A local man has combined his love for the Navy with his knack for selling to become one of the best recruiters in the nation.

Machinist Mate 1st Class (SW) Jeffrey Harp, 34, is the Navy's Enlisted Recruiter of the Year (Reserve Component) and is among the 13 best out of more than 5,000 in Navy Recruiting nation-wide.

Harp is a 1992 graduate of Newberry High School and grew up in the area of Highways 34 and 121 near Silverstreet. After graduation, Harp, who is the son of the late Milton Harp Sr. and Berneatha Harp joined the Navy.

He says one of his favorite parts of being in the Navy was traveling to areas around the world that he otherwise would not have seen.

“I got to visit a lot of places,“ he added. “The Navy taught me to be more responsible and be the person I am today.“

In November of 2001, Harp left the Navy to become an insurance salesman. Within a few years, he realized he began to miss the camaraderie of the Navy but knew he enjoyed the salesman in him. So he decided to combine his two loves to become a recruiter for the Navy.

In November of 2005, he began to work as a recruiter.

“I am able to understand the needs of the recruits. This is not about quotas but touching the lives of others,“ said Harp, who admits his work hours are long.

Harp said he gets a high when he sees he has helped change someone's life, and he often “strives to get that high.“

Harp adds that getting youth in the Navy helps them experience the world and also helps them to get out on their own and become responsible.

When not working Harp enjoys relaxing, watching television, sports and seeing college basketball games. The Simpsonville resident is the president of the Southern Gents Social Club in Newberry and has many of his family members still living in the Newberry area.

From Jan. 7 to 11, Harp and the other 12 awardees were honored in Washington, D.C. The Chief of Naval Operations presented all winners with their awards at a ceremony at the Navy Memorial Jan. 9. The rest of the week was filled with luncheons with various Navy organizations; office calls with the Secretary of the Navy, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, and other Navy leadership; a tour of the 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon; visits to Iwo Jima Memorial, Library of Congress and Capitol Hill; and wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“This was my first trip to Washington, and I got to see a lot of historical sites,“ he said.

Harp was one of only two recruiters promoted to his current paygrade because of the magnitude of his award.