News

Civilian employers learn ins, outs of Reserve life

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Desiree Kiliz
  • 446th Airlift Wing
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  The back doors open and straps attached to the pallets wave violently in the wind. Four-hundred feet below bails of hay create a sporadic design in the eastern Washington crops, while herds of cows graze in the fields. This is the sight Reservists and their civilian employers saw as they watched an airdrop during a C-17 flight.
 
More than 35 civilian employers experienced the life of a McChord Reservist on March 31 for the semi-annual employers orientation day. 

The purpose of employer orientation is to allow employers to see what their Reservists do when they come out for duty, and to let employers know the Air Force Reserve appreciates their support, said 1st Lt. Louis Robertson, 446th Airlift Wing public affairs officer. 

The all-day event begins with employers processing for deployment through a mock mobility line and then attending briefings for their deployment. 

Lt. Col. Jerry Thayer's employer Kathryn Ann Moffett, Wilder Construction Company, said, "The deployment procedures and trying to put myself through the whole process makes it so much more personable for me. It was really a thrill." 

Speakers from mobility, civil engineers, medical, and security forces give employers a glimpse of what Airmen really must do to be prepared to deploy. Employers also learn about the nature of their mission through an Air Force intelligence report (all fictitious and unclassified, of course). 

The sheer number of requirements placed on Reservists, as demonstrated for the employers, was a real eye-opener. 

"We have more than 160 pilots employed from the Reserve and right now it is pretty challenging because they are so busy with the military," said C.C. Mui, Alaska Airlines. "But coming out here gives us a real good idea of what they do and more accepting when they've got to be gone from work." 

Once employers are processed and briefed, they and their Reservist get the opportunity to go on a C-17 flight, complete with an airdrop, tactical descent and combat off-load. 

Staff Sgt. Allen Jackson, 446th Airlift Wing and United Postal Service employee, said, "Employer orientation really gives our employers a special insight that the general public doesn't get to see. It gives them a first hand experience at what we do prior to and during a deployment and then they appreciate it." 

The next employer orientation day is scheduled for Oct. 20.