Recruiters help Reserve Airmen transition to Active Duty

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Harrison Withrow
  • 434th ARW Public Affairs
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. --  
For traditional Reservists who want more of their Air Force experience, Air Force recruiters are making the transition to active duty easier than ever.

“A lot of Airmen out there get into the Reserve and decide that they want to take the skills the Air Force has taught them and do their Reserve job full-time,” said Master Sgt. Glenn Cook, 338th Recruiting Squadron enlisted accessions recruiter. “For Reservists ready to pursue that, we want to make that a reality.”

While there has been a stigma in the past about the hurdles associated with transitioning from Reserve to active duty, a lot has changed in recent years, said Cook.

“This program has always existed, but it was definitely outdated and not easy to get through,” he said. “In the last two years, the process has been greatly streamlined and we’ve cut out a lot of those hurdles to allow more Guard and Reserve members to cross over.”

Known as the Direct Duty program, this process allows Reservists to take their 5 skill-level or higher training and directly transition to doing the same work on the active duty side.

“Starting this process is as simple as giving me a call or shooting me an email, then we run through a quick qualification checklist to make sure there aren’t any waverable issues we need to address,” said Cook. “After that we look at your skill level, your rank and your time in service, and we submit a package to your functional manager.

“Start to finish, the average turnaround is three-to-four months,” he added. “That’s from the time I meet you in my office, to when you’re arriving at your new assignment.”

In the past, the process would often take a year or more, said Cook.

“For anyone who feels like one weekend a month isn’t enough for them, it’s something to really think about,” he said.

For more information, call Cook at 765-452-0905 or email at glenn.cook.1@us.af.mil.

The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. The Citizen Airmen from the Hoosier Wing routinely deploy around the world in support of the Air Force mission.

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