Northern Ohio’s Marine recruiter, Staff Sergeant William Gonyer, spent Thursday at Oberlin, just outside the mailroom in Wilder.
His table was reserved through Career Services, which is obliged to allow the US Armed Forces to recruit on campus. Just a few feet from the recruiter’s table, a silent student manned a table for Oberlin Coalition Against the War.
Over the past several months, more and more colleges and universities have been opening their doors to recruiters. The Bush Administration has been actively threatening schools that refuse ample opportunities for the services to recruit on campus. Many such schools are heavily dependent on federal funding for their operations; Oberlin is not.
Gonyer, dressed in civilian clothing, didn’t engage OCAW but instead stood across from the table greeting students who engaged him.
“People come by and they’ll put their name down,” he said. “I’ve got three or four students that go to the school that are in my program.”
Students have also signed up on the Marine Corps website, Gonyer said. “I put the literature out; if individuals are interested, they grab the literature, they contact me,” he said. “I don’t push it on anybody.”
In recent months, he has recruited at Kent State, Case Western, Cleveland State, Tiffin University, College of Wooster and Kenyon College.
“Last year we put 40 individuals in the Marine Corps,” he said.
When asked about the Iraq conflict, Gonyer said, “We’re going to be involved because we’re a part of the UN. In one way or another, it’s going to affect us whether we go over there or not.”
He also responded to a question on the “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue, don’t harass” policy that was enacted by President Clinton, under which gay men and women can be dishonorably discharged without pension if they admit they are homosexual.
“I’ve been around all four services…there are individuals that come right out and say, ‘I’ve served my country, I’ve done my thing, this is my sexual orientation,’” Gonyer said. “I’ve never met anyone who’s been kicked out for their sexual preference.”
When asked if he knew people in the military who were gay, he said, “Yeah.”
“I guess the only way it would really interfere would be if you’re hanging on each other all day and you’re not getting your job done,” he added. “When you go to work you should be doing work…what you do in your off time is your own business.”
According to Defense Department statistics, 573 men and women were discharged from the Marines under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in 2000. In the entire Armed Services, 1,231 individuals were discharged that year — the most recent year for which statistics are available.
Gonyer has served in California, Virginia, Arizona and Okinawa, Japan. He entered the service in 1991.
He said he joined the marines to travel and for guaranteed job security. It has also paid for his college education — he is currently a sophomore at the University of Arizona.
American citizens who serve in the Armed Forces receive funding for college through the Montgomery G.I. Bill after a four-year enlistment. They can also receive funding for medical and law school, provided they remain in the service for several years after their graduation.
“Every military center has an education center and the center is open for everybody,” he said.
“I really joined the Marine Corps to get out of Ohio, because there’s not a lot of jobs in Ohio,” he added. “As long as I do my part in the Marine Corps I have a job for the next 20 years.”
Gonyer said he can retire at 37 with full retirement benefits.