Lajes, Kadena, Andersen, Misawa among
top re-enlistment sites in Air Force
By Wayne Specht, Misawa
bureau chief
Three Pacific Air Force bases are among the top 10 re-enlistment sites in the Air
Force, service personnel officials said.
The top spot for re-ups in all categories in the past eight months was Lajes Field,
Azores, where 93 of 104 eligible servicemembers chose to stay — a 90 percent rate.
Okinawa’s Kadena Air Base was second at 86 percent, and Guam’s Andersen Air
Force Base was fifth at 84.6 percent. Misawa was sixth at 84.5 percent.
"Kadena has a very dynamic mission that breeds job satisfaction," said Senior
Master Sgt. Jody Rodarmel, Kadena’s career assistance adviser.
Rodarmel cited "fabulous front-line supervisors and commander’s
initiatives" in helping the base retain 632 of 738 eligible Air Force members.
At Misawa, no one had to sell Senior Airman Valerie McCoy and Staff Sgt. Paul McCray
Jr. on re-upping.
Both cited economic and educational factors as leading reasons why they signed for
another four-year stint.
"Job security and the chance for educational opportunities did it for me,"
said McCray, 26, who will have eight years in the service in September. He’s a
medical technician at the base hospital, is married and has two daughters.
McCray said what happened to his aunt also played a part in his decision.
"She was laid off after being with a company for 15 years," he said.
"That scared me. I have friends who got out two years ago, and [they] have had five
jobs since then — basically no security."
Planned increases in the GI Bill were an attractive incentive for Chicagoan McCoy, 20,
a worker at Misawa’s command post.
She’s studying for a computer science degree, and wants to trade her stripes for
officer’s bars.
Economics, she said, convinced her to stay.
"My mother and brother will become my dependents soon. He never had good medical
care in Chicago," she said.
Both said they looked at the pros and cons of a military vs. civilian career, exactly
what wing career assistance adviser, Senior Master Sgt. Clark Wells, constantly pitches.
"My job is to spread the word so they can make an informed decision," said
Wells, a 23-year Air Force veteran. "With our recent high [retention] rates, I’d
have to say we’re getting the word to our people that we care for them."
Andersen Air Force Base in Guam is the leading Air Force base for second-term
enlistments.
Thirty-nine of 41 second-term airmen there re-enlisted — a 95.1 percent rate. At
Andersen, servicemembers are offered a monthly Right Decision briefing, which details
their benefits.
"Senior leadership supports the ‘Right Decision’ program," said
Master Sgt. John Cobb, Andersen’s career assistance adviser.
Improving retention rates is in sharp contrast to the dismal picture Air Force
personnel officials were painting two years ago.
In 1999, the Air Force fell 1,700 members short of its recruiting goal, the first time
in 20 years. It recovered last year when the service met its recruiting goals.
The earlier shortfalls were blamed on a sustained "four-burner economy" that
kept high school kids from looking at the military as a career option. Historically when
the U.S. economy goes sour, enlistment rates improve.
Recent economic trends suggest the U.S. economy is slowing, but personnel officials say
it’s too early to say if it will bring a spike in enlistments.
Instead, Wells said the Defense Department’s pledge to improve GI Bill assistance
and pay reform, plus increased recognition in the Air Force for its star performers,
appear to be paying dividends for those in the ranks today.
The most recent Air Force staff sergeant promotion list was the highest in 30 years
with an overall 64.6 percent selection rate, including a 68.3 percent rate at Misawa.
"If we’re meeting their needs, they won’t be out there looking for other
jobs," Wells said.
McCray agreed.
"I’ve had a beautiful career with good supervisors, and there isn’t a
more rewarding job than being in the medical field," he said. "Besides,
I’ll still be a young man when I retire in 12 years."
Pacific Air Forces news service sources were used for this report.
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