Recruiter guides Little Rock airmen to AF Reserve
LIT TLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE — Many airmen who separate from active duty want to continue serving their country without a break in service. One way to do that is by joining the Air Force Reserve.
Tech. Sgt. Maritza Moore, Central Recruiting Squadron Air Force Reserve in-service recruiter, is responsible for recruiting airmen who are separating from active-duty service into the Air Force Reserve at the Little Rock Air Force Base.
The in-service recruiter is there to help guide active-duty airmen to a career in the Reserve without a break in service through the Palace Chase and Palace Front programs.
The Palace Chase program is for airmen who don’t have a date of separation but want to get out of their active-duty role early and join the Reserve.
For airmen to become eligible for the Palace Chase program, they must have either completed a full enlistment or have completed half of their current enlistment. This process can take anywhere from six to eight months.
The Palace Front program is for airmen who already have a date of separation. The members separating are required to meet with the inservice recruiter a minimum of six months before their separation date.
“It’s our job to find the people who are getting out [of the Air Force] and contact them months in advance to offer them these programs,” Moore said.
Airmen separate from active duty for numerous reasons, such as being unable to cross-train into their desired career field or being unable to promote. Fortunately for them, the Reserve has a different system for promotion, along with opportunities to cross-train, Moore said.
“Unlike active duty, to promote, you don’t have to test against everybody. You’re basically testing against yourself,” Moore said. “You make sure your fitness is good, your professional military education is completed, and when you can test, just test.”
Joining the Reserve has many benefits, including health insurance, the Reserve GI Bill, adding to the GI Bill that activeduty airmen already earn and tuition assistance, as well as airmen keeping their rank.
The Reserve has many fulltime jobs similar to active duty, such as a military training instructor or an in-service recruiter, Moore said.
“I am here as a counselor or an assistant to help active-duty members transition to the Reserve so when they go back home, they have a job lined up,” Moore said.
For more information, contact the in-service recruiter at maritza.moore@us.af.mil or (501) 987-7188.