EAA AirVenture Oshkosh bigger than the Super Bowl for US Air Force recruiting

Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern

OSHKOSH – Apparently, the world’s biggest air show is critical to the planet’s largest air force.

The U.S. Air Force relies heavily on EAA AirVenture for local recruiting, especially considering there isn’t an active military base in Oshkosh.

“Educating and bringing the military culture and lifestyle to this part of the country is definitely one of our goals,” said Lt. Col. Benjamin Schulze, commander of the 347th Recruiting Squadron, while attending the fly-in convention at Wittman Regional Airport July 24.

“It’s a challenge, [but] the patriotism in this part of the country I can say has been among the greatest I have ever experienced.”

The U.S. Air Force asset has been one of the most popular features of EAA AirVenture.
The U.S. Air Force asset has been one of the most popular features of EAA AirVenture.

Schulze’s comments come as the U.S. military faces its toughest recruiting period over the last three decades.

Air Force Brig. Gen. Christopher Amrhein, commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service, testified before a Senate Armed Services Committee last year that the Air Force failed to meet its recruiting goals for the first time in 24 years.

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The US Air Force asset at EAA AirVenture 2023 led to 3,700 registrations.

The Air Force’s asset at EAA AirVenture 2023 was one of its most successful after leading to 3,700 registrations.

According to Tech. Sgt. Apryl Hall, that number is 1,100 more than its asset at Super Bowl LVII in Arizona.

“It blew past the Super Bowl asset in the first 45 minutes,” Schulze recalled.

“It’s hundreds and thousands of impressions, lots of visits and lots of leads gained.”

It was one of the highest registration numbers for a U.S. Air Force recruiting event, bested only by the 5,800 recorded at the New York State Fair.

And this year’s event at AirVenture already resulted in more than 2,000 registrations midway through day 3 — well on pace to eclipse the 2023 numbers.

The ongoing U.S. Air Force asset has been one of the highlights of AirVenture, with thousands of people passing through Boeing Plaza daily to get a close-up of the F-15 fighter jets, the C-17 flying hospital and a C-130.

Kids of all ages have also taken advantage of the Air Force’s interactive games, including a virtual reality flight simulator.

Kids have been enjoying the virtual reality flight simulator.
Kids have been enjoying the virtual reality flight simulator.

Then, there were the long lines for Wednesday’s autograph session with Miss America Madison Marsh — an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force.

“This is one of our biggest footprints, one of our biggest manpowered events,” said Schulze.

“That’s not to say we don’t go out and create our own events, but we take advantage of this, and last year this was one of our largest events in terms of impressions and leads we’ve gained.”

But Schulze is still aware of the current recruiting challenges.

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The Army, Navy and Air Force failed to meet recruiting goals in the 2023 fiscal year.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the Army, Navy and Air Force all failed to meet recruiting goals in the last fiscal year.

The findings of that Senate Armed Services Committee point to common problems across the armed forces:

  • A dropping number of American youth who qualify for military service;

  • The COVID-19 pandemic limiting the ability of recruiters to interact with potential recruits;

  • Low unemployment numbers; and

  • Dropping numbers of adult "influencers" with military experience.

“I don’t think it’s harder, I just think it’s different [and] that’s something we have to adapt to as recruiters,” said Schulze of the current recruiting issues.

“We’ve made policy changes, whether it’s raising the recruiting age that we can take in. We’ve done increased resourcing, we’ve hired contractors to help us with medical documents.

“It’s a challenge, but it’s a challenge nationwide,” he added.

The 71st EAA AirVenture Oshkosh runs daily through July 28 at Wittman Regional Airport, 525 W. 20th Ave., Oshkosh. Daily tickets are $45 for adult members and $63 for adult non-members. Veterans and active military members pay $45 while kids 18 years and younger are admitted free. For more information, go to https://www.eaa.org/airventure.

Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: EAA AirVenture Oshkosh helps Air Force recruit military personnel

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