If you are a recruiter in Alaska you need to get creative to find qualified recruits. Sgt. 1st Class Robert Masterman takes being creative to a whole new level!

The only recruiter he is aware of who uses his own plane for work, Masterman said he has enjoyed the ride so far in his three years of recruiting. He also has a boat as well as a government-owned snowmobile and truck that he can drive on frozen waterways to reach villages in the winter.

“There’s nothing typical about this job,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest attraction for me to this job, because it’s always different and it’s always keeping me on my toes.”

“We’ve got the arctic experts here. All around us,” he said, adding there has been a renewed interest for that expertise as Russia builds up its forces in the Arctic. “The easy part is to teach them to be Soldiers and then they become our arctic warfare specialists.”

“I believe in the mission, believe in protecting this country, this state and having the network of National Guard Soldiers out here to protect the communities,” he said. – US Army

Featured image of Sgt. 1st Class Robert Masterman, an Alaska National Guard recruiter, flying his single-engine propeller aircraft while on a recruiting mission to Kipnuk, Alaska by U.S. Army photo, Sean Kimmons