Local Airman named top Air Force Reserve Command recruiter Published Nov. 18, 2016 By Maj. Polly Orcutt 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs ORLANDO, Florida -- Master Sgt. Joe Poltor, lead recruiter at Youngstown Air Reserve Station (YARS), Ohio, won three awards during the annual Air Force Reserve Command recruiting conference held in Orlando, Florida in late October. Poltor was named Top Get 1 recruiter in the north, Top Non-Prior Service (NPS) Recruiter in the North and Top NPS Recruiter in the command. The last is the highest award a recruiter can earn. “It is a great honor to win any awards in recruiting, but being maned the Top Non-Prior Service recruiter was an honor,” Poltor said. According to Senior Master Sgt. John Wood, senior recruiter at YARS, Poltor set a goal for this year to be the top NPS Recruiter in the Command, and he achieved that goal. “Hard work, dedication and commitment best define the Airman and the recruiter. That is Master Sgt. Poltor,” Wood said. “Joe is one of the best recruiters I have worked with. He is driven to provide world-class customer service, and that is validated by his accomplishments.” Poltor is a Brookfield, Ohio native and knows what it’s like to grow up in a small town. “I joined the Air Force at 17 and left for basic training right after high school graduation,” he said. “I know what it’s like to want to want to get away from home.” The master sergeant was a C-17 loadmaster from 2002 to 2008 as an active duty Airman and transferred to the reserve in 2008. He joined the recruiting team in 2014 to help people and add more stability to his life. Poltor spent his first year recruiting in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area before transferring closer to family. “I’m from this area of Ohio. I know the struggles of being from a small town,” Poltor said when asked about coming to Youngstown Air Reserve Station. “I can show people the path to something more than they may have if they don’t join the reserve.” Poltor said the hours in recruiting can be very long, but it is rewarding and beautiful to see the change in the people he recruits from the time they are enlisted, though their time in the Development and Training Flight to basic training and tech school and back here at the unit. “The best thing about this job is being able to help kids become productive adults,” Poltor said. He had one recruit who hadn’t made the best decisions in his young life. Poltor said he seemed to have no real focus, he didn’t have a plan, then his girlfriend got pregnant and he knew he needed to make a change. Poltor was able to recruit him into the 910th Civil Engineer Squadron where he will learn to be an electrician. That skill will help will help him find a job when he’s not on Reserve orders and be able to support his family. “He listened to what I had to tell him and was able to get basic training and tech school scheduled so he will be home before the baby is born,” Poltor said. “That’s the kind of recruit who makes my job worth all of the long hours.” Poltor recruited 47 NPS Airmen and a total of 62 Airmen for the year. A NPS recruit has never served in any capacity in any branch of the military. The other 15 recruits either came from active duty Air Force or other branches of the military. One of the 47 NPS recruits Poltor enlisted is Airman 1st Class Sarah Gruber, 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs broadcast journalist. “Master Sgt. Poltor is ambitious and determined. He worked very hard to ensure I would like the job that I was interested in,” Gruber said. “He cares about the people he puts in the Air Force. He checked up on me after basic training to see if I was doing well in training and having a good time.” Poltor got into recruiting to help people. “The hours are long, the pay doesn’t change because you recruit more or less people, so you have to do it because you want to help someone,” said Poltor. He advises all potential recruits to do their homework and not fall for the pressure that some recruiters use to get people in their branch of service. “Each branch has benefits and drawbacks depending on what someone is looking for so people need to research the information they are given. Everything is available on the web,” Poltor said. Not everyone who has tried to enlist in the Air Force Reserve has been a success story. Unfortunately medical issues like severe asthma and concussions have kept people from being able to join. “I had one kid who wanted to come in, but was disqualified because he had suffered two concussions playing sports. It broke his heart to be told he didn’t qualify,” Poltor said. Poltor said he is very happy with the recruiting team at YARS. They have a positive attitude and make the job more fun. He plans to continue to strive for the best in his job, but also wants to find a better balance to spend more time with his family. If you are interested in learning more about becoming an Air Force Reserve recruiter or about joining the Reserve, please call 330-609-1394 to speak with a member of YARS' recruiting team.