Forged by the Sea. This is the motto that Navy Talent Acquisition Specialist Dustan Skorcz lives by as he scouts for the next generation of sailors.

Skorcz is the newest military member to the Millard West recruiting team. 

Before Skorcz became a Talent Acquisition Specialist, he was a Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpsman where he provided care to the Navy and the Marine Corps ensuring deployment readiness. Eventually Skorcz realized he needed a change of pace and volunteered to become a talent scout.

“I decided to become a talent scout to be able to shape and mentor the future of the Navy,” Skorcz said. “I guess you could say I am handpicking my replacements for when I retire.”

Come February, Skorcz will have been a talent scout for about a year.

The main way he scouts for future sailors is by attending the local high schools, usually during lunch so that students have the opportunity to speak with a recruiter in their own element rather than going to a recruiting office.

“Not only do I come to the school once a month, I also visit the school to do in class presentations,” Skorcz said. 

To do these in class presentations, Skorcz must be invited by a teacher. So far he has given a general Navy presentation to a freshmen English class. Skorcz is set to do a Navy medicine presentation in the near future.

Some of the other classes he focuses on are upper level math, science, health, physical education and robotics classes.

I enjoy doing these presentations because it allows me to share my knowledge and experiences with the Navy,” Skorcz said. “Being able to interact with the students has really made being a talent scout worth it.”

Skorcz hopes to find future sailors amongst the student body. To join the Navy students must meet moral, physical, and mental requirements.

Moral requirements are based on having an acceptable police record.

The physical requirements include being within height and weight standards along with having no disqualifying health factors. Men can weigh a maximum of 141 lbs at 60 inches for example. Women can be a maximum of 118 lbs at 55 inches.

As far as mental standards go, one must score at least a 31, which is one of the lowest scores out of all the branches, on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test.

Be sure to talk to Skorcz when he comes into the school next and find out more about the Navy.