Recruiting

Recruiting Philosophy of Company A, Third Regiment Infantry, First Brigade, First Division, VI Corps, New Jersey Volunteers, Army of the Potomac


PURPOSE OF RECRUITMENT

The purpose of the recruitment is to ensure that this Unit will continue to live on long after most or all of us have, for one reason or the other, left this Unit or have departed in this life. By recruitment, we seek to perpetuate the goals of this Unit which include the honoring of our forebearers, and the preservation of their legacy and traditions, and the promotion of public interest in the Civil War.

WHO SHOULD BE RECRUITED?

Those persons of good moral character who have a genuine interest in the Civil War and in Civil War re-enacting should be encouraged to join our Regiment, and be considered for membership. In this regard, we stress quality, not quantity.

EVERY MEMBER A RECRUITER

While the Unit will have at all times several members specially appointed as official recruiters, it is important to remember that recruitment is the responsibilty of each and every member. Thus, each designated member, as a proud representative of this Unit is hereby designated as a recruiter thereof, and shall therefore bring honor to this Unit at all times. In introducing qualified individuals to this Unit, the member will promote the objectives of this Unit to the prosepective recruit and insure that the Recruit Advisor or the Regional Recruiter for the geographic area in which the prospect is located, is aware of the prospect's interest in the Unit.

OFFICIAL RECRUITERS

The Official Recruiters shall consist of a team of four Recruiters. Each will be appointed by the Executive Board to serve for the one year concurrent with that Board's term, as follows:

1. The Recruiter Advisor This individual has overall responsibilty to monitor the recruiting efforts of the Unit as a whole, to supervise and assist the regional Recruiters, and to check on the progress of new recruits, and to assist them when necessary.

2. Regional Recruiters Each Regional Recruiter will handle the recruitment from a specific geographical area, and wherever possible, will reside within the area he or she represents. In this regard, there are three Regional Recruiters, as follows:
a) North Regional Recruiter: For Sussex, Morris, Warren, Middlesex, Essex, and Bergen Counties, New York City, Upstate New York, and Pennsylvania, from Matamoras to Easton.

(b) Central Regional Recruiter: For Hunterdon, Union, Somerset, Mercer, and Monmouth Counties, New York City and Long Island, and Pennsylvania from North of the greater Philadelphia area to Easton.

(c) South Regional Recruiter: For Ocean, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Atlantic, and Cape May Counties, South Pennsylvania up to and including the greater Philadelphia area, and Delaware.

Persons from geographical areas not lised above will be assigned to the closest Regional Recruiter.

METHOD OF RECRUITING

Recruiting is to be done primarily with prospective recruits who already have an interest in the Civil War and an interest in and a desire to know more about Civil War Re-enacting. For this reason, recruiting on a mass scale through media advertising and the like is not emphasized. We are not interested in trying to get anyone to join our Unit who has no interest in the Civil War to begin with. Recruiting ads however can be placed in Civil War periodicals, wherever appropriate. In summary, the methods of recruiting are as follows:

1. Individual recruiting by any member by a personal contact with his or her friends, acquaintances, or those persons inquiring about our Unit.

2. Organized recruiting during events attended by the Unit. In this regard, a recruiting table shall be present at each encampment or living history event attended by the Unit in which the public is in attendance, This table shall be staffed by the Regional Recruiter, or a member acting in his or her place if none is present during the event, during all times that the public is visiting the camp. The Recruiter will have on hand a sufficient number of blank Applications for membership, a Recruiting Poster on dispay, and only those other items on hand which are specifically approved of by the Recruiter Advisor.

3. Recruiting ads in Civil War periodicals wherever appropriate to be placed as determined by the Executive Board.

THE RECRUITING PROCESS

1. An interested prospect will first be given an application form either by a recruiter or anyone acting in the recruiter's behalf. Absolutely no other documents will be given to the prospect until the application form has been completely filled out by the prospect and returned to the Recruiter Advisor. This rule will also apply to recruiting at events. Whenever recruiting takes place at an event, no other documents shall be on hand except in the absolute discretion of the Recruiter Advisor. At events, the interested prospect will be given an application form only, to be filled out. This form can be filled out and given to the Recruiter at the event itself (in which case it will be turned to the Recruiter Advisor) or the form can be mailed directly to the Recruiter Advisor. Any application received by the Regional Recruiter shall first be checked by them for completeness before thery are turned into the Recruiter Advisor.

