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Glasgow Welcomes New Guard Recruiter

Staff Sergeant AJ Etherington of the Montana National Guard has two things that aspiring inductees will find useful here in Glasgow: Lots of military experience to share, and a solid Montana background.

Born in Hardin, Etherington bounced around through Idaho and North Dakota before attending Capital High School in Helena. Immediately after graduating, our new Career Counselor for the Guard's Recruiting & Retention Battalion joined up with the Marine Corps.

Stopping into the Courier office for a brief chat on Nov. 10, Etherington mentioned an anniversary.

"It's been exactly ten years today since I received my Eagle, Globe and Anchor from the Marines," he explained while taking a seat. "I went to basic [training] in August, but the delayed entry program started in November of 2005."

It's been a long road from basic training to Glasgow for Etherington, who moved to town in July and was followed by his wife, Jewel, and their family in August. To get here, the Staff Sergeant served through two tours of duty in Iraq, and one in Afghanistan, all with the Corps as an Intelligence Analyst.

After studying Arabic in Monterey, Calif., Etherington deployed for Iraq, where he supported the 2nd Light-Armored Reconnaissance Battalion in Ar-Rutbah (in western Anbar province) throughout 2008. In 2009, he deployed again with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.

Seven months after returning home, Etherington volunteered for a third deployment, this time in Afghanistan's Helmand province as part of "Obama's surge" against Taliban insurgents. In July of 2014, his contract was up and he opted to return home. He reasons were simple: "I wanted to come back to Montana." After serving overseas and spending several years training recruits at the Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center in 29 Palms (Calif.), that's exactly what he did.

In Helena, Etherington found the transition out of the military challenging.

"I worked in real estate and actually took a job as a manager at PetSmart," he said. "I found that working in the civilian world was not for me."

His displeasure with chain pet stores and a career in business led him back to the armed forces.

"It was either that or law enforcement."

Now that Etherington is representing the Guard here in Glasgow, he expects to stick with it.

"My wife and I have talked about retiring here," he replied when asked about his long-term plans. "The kids are enrolled at Irle School." The couple's youngest child, Ella, is just 6 months old.

For those interested in talking to Etherington about service in the Guard, he recommends phone and email. The office is located at 81 Airport Road, but work keeps the good counselor traveling. When we spoke, Etherington was bound for Hinsdale and Whitewater next, where he will speak to students and anyone else who might be interested in joining up. It's all in a day's work.

The best way to reach SSG AJ Etherington is on his cell: (406) 890-4066. He can also be reached by email: [email protected].

 

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