Wright Flyer June 06.indd - 916th Air Refueling Wing

Page 8 FeatureWright Flyer s June 2006 Wright Flyer s June 2006 FeaturePage 9Employer Support for the Guard and ReserveReservists present ESGR Seven Seals Award to civilian employerby Master Sgt. Bryan PayneSecurity Forces SquadronThe 916 th strives to maintain goodrelationships with its reservists employers.Just last year, 716 th CommunicationsFlight developed a letter programfor recognizing the efforts ofemployers. This year, wing leadershipstepped it up a notch by taking therecognition on the road.Col. Harry Woodson, 916 th ARWMission Support Group commander,visited Computer Sciences Corporationin late April. The large companyhas its Financial Services Group locatedin Blythewood, S.C.While it is not unusual to see militarymembers in uniform in the Columbiaarea, due to the close proximity to FortJackson and Shaw Air Force Base, it isa little unusual to see them on the CSCcampus. Colonel Woodson was thereto present an Employer Support of theGuard and Reserve Seven Seals Awardto CSC’s Property and Casualty Division.Colonel Woodson explained thatthey incorporated the recognition witha training class for maximum exposure.Their employees from across thenation were able to witness the awardbeing presented.Employer Support for the Guard andReserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defenseorganization. It is a staff groupwithin the Office of the Assistant Secretaryof Defense for Reserve Affairs(OASD/RA), which is in itself a part ofthe Office of the Secretary of Defense.The nation’s Reserve components(referring to the total of all NationalGuard members and Reserve forcesfrom all branches of the military)comprise approximately 46 percent ofthe total available military manpower.Reserve forces are spending more timeaway from the workplace defendingPhoto courtesy of MSgt. Brian PayneCol. Harry Woodson presents the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve SevenSeals Award to Mr. Ray August. Colonel Woodson is the commander of the 916thMission Support Group and Mr. August is president of the Columbia, S.C., Divisionof Computer Sciences Corporation.In this environment,civilian employersplay a critical rolein the defense of thenation by supportingtheir workers whoserve in the Reservecomponent.the nation, supporting a demandingoperations tempo and training tomaintain their mission readiness.In this environment, civilian employersplay a critical role in thedefense of the nation by supportingtheir workers who serve in the Reservecomponent.Colonel Woodson started by briefingRay August, president of the division,and his staff just prior to their weeklystaff meeting on the mission of theAir Force Reserve. Colonel Woodsonexplained that the Air Force Reserveperforms 20 percent of the total AirForce mission with just four percent ofthe Air Force budget. He then sharedsome first hand experiences flying inan F-15 Strike Eagle and performingmid-air refueling from a KC-135RStratotanker at 25,000 feet travelingmore than 500 mph.After giving an overview of the missionof the Air Force Reserve, ColonelWoodson thanked the company forits support of the Guard and Reserve.He then presented CSC Property andCasualty Division with a Seven SealsAward recognizing the support thatCSC, as a company, provides bothguardsmen and reservists allowingthem to support national defense.Mr. Ray August thanked ColonelWoodson for the briefing, and award,and also for the training that theGuard and Reserve provides that helpmake for better CSC employees.Seymour reservist finds others to go ‘Above and Beyond’by Senior Airman Randy LeMayPublic Affairs SpecialistWith roughly 400 recruiters, the AirForce Reserve expects only the bestfrom those selected for recruiting duty.Tech. Sgt. LaTonya Kirk, an Air ForceReserve recruiter at Seymour JohnsonAir Force Base, N.C., is one of thoseindividuals.Sergeant Kirk spent nearly 20 yearsin the military with half that time inthe Air Force Reserve.Deciding to become a recruiter wasno easy task.After a lengthy application andscreening process potential recruitersare sent to recruiting school for sixweeks at Lackland Air Force Base,Texas.“It’s a tough school and you haveto go there being mentally prepared,”she said.Sergeant Kirk explained that asrecruiters they are primarily findingpeople to help run the Air Force[Reserve].“It is about bringing good people tothis unit,” she said.Once the recruiting school is completed,each recruiter serves nine to 12months in certification training.Sergeant Kirk explained there areseveral types of recruiters, such as linerecruiters, in-service recruiters andhealth profession recruiters. Most recruitersstart as line recruiters workingwith high schools and colleges torecruit members who have never been• Tech. Sgt. LaTonya Kirk - SeymourJohnson line recruiter. Areas of responsibilitycovers from Rocky Mount to Wilmington N.C.,(919) 722-2259• Tech. Sgt. Diane Peterson-Finley - Raleigh,N.C., line recruiter. Areas of responsibilitycovers from Raleigh to Winston-Salem andthe northern part of the state (919) 873-9044• Tech. Sgt. Ira Smith - Fayetteville linerecruiter. Areas of responsibility covers Fayettevilleto Lexington N.C., (910) 483-0083• Tech. Sgt. Tonywanda Jackson - SeymourJohnson ISR/Line, Works with all activeduty Air Force separating from Pope and SeymourJohnson AFB, N.C., (919) 722-7462in the military called non-priorsand they also work with priorservice members.Master Sgt. Ellen Shaheed,lead recruiter, explained that inservicerecruiters mainly handleindividuals separating from activeduty Air Force; those whocomplete their term of enlistmentor those who chose to separateearly through the Palace Chaseprogram.Sergeant Kirk spent a majorityof her career at Seymour JohnsonAir Force Base, so returning towork for the 916 th made her jobas a recruiter a little easier.“Being an Air Force [Reserve]recruiter is kind of similar toworking in personnel, which wasmy other Reserve career field,”said Sergeant Kirk. She explainedthat she works more withthe public now than members ofthe unit, but understanding theunit gives her an advantage.Living in the surrounding communityis a big plus too as the916 th Recruiting Office is focusing moreand more on community involvement.“We want to be more involved withthe unit and our local communities sothey’ll know who we are,” said SergeantShaheed. “We want them to beable to associate a face with a name.”Although the 916 th ARW is currentlyovermanned, it doesn’t stop theoffice from recruiting, just slows themdown a little.“It has an impact onthe number of people wecan assign to the wing,”said Sergeant Shaheed.Critical positions thatmay be hard to fill andthe ability to place peoplein overage slots helps recruitersbring new peopleto the Reserve wing. Sobeing out and about isstill a key part of theirjobs.Sergeant Shaheed saidthat the recruiting shopis taking many necessarysteps to support andpromote the wing, meetPhoto by Donna LeaMaster Sgt. Ellen Shaheed, left, and Tech. Sgt.LaTonya Kirk go over recruiter instructions tokeep current on today’s ins and outs on bringingsomeone into the Air Force Reserve.command recruiting initiatives and tobecome more familiar and intertwinedwith the community.To increase awareness the recruitingoffice is doing more career fairs,center of influence events, gettingmore involved with high school andcollege programs and visiting regionaltelevision and radio stations to promotethe playing of Air Force ReservePublic Service Announcements.“We want to work hand-in-handwith the 916 th to support their needsand increase the awareness of ourprogram,” said Sergeant Shaheed.While the job may seem to havemany perks, it is not always as easyas the recruiters make it look.Sergeant Kirk said one of the mostdifficult aspects of the job is informingperspective recruits that they are notqualified.Our role is very important and positionscannot be filled without recruiters,she added.“I get a lot out of helping theseyoung guys and girls get on the rightpath,” said Sergeant Kirk. “The AirForce Reserve is a good start.”