Photo by Jim Tate Matt Persons is the area Army National Guard recruiter.

Matt Persons has developed a comfortable relationship with the schools in his recruiting area. In his mind, “that’s really important. They see me year after year, they know me and know what to expect.”

Persons is the Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention NCO in this area, a position he’s held for seven years.

“I have 11 high schools and then Southwest Minnesota State,” he said in describing his geographic area. “Lakeview (in Cottonwood) is the northern-most school, all the way down to Fulda.”

He’s a Tracy native and feels being familiar with the area helps as he recruits for the National Guard.

He’s not high pressure whatsoever. “More of an understated style,” he describes the way he recruits.

He’s been in the National Guard for 15 years total, and was deployed in 2011-12 and 2015-16, both times to Kuwait.

“This is my first time on the other end of (deployment),” he said. “The deployment ceremony and busses being escorted out of town was emotional. There’s a lot of community support but it’s hard on families, spouses and children. They take on a lot.”

At the end of May, 70 soldiers from the National Guard Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 151 Field Artillery Regiment were deployed. They are from 65 communities in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Michigan, and will serve in the Middle East,

“Five of those I recruited into the National Guard,” said Persons.

He said that once soldiers are at their service destination “things get into a rhythm and it goes by pretty well — they can focus on their job. As the saying goes, you ’embrace the suck.'”

Communication between families and soldiers has improved over the years, he said.

“There’s still an eight-hour time difference you have to get used to (if deployed to the Middle East),” he said.

Those who join the National Guard do so “for any number of reasons. At the end of the day, high school and college kids have their own reasons.”

One of his recent success stories this year has been at Tracy High School.

“Over 10 percent of their seniors signed up for the National Guard,” said Persons proudly. “Six of 56 seniors. That’s a huge percentage.”

Individuals can commit to the National Guard as 17-year-olds, but they must receive parental consent. “Juniors can do what’s called a 6 x 2, which is six years, plus two years in active ready reserve.

Those who are seniors “I still prefer parental consent, I suggest it,” he said.

The amount of time commitment each recruit signs on for determines the amount of benefits they will receive, “and that’s big,” said Persons. “They probably don’t fully understand what those benefits will mean down the road, but they are very important.”

Those interested in the National Guard take a test — called the ASVAB — that consists of five main categories: math knowledge, arithmetic reasoning, paragraph comprehension, word knowledge and science.

“It’s the military version of the ACT,” said Persons. “You have to have a minimum score of 31, up to a 99.” There’s study sheets available for the test, and Persons said he’s tutored students in the past, also.

Persons has the most success in his recruiting by visiting high schools.

“I do lunch visits,” he said. “I have a table and kids can come up and visit. I also have the opportunity to go into some classrooms, too. They know me in these schools, and we have a level of trust.”

The best part of his job? “Explaining what the Minnesota National Guard is and what it does,” said Persons. “I like to share my knowledge about the various benefit packages — college, VA home loan, health care — things they don’t see down the road but which are important, as sort of the ‘end of the rainbow,'” he said.

“Recruits have all sorts of reasons for joining,” he said. “Their dad and grandpa were in the military, service to country, benefits.”

As for Persons? “I had a step-brother who was active Army after 9-11, and a step-sister was also in the Minnesota National Guard.”

He joined when he was 24, after a few year as a truck driver, and health care was a big reason, also. “Everybody has their reasons for joining, there are no wrong reasons.”

Matt and his wife Sarah — a high school English teacher at Red Rock Central — live just north of Walnut Grove. They have a blended family of four children.

Persons has experienced deployment personally, and has recruited Guard members who were recently deployed.

“I’ve seen both ends,” he said. “Family support is everything, and they’re not lying when they say that it’s harder on those back home.”