58th and 150th SOWs visit Lackland, go back to basic

  • Published
  • By Jim Fisher
  • Kirtland Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  As their bus rolled through the "Gateway to the Air Force" at San Antonio-Lackland on Friday, Tech Sgt. April Martinez and Staff Sgt. Kevin Miller of the 58th Special Operations Wing got their first look at Air Force Basic Military Training since they were basic trainees 17 and 13 years ago, respectively.

"It was surreal," said Martinez.

Martinez, an aviation resource manager and Miller, a phase coordinator at the 71st Aircraft Maintenance Unit, were returning to where their careers began and also taking a peek at their potential future jobs as training instructors.

Airmen from Kirtland's 58th and 150th Special Operations Wings joined them, and Col. Dagvin Anderson, 58th SOW commander, orchestrated the visit and came along with the group.

Anderson said he wanted to give the group an opportunity to see the state of basic training in 2015.

Soon after arrival, visitors saw a basic military training graduation ceremony. Anderson said the newly minted Airmen's enthusiasm was contagious.

"When you hear 600 new Airmen reciting the Airman's Creed, and they all shout, 'and I will not fail,' you've got to believe it." Anderson said. "This is an opportunity to get in touch with our fundamental values that guide us as Airmen."

Martinez agreed.

"For some of us that had been away so long, it was kind of a re-blueing," Martinez said.

The MTIs said that conditions have improved since changes were made after the sexual assault scandals in 2011 and 2012. And standards for MTIs have increased. According to BMT officials, of every five volunteers considered for MTI duty, only one will make the cut. Because of this, the Air Force is working to find qualified candidates, even selecting technical and master sergeants in non-volunteer status.

Miller said he was pleased with the answers the panel provided, and also awed by the responsibility and standards MTIs must execute.

"They were very enthusiastic about their jobs and about how everything has changed since the difficult period several years ago," Miller said. "It was really informative -- an eye opener. I think it's something I am going to have to prepare myself for more before taking the next step."

A big change among MTIs is the length of the duty day, which is now limited to 12 hours. Even days that long are rare.

That was welcomed news for Martinez, who is married with two children. She was worried about the impact of MTI duty on her family life, she said.

"I wanted to know how (MTIs') family life was affected, how many hours they were working," Martinez said. "I have been married for 13 years and I definitely don't want my marriage to fall apart because of a job."

Martinez is most attracted to the pride of service the MTIs displayed, she said.

"I was really surprised to see how emotional they were about it, how proud they were of their troops," Martinez said. "That's what's drawing me towards it: the prospect of my providing a service that I will get automatic gratification from. I've been waiting until I have enough time on station to volunteer, so it was a good chance for me to see what they next part of my career might be like."