by Miranda G. McLeod
Staff Writer
Members of seven United States Air Force recruiting squadrons gathered at the Hyatt this week for their quarterly manager’s conference. The agenda included discussions on the progress of recruiting programs in the Midwest and Southeast regions of the U.S., including Puerto Rico. However, one area in particular is of concern.
“There is a critical need for nurses, doctors and dentists,” said Lt. Col. Jim Buckman.
Out of the 150 career fields available to enlisted members and officer programs, the most desired recruits are those needed to fulfill the medical needs of the USAF.
Col. William Dunn, USAF, DC, has been a dentist in the Air Force for 19 years. He is the residency program director at Keesler Medical Center in Biloxi, Miss. He explained how best to recruit medical personnel to more than 35 recruiting squadron commanders, superintendents, production superintendents and first sergeants at the conference.
The Air Force has two major programs for those looking to go into the field. The first is a loan repayment program.
“The typical dental student has more than $150,000 in student loans,” said Dunn. “With the loan repayment program, the Air Force will give up to $104,000 reimbursement for four years of school in exchange for a four-year contract (to the Air Force.)”
The Health Professional Scholarship Program is another incentive which identifies people already enrolled in dental school. The Air Force will pick up the tab for the student’s educational needs including books and equipment and provides $1,100 a month for miscellaneous expenses, according to Dunn.
As a student at the University of Florida in 2000, the Air Force paid Dunn $120,000 to cover the costs of his second residency. After the Air Force trained him in dental residency, Dunn said he felt no dental procedure was beyond his scope. But he doesn’t think students graduating from dental schools today have adequate training. He says even the American Dental Association is considering requiring a fifth year of dental school.
“Today’s graduates barely learned anything. They have very limited experience in the quantity and variety they will see in private practice,” said Dunn. “Young dentists have stars and dollar signs in their eyes, but they need to be brought up to speed.”
Dunn was twice sent to war where he performed oral operations in a tent, he said.
“The Air Force has trained me well. The quality of life and the pace is more relaxed than having a private practice,” he said.
According to Dunn, those who have already completed their education and had private practices are recruited by the Air Force as well, with the same incentives, if not more, than younger members looking to join.
“Mid-way through life, you’re eligible to get out of the rat race. We don’t stay late when the day is done. We have a life after work. It’s a family values thing,” said Dunn.
The quality of life is an advantage point for today’s recruiters. Lt. Col. Mike Meyer, 331 Recruiting Squadron Commander form Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., said unlike the Army, Marines and Army National Guard, the Air Force hasn’t seen a slow down in recruiting and there is still a regular pool of recruits to draw from, even after conflicts abroad.
The Marines and Army are in the more grueling situations, but the Air Force does have personnel on bases in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the Persian Gulf and Middle East regions, according to Meyer.
“We have security and special forces among others on bases there,” he said. “Percentage wise, the Marines and Army are out more, but we still are out there.”
Col. Gary W. Kirk is commander of the 367th Recruiting Group at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, which services one quarter of the United States in recruiting individuals to become members of the Air Force. He is responsible for ensuring sufficient applicant flow to health professions, including line officer, prior service and enlisted accessions programs to meet recruiting goals. He oversees 870 personnel within eight squadrons, 472 General Services Administrations vehicles scattered over 500,000 square miles and has a $12.4 million annual budget, according to Robins Air Force base Web site.
He says according to national surveys, the Air Force tends to be the service of choice for young people and therefore they haven’t had as many of the challenges facing other branches.
“These people (recruiters) work extra hard at what they do,” said Kirk. “We stress the benefits, but we don’t ignore patriotism and the service to country. We also don’t dodge the fact that what we do is dangerous.
“The world situation changes all the time. The different services take different roles. The Air Force is a big part of it all.”
As far as the problems with less than honest recruiters, Kirk said every organization faces its own problems with bad seeds, but it sometimes gets blown out of proportion by the media.
“We deal with it all the time — news reports which are negative toward the military affect recruiting. But it’s a huge exception in the Air Force which is why it makes news,” he said. “But we take care of it.”
The Air Force recruits honestly, according to Kirk.
“We’re excited about what we do. We want to tell recruits everything about the service and encourage them, because it’s a great way of life,” he said.
Kirk believes the majority of Americans still have a high opinion of military service.
“I think middle America still sees us in a favorable light,” he said.