Hudson woman leads U.S. Army recruiting effort

By Meg Heaton

Everyone knows "Uncle Sam wants you," but do you want Uncle Sam?

Lieutenant Colonel Kim Satterfield will make a believer out of you if she is given the chance.

LTC Satterfield, 43, is the commander of the U.S. Army Minneapolis Recruiting Battalion. She is in charge of all Army recruiting in Minnesota and the Dakotas. When she took her assignment a little over a year ago, she and her family bought a home in the town of Hudson.

Satterfield believes the Army is a great place for young people. Her own experience tells her so. She joined ROTC as a freshman in college at Iowa State University in Ames. As a senior in high school, the scholarship money offered by ROTC was a way to pay for college.

She graduated in 1978 with the rank of second lieutenant and became the platoon leader of 40 military police at age 22. She doesn't remember her age or experience being a problem.

Satterfield said she did the thing any smart new lieutenant would - she sought out her platoon sergeant. "I owe him my success. He trained me and I was smart enough to listen."

That first assignment was at the Presidio in San Francisco. She went on to assignments in Germany, Florida and Hawaii. She has worked in military intelligence and in central command in Tampa during Desert Storm. "I always said I'll get out (of the Army) when it wasn't fun anymore. And so far, so good."

The recruiting assignment is one of the biggest challenges she believes she has faced during her 21 years in uniform and recently released enlistment statistics seem to confirm that belief.

All the armed services are having trouble meeting their recruitment goals, and Satterfield says she is at a loss as to why. "It has been great for me. I know what it can offer young people, and I don't understand why they won't reach out and take it."

Satterfield knows the service isn't for everyone, but thinks the military is a great option for "kids who don't know exactly what direction to take." And she doesn't understand parents who don't see the benefits the Army can offer their children. "No one will say it out loud, but a lot of people see it (military service) as a second class job."

From her perspective that notion stems lots of myths about military service that just aren't true.

For example, it isn't true that the Army is only for low achievers, kids who couldn't cut it anywhere else. According to the colonel, 90 percent of all recruits have at least high school diplomas and most must have scores of 50 or above on the ASVAB, Armed Service Vocational Ability Battery. "Recruits have to meet stringent requirements mentally, medically and morally." The Army does not accept convicted felons or anyone with more than three misdemeanor charges on their record. Background checks are done on all recruits.

Satterfield says the Army is a "drug-free environment" and there is zero tolerance for drug abuse, drunken driving or domestic abuse. Satterfield doesn't deny that these things do occur in the Army, but says they are not tolerated or covered up, despite what appears in the media. "Moms and dads charge us with taking care of their children. The Army takes that responsibility very seriously. "

Satterfield would not hesitate to recommend the Army to young women based on her own experience. She believes she has always received fair and equal treatment in the Army and she has never felt like a "victim."

One of the biggest obstacles she and her recruiters run across is fear of basic training. People think they just can't make it through. But Satterfield says that most do. The nine weeks of physical training are strenuous but not impossible for either men or women. "I wish I could bottle up the pride you see in these kids as they graduate. They thought they couldn't do it, they couldn't run miles or do push-ups. And the look on their parents' faces as they graduate, well, it is just great to see."

In addition to the physical part of basic training, Satterfield said recruits are taught about Army values which include loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, integrity and personal courage. "These are values that are sometimes overlooked in busy families and at school. In training, they learn and understand what they mean, what service means."

And then there are the benefits that come with military service. Satterfield believes they are some of the best offered anywhere. Money for education in and after military service can go as high as $50,000 under the GI Bill. There is an additional $65,000 available in loan repayments. A recruit can receive up to $12,000 in bonus money for extended enlistment. And there is training for more than 200 jobs.

But what about the complaint those recruits are promised training and jobs and then never get that assignment.

Satterfield said recruits can pick a job at the time of enlistment and it becomes part of a binding contract they have with the Army. The contract also spells out education benefits and any bonuses promised. Job training or education may be delayed if a recruit is assigned overseas, but they will eventually get the training and job they signed on for. "We guarantee it in writing."

Maybe the best endorsement for the Army is that Satterfield and her husband both hope their sons, Connor and Hunter, will give the Army a try. Dan Satterfield's father was a career Marine and he had no problem when his son dropped out of high school at 17 to join the Army. Dan Satterfield is an Army success story, "going from high school dropout and bad kid, to a jet and helicopter pilot with a master's degree."

Satterfield understands the fear parents and young people have about possibly being sent to places like Kosovo and Somalia, but she believes service is its own reward.

"We are so lucky to be living in the U.S. We live in the best country in the world and we owe some payback for that, some selfless service."

For more information about U.S. Army recruitment, call Satterfield at (612) 339-2920.