An Illinois National Guardsman from New Berlin has been honored for recruitment and retention achievements.
Senior Master Sgt. Jason Arndt of New Berlin was honored Saturday at Illinois National Guard headquarters at Camp Lincoln in Springfield with the Meritorious Service Medal. Brig. Gen. Dan McDonough, commander of the Illinois Air National Guard, presented the medal to Arndt for outstanding achievement during Arndt’s assignment as recruiting and retention senior enlisted leader from September 2019 to September 2022.
Arndt enlisted more than 750 airmen into the Illinois Air National Guard and pioneered a recruiting storefront in Waukegan that allowed increased recruiting in the Chicagoland area. 300 of those Airmen filled critical needs within the Air Force.
He also re-imagined the recruiter hiring process, ensuring that Illinois Air National Guard recruiters were Joint Qualification Certified within six months, and bringing in six new recruiters. This resulted in a 13% increase in accessions.