Fargo, N.D. -- 119th Wing, N.D. – Senior Master Sgt. Gregory Peterson, 119th Wing Recruiting and Retention Senior Enlisted Leader, was selected for the 2025 Air National Guard Top Recruiting and Retention Senior Enlisted Leader award. This is a national award presented by the National Guard Bureau to one of 54 Senior Enlisted Leaders and the first time the state’s recruiting department has received recognition at this level.
The Recruiting and Retention Senior Enlisted Leader is responsible for taking the strategic vision from the state level and translating it down to the tactical level for the recruiting team. The position enables how the team drives forward to meet goals and bridges the gap between the recruiters and the wing command or above.
The Adjutant General’s guidance for recruiting was to reach 102% manning by fiscal year 2027. Historically, the wing has averaged approximately 94%; exceeding this average required coordination and innovation between Peterson, the recruiting team, and wing leadership to overcome existing barriers. By the end of 2025, the wing saw an increase of over 6% end strength and base manning exceeded 100% for the first time since January 2001.
“Honestly, this is a team award,” said Peterson. “I am very humbled and honored—but it’s the recruiters, the managers, my leadership, the wing leadership, and the state leadership that have allowed this to happen.”
This year, the recruiting team set a record with 162 new accessions. In the retention office, Master Sgt. Neil Nelson’s retention rate was 93%, ranking third in the nation.
“They are always ready and always giving 100%,” Capt. Kristen Frovarp, 119th Wing Recruiting Officer in Charge said of the recruiting team. “Recruiting has been a top initiative for a while and they just continue to exceed goals and outperform what we expect of them”.
Peterson cross-trained from Aircraft Maintenance to the recruiting office in 2013, a career field that gave him the chance to be himself and use his personality to support the wing’s mission set. He served as a recruiter for several years, including four and a half at Minot Air Force Base, N.D. before transitioning to the Senior Enlisted Leader role.
“He did an outstanding job at leading the team and enabling their success by removing boundaries for them,” said Frovarp. “It’s his overall mentorship and his capability to help form a team that was able to set new boundaries that enabled our team to reach greater than 100%.”