2. After an application form has been turned over to the Recruiter Advisor and found to be complete, he will foward the following documents to the prospect and inform the Regional Recruiter that he has done so:
(a) Enlistment Forms with instructions to complete and return same.
(b) Medical Form with instructions to complete and return same
(c) Philosophy of the Unit
(d) Information form containing dues and a list of equipment/uniform needed.
(e) Notice that 6-month probationary period will not start until dues are paid.
(f)Price list for uniform/equipment
(g)Any other documents deemed necessary by the Recruiter Advisor.

3. The Enlistment Form and Medical Form will then be returned by the prospect to the Regional Recruiter who will check them for completeness. Once found complete, the Regional Recruiter will foward them on to the Recruiter Advisor.

4. The Recruiter Advisor will then give a final review to all submitted documents, i.e, the Application Form, Enlistemnt Forma, and Medical Form. He will then turn over all of these documents together with any other documents or information necessary to consider the applicant for membership, to the Executive Board.

5. After submission of all of the above documents to the Executive Board, the Executive Board will then decide whether or not to admit the applicant as a probationary recruit. The Applicant will be so informed of the Board's decision.

6. If the applicant is admitted as a probationary recruit, the recruiter Advisor will then inform the recruit and foward the recruit the following documents:
(a) Constitution and By Laws
(b) Membership Roster
(c) Battle Cry Newsletter
(c) Notice of Sponsor assignment
(e) Dues Billing
(f) Any other documents deemed necessary by the Recruiter Advisor.

7. Upon payment of dues, the recruit will be deemed a probationary recruit and his or her six months of probation will start. At this time, a Sponsor to provide whatever assistance is needed by the recruit during the probationary period will be assigned to the recruit.

SPONSORS

1. If the recruit was recruited by a particular individual in the Unit, that individual will be assigned the duties of the Sponsor for the six month period. If for some reason as determined by the Board it is inappropriate for this person to serve as Sponsor or in the case where the applicant apllied without first having known any particular individual in the Unit, then the Executive Board will appoint any member of the Unit to serve as the recruit's Sponsor.

2. The duties of Sponsor will include assisting the recruit making an adjustment to military duties, giving instruction when necessary, accompanying the recruit in the purchase of uniforms, clothing, or equipment, seeing that the recruit is properly outfitted at camp and knows what is expected of him or her, contacting the recruit on a regular basis to make sure that the recruit is aware of upcoming meetings and events, and making sure that the recruit is introduced to all members and feels a part of the group.

3. Sponsorship of the individual will terminate upon the recruit's acceptance into full membership following the end of the six month probationary period.

ACCEPTANCE OF RECRUIT INTO FULL MEMBERSHIP

If the recruit has met all the requirments of the Constitution for full membership, at the end of the six month probationary period, the recruit will be awarded the Sixth Corps, First Division Badge and the numeral 3 as hat devices. These will be rewarded to the recruit at a special ceremony held at a general membership meeting, with the recruit's Sponsor in attendacne.

SUMMARY

Proper recruiting goals can be achieved if we remember that we were all once recruits, unfamiliar with the Unit and its members. It is therefore the additional responsibility of each and every one of us to treat the new recruit with dignity, respect, and understanding and in the same manner that we would like to be treated. It is the duty of all of us to warmly receive and befriend new recruits, to help them in their adjustment to military life, and to make them feel that they are an important part of our Unit.


Glenn LeBoeuf, Regional Recruiter

Edward Maske, Regional Recruiter

Thomas Cuff, Regional Recruiter

THIS Recruiting Philosophy has been accepted and approved by the Executive Board on April 7, 1992.


James Pepe, Commander
WE CERTIFY this to be the Recruiting Philosophy adopted by the Board of Recruiters on March 7, 1992.