STEWART AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. – One recruiter at the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing is standing out from his peers, having recruited more Airmen in 2024 than any other recruiter in the Air Force and making history in the process.

Tech. Sgt. Franklin Angel, 105th production recruiter, was named the top-producing recruiter in the nation for 2024, recruiting 80.5 new Airmen. He also was awarded the Blue Suit Award for the second consecutive year, an achievement that made him the first Air National Guard recruiter to win the award twice.

“Tech. Sgt. Angel is an exceptionally talented recruiter,” said Master Sgt. Grant Drumgold, 105th recruiting flight chief. “He manages nearly 100 applicants at once and makes each recruit feel as if they’re his only applicant. No recruiter has done more to bolster the Air National Guard’s manning in the last two years than Tech. Sgt. Angel. It’s an honor to serve alongside him.”

Angel, a Montgomery, N.Y. resident, became a recruiter in 2021, following seven years as a 105th Base Defense Squadron member. He said after two deployments and other trips, he was ready for a change of pace that would challenge him and help him learn new skills.

So, he traded the security forces beret for a recruiter tab on the right arm of his uniform and a new focus on bringing new talent into the New York Air National Guard.

“We’re not just supporting the Air Force as a whole, were supporting our communities and state,” Angel said. “Everyone sees our C-17s flying around, but they also see us serving during state emergencies, doing missions only the Air Guard can undertake. It’s amazing seeing people go from their civilian job to their Guard job, go on deployments and missions, and then be able to go back their regular day-to-day when the mission is over.”

In 2023, with less than two years of experience, Angel was named Rookie Recruiter of the Year and awarded his first Blue Suit Award for high enlistment rates exceeding those of his peers with similar experience.

After receiving his first Blue Suit Award in March 2024, Angel had a choice: take a step back from the top spot or continue striving for excellence in his service to the Guard.

“One of the reasons I aimed for Blue Suit again was due to my wife,” Angel said. “A big factor toward my accomplishments is due to her support and understanding. Blue Suit does a fantastic job of acknowledging not just our efforts, but the contributions our spouses make toward our job. I wanted her to experience the spotlight and praise.”

Driven by this motivation, Angel enlisted 80.5 new Airmen in 2024, including new recruits and prior service members from various branches.

He recruited half a new Airman by splitting the credit with another wing’s recruiter, which happens when a new recruit is interested in a career the 105th doesn’t have an opening for or when they might be a better fit at another unit.

Angel credits his success to the help and support he gets from his team and family, his motivation to learn the best and most accurate ways to recruit incoming members, and the ideal location of the 105th, about 90 minutes north of New York City.

Angel was formally recognized by the Air Force Recruiting Service for his second Blue Suit Award in March 2025 with 13 other award recipients, including 10 active-duty, two reserve and one other Guard recruiter. These individuals are the top-performing Air Force recruiters out of more than 1,000 worldwide.

There was a variety of events hosted by the AFRS in honor of the award recipients, including an arrival ceremony, meet and greets with Air Education and Training Command leaders and prior Blue Suit Award recipients, and time spent with military training instructors and Airmen in basic military and technical school training.

To conclude the week’s festivities, there was a formal award ceremony to recognize each award winner, with Angel as the top performer. Angel acknowledges that it will be a challenge to beat his record 2024 year. It is a challenge he is willing to take on in 2025, though, because part of his job as a recruiter requires adapting to change and finding new ways to recruit.

The recent ceremony, he said, gave him a second wind and a reminder of the importance of his job and why he does it.

“Everyone at the event asked, ‘Are we going to see you again next year?’” Angel said. “At first, I thought definitely not, but when I kept hearing it, I thought, well, maybe I can and maybe I should.”

With renewed motivation and a supportive network behind him, Angel is embracing the challenge of 2025 and highlighting that anything is possible within the New York Air National Guard.