Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, where his father was stationed with the Coast Guard, Staff Sergeant Michael Mumford calls Oklahoma home. He moved here in the third grade and later attended Union High School.
SSG Mumford would go on to join the U.S. Army and serve on active duty before transitioning to the Oklahoma National Guard in 2011. The 11B or Infantryman served three combat deployments: two deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan.
“I am proud to have served as a combat infantryman,” said SSG Mumford.
Now a recruiter in the Tulsa area, SSG Mumford recruits future soldiers from schools like Union and Jenks.
“I run the north Tulsa store front so really any Tulsa school, but I focus on Jenks High School and Union High School. It’s funny because I graduated from Union so I’m literally constantly in “enemy” territory at Jenks. The best thing I have learned from that is thats both schools have unique cultures but where they are similar is how their staff creates a culture to allow kids to grow and excel and that makes them both winners,” said SSG Mumford.
As a recruiter SSG Mumford is asked many questions by future soldiers enlisting in the Ok NG, but one question seems to come up more often than others.
“Is basic hard? Of course it is. However, it is tiered to be just hard enough to challenge you but never too hard that you have a catastrophic failure. That’s the best thing about the Guard. It is consistently pushing us to grow and become better,” said SSG Mumford.
During his career in the military SSG Mumford has traveled all over Europe, Australia, and the Middle East.
“I have also gone to California for our two-week annual training to play the bad guys in a war simulation. It was really fun,” said SSG Mumford.
Helping individuals join the service and fulfill a dream or find a way to get their college paid for brings SSG Mumford a lot of satisfaction in his job.
“I love showing people the many ways the Guard helps them with their goals. As a recruiter I am not only helping people join the military, but I help them plan for their future and I mentor them through the entire process. I think we are the most flexible branch that affords the most opportunity. What most people lack when they are in college is experience to actually know what they like and what they don’t. We give people the opportunities to travel to new places but also the financial ability to explore their options and figure out what’s best for them,” said SSG Mumford.
Anyone wanting more information on the National Guard should look online or you can contact SSG Mumford directly at 918-798-9643 or at [email protected].
“We are from here and we love our state and will give you the best customer service of any of the branches guaranteed. I would love to talk to you about where you’re headed and how we can help you get there or even if you have no clue lets figure it out together, it’s an experience like no other,” said SSG Mumford.
