"Then the Corps made him a recruiter, leaving Partyka with no choice: When the Corps calls, Marines answer. "It was the worst possible job for Matthew," his mother, Maureen Partyka, said. The former high school wrestler and military history buff had joined the Marines for its toughness and prestige. Chatting up high schoolers to draw them into the service was anathema to him. He had deployed to Syria, but recruiting was a different kind of pressure."
"Endless cold calls, the long hours at job fairs and high school events, and the constant pressure to deliver two recruits monthly were overwhelming for him. Partyka struggled to sign new Marines and fell short of his quota, a failure that other Marines say can end a career. Less than a year into the job, in July 2022, he died by suicide. His parents said the job's strain, combined with a romantic implosion, took an unbearable toll."
Matthew Partyka was an infantry-minded Marine reassigned to recruiting, a role deeply misaligned with his temperament. Recruiting duties required persistent cold calls, long hours at schools and fairs, and a monthly quota of two recruits, creating relentless pressure. Partyka repeatedly struggled to meet targets, experienced intense career risk for shortfalls, and endured personal relationship collapse. Less than a year into recruiting, he died by suicide. Other recruiters report similar sacrifices, strained relationships, and high stress to sustain the Marines' reputation for meeting enlistment goals despite the human cost.
Read at Business Insider
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