MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla -- At some point all good things come to an end, which is true even for Airmen who serve their country when they have to make the decision to retire or separate from the Air Force.
“At the retirements and separations section, we handle making sure everyone is notified if they are in their window to either retire or separate,” said Airman 1st Class Travis Matera, a retirements and separations technician assigned to the 6th Force Support Squadron. “They can make the decision to extend, re-enlist, or leave the service, and once they press that button with their decision, we work to ensure they complete everything required to get their orders.”
One of the things required is attending the Transition Assistance Program class.
“Individuals are responsible for scheduling their own class date and attending the course before they can separate,” said Matera. “The transition course focuses on preparing individuals for life outside of the military.”
As well as the transition course individuals are given a physical and virtual checklist to complete.
“Once they are approved for retirement or separation, they have out-processing paperwork they need to complete,” said Matera. “At that point, it is our job to ensure they have the tools needed to successfully out-process before their final out appointment.”
For Airmen working in the retirements and separations section of the Military Personnel Flight being able to answer a variety of questions on different processes is key.
“Take retirements for instance, we handle the certification process for individuals retiring,” said Staff Sgt. Jasmine Madison, NCO in charge of retirements and separations, assigned to the 6th FSS. “We get asked all the time if the individual can get their certificate with a certain president’s signature who may not be the current president.
“Although we only provide certificates with the current president we try to be knowledgeable on the subject and direct them to the presidential library where they can request a certificate signed by any president they served under during their career.”
For every Airman whether retiring or separating, there is a team standing ready to ensure they can guide the individual along as smoothly as possible.