Chief for enlisted matters

The Air Force recently announced that we would be accepting "15-month" enlistees next fiscal year and some of these enlistees will come to FM. Since the announcement. I have received several inquiries on this subject. Generally, people are concerned about how this will impact the enlisted career-field. Let us start with a little background.

The 15-month enlistment program is a result of President Bush's Call for Service just after 9/11. The President wanted to give people the opportunity to serve in the military while not tying them to 4-year enlistments. The plan is that we would send these enlistees to basic training and technical school just as we do for everybody else. The difference is that these enlistees would be allowed to separate from active service and go into a reserve status about 15 months after arrival at their first permanent duty station (PDS). As the Air Force developed the plan to implement the President's initiative, each career-field was required to justify why they could not accept 15-month enlistees. I consulted with some other FM Chiefs and decided not to pursue exemption for the FM career-field.

Since we invest so much time and effort training our new enlistees, it is preferable to keep them as long as possible. So, the possibility of losing someone just 15-months after they arrive at their first PDS is bother-some to some people. However, the number of 15-month enlistees we will be receiving is relatively small ... less than 10 percent of our total enlistees for next year. Considering this, we can certainly support the President's call to service without a negative impact on the career-field. We may also find that some of these enlistees will like what they are doing and choose to remain in the Air Force longer. A large part of that decision will be based on how we treat them.

Our role is to accept these enlistees and train them as is if they were going to be with us for 20 years just as we do with our other enlistees. We need to give these folks a positive experience while they are on active duty serving their country because, like all others who join the military, they have chosen to do an honorable thing.

Speaking about serving our country. I recently returned from the ASMC National Professional Development Institute (PDI) in New Orleans. Once again, I noticed the large number of enlisted personnel Air Force commanders and supervisors send to this out standing training event. We easily have more Air Force enlisted personnel at this event than all other services combined. This shows the value the Air Force places on the development of its enlisted force.

While in New Orleans, I had the pleasure of staying at the same hotel as some of the heroes from our greatest generation. There was a group of former POWs from Stalag Luft III gathered for a reunion. I had the opportunity to talk with some of these fine gentleman and was humbled by their experiences and the service they have given to our nation. By the end of World War II, Stalag Luft III had over 11,000 POWs and about 200 of these individuals are still with us. They hold a reunion every few years to catch up on each other's lives.

Coincidentally, one individual I met was a former Director of Budget at HQ USAFE in Wiesbaden AB, Germany during the late 1960's. Colonel (retired) Harry Erickson's B-17 was shot down in October 1942 and he spent the rest of the war at Stalag Luft III. Colonel Erickson served in a variety of jobs across many career fields over his 30-year career doing whatever the Air Force asked him to do. He retired in 1974 as base commander, Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. It was truly an honor to meet him and his wife, Ellen. Again, I was humbled to meet these heroes and reminded how fortunate we are for their service to our country. Whenever you have the opportunity to meet a veteran, please take time to thank him or her for their service to our country, we owe them so much!

COPYRIGHT 2003 U.S. Air Force, Financial Management and Comptroller
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group