment. I could be activated for deployment tomorrow.”

The recruiting ad comes during a huge hiring push…

The National Guard and Reserve play a key role in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as helping out in the U.S., like after Hurricane Katrina struck.

With all of that going on, recruiters have been working hard to get new recruits signed up and have even turned last year’s recruiting crisis around.

For example, the Oregon National Guard is now exceeding its goals by 25 percent.

As for the ad placed on craigslist telling people they would not have to serve overseas, the Oregon National Guard says ads like it will not be tolerated and the recruiter who wrote it will be disciplined.

As for whether people should worry about dishonest recruiting efforts, the Oregon National Guard says this situation was a fluke and that they are always honest with potential recruits.