HBO documentary focuses on Houma recruiter, local soldiers

The air-conditioned comfort of a recruiting office is a far cry from the mountainous war zone of Afghanistan.

When Sgt. First Class Clay C. Usie, 33, was selected for the recruitment station in his hometown of Houma, he was not excited.

“Some of my friends I had just finishing serving with in Afghanistan were leaving for their second tour,” Usie said. “There’s such camaraderie, especially around what I do, in the brother-of-arms.”

But the U.S. Army Ranger threw himself into the new mission. In the process, he became the top Army recruiter in his battalion and one of the best in the entire country.

Usie is the focus of a new HBO documentary, “The Recruiter,” which premieres Monday, July 28, at 8 p.m.

The film chronicles the Houma soldier’s triumphs and struggles in finding new recruits during wartime.

“I didn’t look for individuals who were just trying to join the military for the benefits,” he explained. “I truly sought after folks who wanted to serve their country.”

To ensure recruits were prepared for life in basic training, Usie ran the Houma recruiting station’s Future Soldiers Program. He met twice a week with recruits, instilling in them the Army decorum and physical standards.

“I have no doubt that the Houma recruiting station, when I was there, we exceeded the standards in preparing our future soldiers,” he said. “All my recruits were awesome.”

Recruiting was most difficult in January 2005 after six local members of the Louisiana National Guard 2nd Battalion, 156th Infantry Brigade, were killed in Iraq.

“I knew several of those men. It was a challenging time,” Usie said. “It was a dark time for us in recruiting, but we still had young men and women enlisting during that time period.”

The long list of accomplishments and decorations Usie has accumulated attest to his abilities as a recruiter and a soldier.

In his nearly 13-year military career, Usie has served in various locations, including three tours of duty in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He has been awarded 32 medals and ribbons for his service and is pending approval for two more.

In 2004, he was named “Army Times” Soldier of the Year among all 1.3 million active-duty soldiers.

“That was an outstanding honor,” Usie said. “I was taken aback because it was something I didn’t know about. I didn’t compete for it.”

That same year, he was Selected U.S. Army Recruiting Command’s Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year in among all 7,200 assigned Army Recruiters.

During his recruiting tenure, March 2003 through February 2006, Usie enlisted 72 new recruits. The Army average is 30 recruits in three-year tours.

So what made Usie such an effective recruiter?

“I was pretty selective,” he admitted. “I took my time and evaluated people. I wanted guys and gals who, if I were a platoon sergeant, would want to actually work for me. I looked for an intellectually- and athletically-inclined person when I was out there recruiting.”

The film also follows four of his recruits from their final semesters of high school in 2005, as Usie prepares them for boot camp.

Each had their various reason for joining the Army.

Matthew Marks, a H.L. Bourgeois graduate, saw the Army as a chance to become the kind of man his absent father never could.

“I had the chance to mentor Matt for two years before he joined,” Usie said. “Matt wanted to enlist after his sophomore year, but I told him he was too young.”

Lauren Thorton, a former basketball player and H.L. Bourgeois graduate, viewed the Army as a way to pay for college and become an artist.

“She came in for an appointment and at some point decided she wanted to enlist,” Usie recalled. “We mentored and developed her for a couple of months in the Future Soldiers Program, and put her on a path to success.”

Terrebonne High graduate Bobby Barrios followed the family military tradition; however, his father worries Booby will have to serve in Iraq.

“Bobby came in the Future Soldiers Program just looking at options,” Usie said. “I was instrumental in talking to him about some of the programs that he was ultimately interested in.”

Central Lafourche graduate Chris Daigle overcame his stepfather’s disapproval and his weight issues to meet the Army’s physical requirements for enlisting.

“He came out and started exercising with us in preparation for the physical exam,” Usie explained. “He stayed dedicated to his goal, to qualify and to enlist. It was nice working with Chris.”

Unlike his recruits, Usie did not enlist right out of high school. After graduating from Bourgeois in 1993, he worked at Weatherford GEMOCO for two years as a CNC machinist.

“I knew if I didn’t go to college right away, I wanted to go and join the military,” he said. “I always had a burning desire to serve my country.”

In a rare moment of personal opinion injected during the film, the patriotic Usie suggests a federally-mandated system of service, if not necessarily a draft.

“I feel everybody should give back,” he said. “I’d rather it be military service, but ultimately give something back. So many people have given so much for us to be free.”

The film briefly offers a glimpse into Usie’s family life with wife Tammy and daughters Kirstin and Randi.

Usie has other family serving or who have served in the military. His younger brother Clint was in the Army National Guard military police unit at Jackson Barracks. He died 11 years ago in a car accident.

He also has one cousin in the Army and another who is a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force.

Out of uniform, Usie enjoys hunting, fishing and extreme physical activities – long-distance running, mixed martial arts and boxing.

“Anything that gives you an athletic challenge, I’m into,” he said.

Since the HBO filming wrapped up, Usie has been reassigned. He is a platoon sergeant assigned to 75th Ranger Regiment, Regimental Headquarters at Fort Benning, Ga. But he fondly reflects on his days as a recruiter in Houma, saying he considered it an honor to find modern warriors ready to serve.

“I realized that ultimately what I did here helped protect these parks I played at and where I grew fishing with my father,” Usie said. “They (recruits) are going to protect what we have directly here in Houma.”

Army Sgt. First Class Clay C. Usie, 33, is the subject of an HBO documentary scheduled to begin airing Monday. The film chronicles the Houma native’s triumphs and struggles in finding new recruits during wartime. * Photo courtesy of HBO ENTERTAINMENT