Retirement brings happy trails

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kent Kagarise
  • 442nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Master Sgt. Linda Yeates, paralegal assistant in the 442nd Fighter Wing's judge advocate general office, swiped her ID card one last time at the conclusion of the December 2010 unit training assembly and began the transition from Citizen Airman to Air Force Reserve retiree.

Having served just over nine years in the Navy as an environmental systems aircraft mechanic and 12 years in the Air Force Reserve, Sergeant Yeates looks back with fondness.

"After getting out of the Navy, I went and talked to an Air Force recruiter," Sergeant Yeates said. "I originally joined the wing in 1998 as a writer in public affairs and have witnessed a lot of changes over the years."

Sergeant Yeates said she remembers a time when the wing appeared much younger to her and noted that she thinks 9/11 was cause for immediate change that has transformed the Air Force.

"It's not about two weeks a year and one weekend a month anymore because the mission changed drastically when our nation was attacked," she said. "I think, oftentimes, people don't stick around as long anymore due to the greater demands on an Airman's time."

It is with mixed emotions when Sergeant Yeates considered hanging up the tiger stripes one last time.

"I'm going to lose a huge part of my identity and a tremendous sense of belonging that comes along with the pride of wearing the uniform," she said.

Her time spent in the judge advocate general's office gave her great satisfaction, she said, because she assisted deploying members so they had their affairs in order.

"It's nice to know I helped them go over there without worries and free of anxieties -knowing that their families had been taken care of," Sergeant Yeates said.

She not only provided comfort for those outside of JAG, but exemplified selfless leadership from within, according to those who know her.

"She's an excellent noncommissioned officer and one of the finest people I know," said Tech. Sgt. Tamika Jacobs, 442nd FW JAG assistant. "She's a great mentor who provided me direction and always kept chocolate around the office."

Sergeant Yeates quietly got her mission done and brought a calming peace to the JAG office - a peace that will be missed by her peers, one of her coworkers said.

"The easiest way to put it, is I'll be sad to not see her here next month," said Lt. Col. Jeff Morris, staff judge advocate. "From my inception into the unit in 2004 she's been here, and in my mind she's an institution."

Sergeant Yeates' best experience in the Air Force, she said, was being deployed to Iraq.
There, she partook in a multiple national-task force, which she said she feels has given her ample credibility at her civilian job with Veteran's Affairs where she is a readjustment-counseling therapist.

"There are a lot of veterans coming home from multiple deployments, and they're struggling with different types of reintegration issues," she said. "When they're speaking with me, sometimes they feel like they are talking to someone who might be able to understand a little bit."

Sergeant Yeates said she will miss seeing the people she has had wonderful relationships with in the 442nd FW family and said she always looked forward to reconnecting with them once a month.

In addition to the many long-term friendships, she said she will miss meeting the new Airmen and watching them grow.

"If I could give any of these great kids advice, it would be to have the mentality that they are in this for the long haul and when it comes to their military career -- think long term,"
Sergeant Yeates said. "A crisis in your life today may seem very important, but there will always be change in your life. Having the Air Force support system in your life is very valuable."

Sergeant Yeates is looking to devote her extra time toward researching a psycho-therapy equine (horses) program for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I think there's value in people with mental illnesses working with animals to help them heal and move toward wellness," she said. "Horses are very kind and giving, but they demand a different kind of respect. When you see people who are physically or mentally ill riding a horse, you sense a certain freedom that they're not experiencing when they're on the ground."

Sergeant Yeates will be certainly be missed by her coworkers in the wing, but her fellow Citizen Airmen can take great comfort knowing that she is not riding off into the sunset - rather, one of many sunrises - which she will bring Air Force values and experiences with her.