Recruiters help new, experienced members join, remain part of military Published Oct. 15, 2010 By Karen Abeyasekere 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs RAF MILDENHALL, England -- Anyone wanting to either join the U.S. Air Force for the first time or continue ties with the military after a long career of service can call on the services of RAF Mildenhall's recruiters. Considering serving as active duty Master Sgt. Phillip Guffa, Air Force recruiter, covers all of the United Kingdom and northwest Europe, including Azores, Portugal. His role is to recruit people for enlisted and officer programs within the Air Force. "I mainly go to the high schools, talking to [youths] who are interested in joining ," he said, adding that he also meets with dependent spouses who are interested in joining as well. Additionally, I also deal a lot with dependents of retirees or any other Americans who have settled in England." Despite numerous requests from British and other nationals, it's mainly only American citizens who are eligible to join the U.S. Air Force or other branches of the U.S. military. However, anyone with dual citizenship or who is a resident alien living in the United States is eligible to join, providing they meet certain criteria and have their Green Card. Sergeant Guffa has been in the Air Force for almost 20 years, the first 13 of which were spent as an munitions specialist. "I looked into becoming a recruiter a couple of different times. I grew up near Chicago and wanted to go back home and talk to people about the Air Force," he said. "I did my first recruiting job in Schaumburg, near Chicago; I was there for three years and know of at least 80 people who went to basic training [because of my help]." After that, Sergeant Guffa spent two years at the Military Entrance Processing Station in Boston, before heading to RAF Mildenhall. "Recruiting's a little easier here [in England] as most of the children I talk to have some background and experience with the Air Force and are part of the Air Force family in some way. "But kids come in with their own preconception of how it is in the Air Force, and that can be good and bad. My son is the perfect example - when I became a recruiter, encouraging people to join the Air Force, he would talk to his friends about the military. "I soon realized that he was just giving his own perspective of it." The recruiter said he always tries to put himself in a position where people can find and see him so they can ask any questions they have. "Only about 5 to 10 percent of the people we talk to are even qualified to join the Air Force - and we have to go through a lot of people to find them." He said he encourages people to join the Air Force, as it can help better their situation and help them in their future, adding that the education benefits are incredible. "Over here, a lot of people have pride in service. Of the [teenagers] we talk to, a lot of their family might have been in [the military] and they want to carry that on." Those interested in joining the U.S. Air Force can contact Sergeant Guffa at 01638 544942, DSN 238-4942, or e-mail phillip.guffa@mildenhall.af.mil. Alternatively, for those who have already spent years serving in the military, and are either getting ready to get out, or are already out, the Air Force Reserve recruiter may provide new service options. Are the Air Force Reserves for you? Master Sgt. Thomas McCune, Air Force Reserve recruiter, spent 10 years in the Army. He had a service break of 10 years, during which he was a truck driver and spent one of those years as a reservist, but says he missed the teamwork, camaraderie and friendship of the military. So he decided to return, but this time into the Air Force. "It was mainly for the quality of life - the Air Force has the best by far," he said. "Anyone who has either been in the Air Force or has been deployed alongside members of the Air Force can see that. It takes good care of its people." This was also the main reason Sergeant McCune decided to become a recruiter and encourage others who had spent their career in the military to keep their ties, and therefore, the benefits with it. His mission here is to recruit and retain fully-qualified Airmen to transition from the active duty Air Force into the Air Force reserve. To be considered fully qualified, Airmen must have left with an honorable discharge, pass their physical health assessment and still be considered fit-to-fight by having passed their fitness assessment. "About six months before they separate, personnel have an 'informed decision briefing,' which means they have to sign up with their base career advisor for a monthly briefing," said the reserve recruiter. He explained that there are two programs available to members: Palace Chase and Palace Front. Palace Chase is when Airmen would like to separate early from their service commitment with the Air Force; they are [sometimes allowed to be released, but have to do "two for one" - two years in the Air Force Reserve for every one year remaining of their current active duty contract. This is an active duty Air Force program and individuals need to meet the requirements of the Air Force Instruction. "I'm simply a facilitator helping them to do their paperwork, and making sure they've got everything in order for submission," said Sergeant McCune. The Palace Front program is a great way for someone who knows they no longer wish to continue on active duty as a full-time career. It allows them to pursue their civilian endeavors, family, education and civilian careers, sooner rather than later, maintaining the best of both worlds. The paperwork then gets sent through the chain of command before applying online. When separating from overseas, members can apply within the last year of their Air Force contract or date of expected return from overseas. "My job with the Palace Chase program is to find them a job in the reserves," the recruiter said. "If the military member wants to get out early and stay in-country, their only option is to become an Individual Mobilization Augmentee. That's a non-traditional reservist, and they would be attached to an active duty Air Force unit either in the United Kingdom or elsewhere within the European theater." To do this, the person has to live legally in Europe, either as a command-sponsored dependent, married military-to-military or have to be authorized under a work visa to remain in the country to become an IMA overseas. "If [separating] in the states, people can either become an IMA or a traditional reservist working one weekend a month, 39 days a year, or an air reserve technician, which is a full-time reservist. It's not active duty, but they get paid under the regular government service pay scale like civilian employees working for the government." Full-time positions are Monday to Friday, but they still have to serve one weekend a month and two weeks a year to fulfill their reserve obligation. Sergeant McCune said 70 percent of people in the reserve are prior military. "But this is now starting to change as the Air Force downsizes. We're starting to recruit more first-time folks into the reserve," he said. "Everybody should investigate their options before they separate. The Air Force Reserve has excellent benefits that you wouldn't get in the civilian sector." For more information on becoming an Air Force reservist, contact Sergeant McCune at 01638-545290 or DSN 238-5290 or e-mail thomas.mccune@mildenhall.af.mil.