Preparing new reservists for success

Published May 1, 2012
By Senior Airman Wesley Wright
442nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- The 442nd Fighter Wing will kick off the Development and Training Flight here June 23.

DTF is a program designed to prepare new reservists for success in training.

"DTF was created to prepare new Airmen to succeed in their Air Force career," said Staff Sgt. Jessica Harrell, 442nd coordinator and organizer of the DTF.

The program is intended to increase the success rate of new Airmen going in to basic military training and technical school. DTF will familiarize the new reservists with military life from the time they sign up to the time they ship out for training, which could be anywhere from one day to several months.

"We could have the Airman for a single day, several UTAs, or for many months," Harrell said. "It all depends on their job and availability of school dates."

While the uniform for DTF will be jeans and T-shirt, the Airmen will still be held to Air Force Instruction 36-2903, "Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel." This means that while new reservists will not be in Airman Battle Uniforms yet, they will be held to Air Force grooming standards.

DTF will be every Saturday of the main UTAs. The curriculum covers the Airmen's Creed and core values, reporting statements, facing movements and processing delayed entry program checklists.

Next, the Airmen will go over military rank and structure, which will entail review of AFI 36-2618, "The Enlisted Force Structure." This document summarizes the duties and responsibilities of enlisted reservists from airman basic to chief master sergeant.

Airmen will also participate in team-building exercises, which Harrell said she thinks is very important for enlisted development.

"The team-building exercise will teach the new Airmen about leadership, which can take two forms: leading by virtue of rank and seniority and leading by gaining the trust and respect of those with which you work," Harrell said.

Later, Airmen will be introduced to physical training, or PT, in order to make sure they stay fit-to-fight in between the time they sign up and when they leave for training; this will also include regular weigh-ins.

Harrell said she believes strongly in the importance of being fit, and DTF will help Airmen to establish good fitness habits prior to the physical challenges of BMT.

In her preparations to run DTF, Harrell recently visited Travis AFB, Calif., to observe how the program is working out there. Additionally, Harrell attended a conference and met with military training instructors at Lackland AFB, Texas, to get feedback on how to best prepare new Airmen to succeed at BMT.

Harrell said it has been challenging laying the groundwork for this program, but she thinks it will pay off in the long run.

"It's all about setting them up for success," Harrell said. "DTF will give Airmen the guidance they need to keep on track until they go to basic training."