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Maryland Air Guard recruiters recognized for outstanding achievement

By Airmen 1st Class Sarah Hoover

Air National Guard recruiters take a group photo.
Maryland Air National Guard recruiting and retention team pose for a group photo during an offsite recruiting/retention training at Deep Creek Lake, McHenry, Maryland, September 27, 2025. The team conducted the training/offsite to celebrate the success of the Fiscal Year 2024 and prepare for the upcoming year. (Courtesy Photo)

MIDDLE RIVER, Md. – Recruiters from the Maryland Air National Guard’s 175th Wing received an Air Force-level award for excellence in the fourth quarter of the 2024 fiscal year.

The Chief Master Sgt. Brad W. Esposito Team Leadership Award is presented quarterly by the Air Force Recruiting Service to all Air National Guard, Reserve, and active-duty recruiting teams that have exhibited outstanding teamwork, service, and overall accomplishment.

“My job is to serve my team and serve our airmen,” said Maryland Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Singleton, Wing recruiting and retention senior enlisted leader, 175th Force Support Squadron. “They’re the ones who are out there on holidays and four-day weekends when everybody’s at home relaxing and enjoying family time.”

The team finished in the top 25 for the Air National Guard in total accessions and the top 5 among single-wing states in total accessions. It enlisted over 140 members, including state-to-state transfers.

“We go to guidance counselors and earn their trust because that’s who they’re going to go talk to,” Singleton said. “We do a good job building those relationships, earning their trust and creating ambassadors.”

Previously, the team earned the award for the first quarter of fiscal year 2023 and later placed as part of the top three for the 2nd quarter in fiscal year 2023.

However, the team didn’t stop there, often going above and beyond through community engagement and volunteer outreach.

Two Maryland Air National Guard recruiters from the 175th Wing speak to attendees at a booth outside the M&T Bank Stadium before a Baltimore Ravens NFL game in Baltimore, Maryland, November 7, 2024. These recruiters have attended many local football and baseball games with their team in an effort to discuss with the public the many opportunities of the Air National Guard. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Major Benjamin Hughes)

“We volunteer once a quarter at different places, like the Baltimore veterans homeless shelter, BARCS animal shelter, and Meals on Wheels,” Singleton mentioned. “It’s that type of stuff we see as leadership, in my opinion, which is making people better in and out of uniform.”

One outreach event included a STEM awareness exposition for elementary school students at Towson University. Around 3,000 students filed into TU Arena to learn about careers in STEM and witness the 175th Civil Engineer Squadron demonstrate the capabilities of their robotic dog, Spot, an automatic sensing and inspecting, data-receiving exploration machine.

“We help them ask the right questions like, ‘What kind of career can I have in STEM fields?’ and we get to be a community resource,” said Maryland Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Ramon Santos is a production recruiter for the 175th Wing and a Towson University alumnus. “Inspiring these kids is the satisfaction that I never thought I would find from this job.”

Inspiring and helping the community has proved to be a large part of what motivates those on the team, helping them achieve their personal goals and supporting the Wing’s mission.

“We do global missions, but we support our community too,” Santos stated. “That matters most for us because it hits right at home.”

The memory of their initial enlistment and desire to serve their country brings this team of recruiters together and reminds them of why they bring their best every day.

“I chose recruiting because I want to pay it forward,” Santos said. “I know the Air National Guard changed my life for the better because no one else gave me a chance and no other organization or workplace gave me the opportunity to realize my full potential.”

 

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