Development flight gives delayed enlistees headstart

by Tech. Sgt. Stephen J. Collier
302nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

3/19/2013 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The sounds of civilians marching in lock step, the sidestepping of recruits in the dining facility and familiar commands being barked at gaggles of stunned humans. It's official: basic military training has moved from San Antonio to the high country of Colorado.

Well, sort of.

The 302nd Airlift Wing, together with Schriever Air Force Base's 310th Space Wing, launched in December 2012 the Development and Training Flight here for new Air Force Reserve recruits to prepare them for the rigors of basic training. The flight also aims to ease the recruits, who are assigned to the Air Force Reserve's Delayed Enlistment Program, into a military lifestyle. This instruction, that takes place during the monthly Unit Training Assembly weekend, provides the recruits with the opportunity to understand the military more in-depth before shipping out for basic military training at Lackland AFB, Texas, located on the outskirts of San Antonio. The new flight, according to Chief Master Sgt. Otis Jones, 302nd AW command chief, should "blue" the recruits, allowing them to be more successful at Lackland's training grounds.

"For people that go [to basic military training] for the first time it's a little bit of a shock to their system," Jones said. "This program is actually getting them ready for it. It allows them to learn some of the basics of the military up front. They learn how to listen, take directions and have a better understanding of military customs and courtesies. And we're seeing success from people going down there."

And the success of trainees is the flight's ultimate end goal. Jones explained that, on average, it costs the Air Force thousands of dollars to train a single recruit. This includes meals, pay, housing, clothing and the support personnel it takes to mold a civilian into an Airman. In the past, the AF Reserve has sent recruits to San Antonio, but for various reasons, a fraction may drop out of basic or have disqualifying issues. With the Development and Training Flight in place, units like the 302nd AW and 310th SW have been able to screen recruits under the Delayed Enlistment Program and provide them critical instruction to better succeed at basic training. Since the flight's inception, 12 trainees have gone to Lackland.

Helping to transition the trainees is Master Sgt. Elisha M. Olivas-Stewart, the single reservist on orders supporting the flight's implementation and operation. In her role as the flight's facilitator, Olivas-Stewart admitted she wished she had something like this before she went to basic training.

"I believe in this program," she said. "I know I had a long road of getting used to the Air Force Reserve way of life. There were so many times that I almost gave up and got out. I used to feel guilty, leaving my babies to accomplish drill weekends. I would have loved to be prepared mentally for what I was truly getting into so as to prepare the rest of my family."

Olivas-Stewart said the program has been a success so far, and hopes it will mimic that of the 349th Air Mobility Wing at Travis AFB, Calif. Just after that flight's start up in 2010, 10 trainees were sent to basic training. Of those trainees, according to Olivas-Stewart, more than half either completed basic military training as honor graduates or were competitive for honorary recognitions.

"From a personal standpoint, I feel like for the first time in my life, I am truly making a difference in the lives and future of the Air Force Reserve," the master sergeant said. "We all play a part in the Air Force."