Navy Uses Virtual Reality For Recruiting Event At Moore High School

The Navy used virtual reality for a recruiting event in Moore Thursday. It’s part of an effort to relate to younger groups of potential recruits through the latest technology. 

Thursday’s event was at Southmoore High School, where students were given dog tags with digital codes.

The tags unlocked a virtual reality game, where goggles allowed students to participate in a mock mission to save Navy SEALs.

“There's actually four different target points you have to hit throughout the mission and it scores you on each one of those,” said Petty Officer Reynolds Cathy.

At the end of the virtual reality experience, sailors were waiting to talk about recruitment options.

“This is a way for us to do that with virtual reality, because it is like playing a video game,” said Cathy.

According to Cathy, this was the first time the Navy has brought the VR recruitment technology to an Oklahoma school.

The recruitment station still had the classic pull up bar and brochures, but Cathy says nothing peaks interest like the virtual reality mission.

“Not only do we get to talk to seniors in the school, but we talk to freshmen and sophomores and juniors. So, it kind of plants that seed about the Navy and about what it is that we do,” said Cathy.

At Southmoore, the Navy’s display also included an interactive photo booth.

“We're always looking for different ways to try to reach our target audience which is 17 to 24,” said Cathy.

The recruitment event will continue at Southmoore Friday.