Recruiting Spotlight: Tech. Sgt. Matt Bahosh
Recruiters are expected to be the embodiment of their organization’s values to prospective recruits.
Tech. Sgt. Matt Bahosh, an Air National Guard recruiter for the 162nd Wing in Tucson, Ariz., does just that, but with particular focus on one of the Air Force’s Core Values – “Service Before Self.”
Bahosh hails from Sterling, Mass., about an hour west of Boston. During high school he attended a trade program for graphic communications specializing in printing that connected him to a printing company job right after high school. When the company went under three years later, Bahosh was given a life-changing opportunity. Bahosh’s grandfather, an Air Force veteran of the Korean War, hired him on, introducing him to the Air Force and a new career path.
By the time Bahosh finished meeting with the recruiter his course was set, and in May 2004 he enlisted in the Air Force as an air transportation specialist. After assignments at McGuire AFB, N.J., and Royal Air Force Mildenhall, United Kingdom, Bahosh found himself looking for a new challenge and opportunities for career advancement. He also wanted to move his new daughter closer to their extended families. Around that time a friend who had just been selected for recruiting duty suggested Bahosh investigate recruiting as well.
By embarking on a recruiting assignment, Bahosh found a job that allowed him to provide for his family, live and work close to relatives, and give back to his community. He also found the time to develop his love for working out and became a certified CrossFit instructor.
When Bahosh’ s time as an active-duty recruiter came to an end, he was faced with a tough decision: Stay in the Air Force and leave Massachusetts or leave the Air Force and stay close to home.
Bashosh chose family. Putting his daughter, parents, and community before himself, Bahosh enlisted in the Massachusetts Air National Guard where he continued serving as a health care professional recruiter.
When his time recruiting for the Massachusetts Guard also came to an end, Bahosh found a temporary assignment as a security forces augmentee until he was offered a technician job in December 2019 back in his primary career field, air transportation. The offer could not have come at a worse time, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced lockdowns and travel restrictions, nullifying the need for a full-time transportation specialist.
Once again, Bahosh’s years of hard work and building relationships paid off when a friend and former colleague told him about an opportunity in Arizona with the 162nd Wing at Morris Air National Guard Base. Moving to Arizona meant leaving his daughter and family behind in Massachusetts — a heartbreaking decision. However, it was an opportunity to continue to provide for his daughter in a job he loved.
While here, Bahosh has made the most of his time and the Arizona climate by enjoying the outdoors, hiking, shooting, and off-roading. His favorite pastime is traveling and exploring with his daughter when she comes to visit throughout the year.
Bahosh’s personal recruiting motto is, “The Air Force sells itself.” Years of experience have taught him to enjoy reaching out to people who don’t know what the Air National Guard offers and showing them the opportunities it provides — just as his grandfather had shown him.
Just as his path of selfless service has guided and motivated him to provide for his daughter and to help others achieve their goals, he brings that same mindset to his profession. Bahosh said, “Our job is to provide [prospective recruits] with information about available career paths then help them figure out which is the right path for them.”
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