Fostering reenlistments one oath at a time
These are not idle mementos, but symbolic objects. They represent the things that occupy Senior Airman Jennifer Rhodes' thoughts: family and career.
Like other members of the military, she walks the tightrope of obligations and personal aspirations. An Information Management specialist, she wears the uniform, but is human, and the question passes through her mind almost daily, "Is the Air Force right for me?"
What makes her thoughts all the more potent is the fact that she recently reenlisted. With an oath, she turned four years into six, extending a military commitment that brings both peace of mind and fresh concerns.
It's a story that plays out hundreds of times a day all over the Air Force. Young airmen take stock and arrive at the personal decision of whether to stay in. In Rhodes' case, she's convinced that reenlisting was the right thing, at least for now.
"My daughter and my school … these are the things I had to consider," she said. "I reenlisted, but we'll just have to see what happens. If I make staff, I'll probably stay in."
If her story does nothing else, it puts a face on Air Mobility Command's new initiative: The Year of Retention and Recruiting.
The words are arranged to stress the importance of retaining and recruiting good people in the Air Force. The program brings with it promotional tools but the YoRR is about people. It is about communication, involvement and concern. For every hand raised to take the oath, the YoRR hopes to put a mentor on the other end.
Rhodes' mentor was Chief Master Sgt. Columbus Blocker who played a significant role in her thought process of whether to stay.
"Sometimes the troops just want someone to help sell them," said the Blocker. "They just need a pep talk from someone they trust."
When she approached the chief, he listened to her concerns, prompted her to formulate some goals, and then laid out the bottom line.
"Of course there's both good and bad to the Air Force," he said. "But I told her about all the intangibles we provide, how we're much more accommodating than the corporate world when it comes to things like taking care of family and personal issues."
In addition to that, the chief cautioned her on the perceived health of the civilian job market.
"Maybe things are good now, but we don't know about tomorrow. Layoffs, reorgs, cutbacks. Say what you will about the Air Force, but at least we offer security," said Blocker.
The Air Force chief of staff declared war on retention, and is striving to make the Air Force more attractive by managing operations tempo and re-purposing the Air Force's ad campaign.
Many see money and lucrative job opportunities as the motivator for early separation but exit surveys point to the fact that lack of leadership at unit level is a factor influencing retention.
The chief replies by saying that just a few quality minutes spent with the troops can pay dividends.
"If they know you care, you've made them part of the team," he said.
While service members the world over struggle with the personal and professional balance of military life, Rhodes dwells in the quiet peace of her recent reenlistment.
"It's one day at a time for me and my little girl," she says. "Will I reenlist again? Who knows?"
There will be both victories and defeats in the war on retention. With leadership involvement and a general awareness of the current manning environment the Air Force will be strong during the YoRR and beyond. (FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).
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