JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
A recently announced Air Force initiative is already paying dividends for several Air Force recruiters and their families. The new court-ordered child custody decree makes it easier for Airmen to defer or seek assignments so they can be stationed near their children.
Assignment authorities are now able to consider requests for an assignment or deferment so Airmen can serve near their children, even if the co-parents are not married.
“This is one we’ve been working on for a while, and I’m glad we could get it across the finish line,” former Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth Wright said in an interview before retiring. “You know, this Air Force is a family business. As such, we owe it to our teammates to make sure they have every opportunity to keep their family together whenever possible.”
Several recruiters have already benefited from the new program.
“It’s a great program that puts family first,” said Master Sgt. Raymond Sanchez, 337th Recruiting Squadron enlisted accessions recruiter. “My first sergeant e-mailed me about the program. I just had to go on MyPers, look up the court-ordered child custody agreement, get all the documents together and have my commander endorse it. The process went pretty fast, I got my assignment within two weeks.”
While recruiting is a stressful job, being stationed close to their children can relieve some stress for recruiters and allow them to better focus on their jobs.
“I think it’s a wonderful program,” said Tech. Sgt. Ismael Quiles, 318th Recruiting Squadron officer accessions recruiter. “As Airmen grow in their careers, some of us are faced with extreme stress due to family separation. Stability means everything to us. Every three years we have to move, and the stress of being apart is always there. Now that this program is here, it really is one less thing for us to worry about. I can now take that energy and put it towards progressing further as an Airman.”
“When I’m able to be with my kids, it brings me pure happiness,” said Master Sgt. William McLeod, 330th Recruiting Squadron special program manager. “If I’m happy, my subordinates and leaders will notice and it will have a positive impact on everybody involved.”
McLeod was able to defer an assignment that would have stationed him 23 hours away from his children. Although he is still seven hours away from his kids, it’s way better than the alternative.
“If schedules permit, I can drive up for the weekend and see them,” he said. “I can go to a football game, watch a school show, go to parent-teacher conferences, spend a lot more time than we ever could being 23 hours away. The cost that comes with plane tickets, rental cars and hotels has been reduced by at least 70 percent.”
The new program is changing lives as it allows families to remain close and reduces stress.
“My boss had just got here from another duty station and we were having a getting-to-know-you session,” Sanchez said. “I just found out that another position in Raleigh (North Carolina, where he was currently stationed) had opened up, and I told my supervisor if he could help me get that assignment, it would mean the world to me and I would run through a wall for him. He told me he would try his best to get it. It meant a lot because my daughter and my family are so important to me. If they’re happy, so am I.”
While this program definitely helps the recruiters, the big winners are the children.
“My children are thrilled about this program,” Quiles said. “To have their dad always near means they don’t have to go part of their lives without seeing me and we can spend time together.”
“My 10-year-old cried and thought I did it all for him,” McLeod said. “He was worried about flights between North Carolina and Montana. He was extremely happy.”
Sanchez’s daughter lives with him. His ex-wife, who is a flight attendant, recently moved to Raleigh. By moving into another position in Raleigh, he was able to keep the family close together.
“It means the world to me because my daughter is happy she can be around her mom more often,” he said. “It alleviates the stress of having to move and having my daughter change schools, and I don’t have to worry about getting my daughter to her mom and putting her on a plane by herself. It just makes our family stronger and, in turn, makes me a better Airman and a harder worker.”
The recruiters who have benefited from this program are committed to sharing their experiences with their fellow Airmen.
“The only way in my mind to say thank you to everyone who made this happen is to pay it forward,” McLeod said. “I posted on Facebook the new change straight from the Air Force Personnel Center and told the world I got selected and if anyone needs help to let me know and I could help them apply. I’ve helped several people apply and answered a bunch of questions. I plan on doing more to spread the word about this program and help anyone who needs it.”
“I think anyone with a custodial agreement should apply for it,” Quiles said. “It’s a seamless process that helps your family. I have already assisted a flight mate in applying.”
“It’s very important to get the word out because sometimes we get stuck in our own world and start doing repetitive things and we tend to shut out everything else,” Sanchez said. “I would love to help others because I feel like it’s a win-win situation for the family and the Air Force.”
Chief Master Sgt. Daniel Hoglund, AFPC command chief, said in a recent interview that he commends the Air Force for implementing this new program.
“The ability to take a vision and turn it into reality has set a mark for future programs to continue to generate wins for our Airmen and families,” Hoglund said. “I look forward to this program running on all cylinders and becoming normal muscle movement for our assignment functional managers in our Operations Executions Directorate.”
He added that it takes a team of experts working behind the scenes to ensure these programs are successful.
“The assignment functional managers and policy experts are merging art with science to create positive outcomes for our Airmen,” Hoglund said.
Service members who are named as a parent, either biological or adopted and have a court-ordered child custody agreement are eligible to apply. Assignment matches will be made when possible and must meet the best needs of the Air Force.
Criteria for court-ordered child custody agreements and deferments vary. Consult the new Air Force Guidance Memorandum AFI 36-2110 for details.
Airmen can submit their application through MyPers. Instructions are outlined in the PSD Guide, Voluntary Assignments: CCCA/CCCD.