Military hopeful new Top Gun movie generates more recruits

The military is banking on the new Top Gun movie to bring in recruits. It worked back when the original film came out. And with all of the branches facing a tight job market maybe it will work again.

The movie may seem like a bunch of stunts, props, and CGI But for the U.S. Navy Top Gun’s one of the strongest recruiting tools In the branch’s history.

At a Senate hearing this month, The Pentagon said 2022 is shaping up to be the most challenging recruiting year since 1973 when the Paris Peace Accords were signed. Marking the beginning of the end of the Vietnam War and the end of the draft.

Local recruiter, Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Liam Wohlberg, told WINK News things are good in Southwest Florida. “If you are going to join the Marine Corps, I shouldn’t have to convince you, my recruiter should not have to convince you,” Sergeant Wohlberg said.

Since some of the more vintage approaches in recruiting don’t appeal as much to younger generations Staff Sergeant Wholberg has gotten creative.

“Snapchat, Instagram, Google Hangouts, like in the Marine Corps funded that for us,” Staff Sergeant Wholberg said.

As a Marine Corps Staff Sergeant and a recruiting pro for the last five years, Staff Sergeant Wholberg knows, that you either have it in your heart or you don’t. And people in Southwest Florida have it.

“It was pretty good year down here,” Staff Sergeant Wohlberg said.

But the Armed Forces say there’s a need for speeding this whole recruiting process up. In fact, the Army says they’re in the “Danger zone”. The branch of the Armed Forces has been forced to cut its size by 12,000 soldiers because they can’t find people.

This “war for talent” is why Staff Sergeant Wohlberg’s friends in the Navy hope Top Gun Maverick can stoke the flame inside citizens again. The first Top Gun movie did after spiking Navy recruiting by 300%.

“And he had mentioned, you know, this was the Navy’s number one recruiting tool for 20 years in naval aviation,” Staff Sergeant Wohlberg said. “And he was saying, I think that ‘Top Gun 2’ is going to be the same thing.”

But Southwest Florida may be able to help send some applicants. Staff Sergeant Wohlberg said “we are giving the Marine Corps what it needs. And those are well-abled, intelligent young applicants that are going to be the next generation of the Marine Corps.” Unless of course, ‘Top Gun 2’ pushes some of the recruits toward the Navy.

Staff Sergeant Wohlberg said it was ironic that WINK News came to his office today. Because on June 6, just days from now several high school students in Southwest Florida will head to Paris Island to go through “Boot camp”.

Including students from Cypress Lake and Mariner High School. But the recruiting game has changed, the poster of Uncle Sam pointing his finger at you doesn’t quite seem to cut it anymore.