Advisory board seeks reservists’ input

  • Published
  • By Maj. Richard C. Sater
  • 4th Air Force Public Affairs (Deployed)
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) --  When reservists on the Air Force Reserve Advisory Board meet at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, Jan. 23 and 24, they can add another success story to their list of accomplishments.

President George W. Bush signed the fiscal 2004 National Defense Authorization Act on Nov. 24, immediately granting reservists and their families unlimited access to military commissaries.

The board was created as a mechanism to address questions, big and small, about life and service in the Air Force Reserve, including issues such as unlimited commissary use, officials said. The board is set up to change the system for the better by improving the command policies and procedures that affect military life -- training, career progression and retirement.

"Our purpose is to make a difference," said board chairman Brig. Gen. Robert Lytle, assistant vice commander of Air Force Reserve Command.

People can help by visiting the board’s Web site from a military computer. The secure address is https://wwwmil.afrc.af.mil/special/afrab/afrab.htm. People need to provide their name, contact information and the nature of the problem. Members of the board take it from there.

The board formed in 1995 when it was manned by a single civilian. About 25 people serve on the current board. They are a cross-section of officer and enlisted reservists from various career fields.

Airmen remain on the board for about three years, so there is a constant influx of new people and new points of view, invaluable when faced with a variety of issues.

Being on the board is "informative and eye-opening," said Chief Master Sgt. Brenda Asher, a board staffer. She makes initial contact after e-mail inputs are received.

After a concern is received, the board assigns a case number and adds the issue to the roster for the next quarterly board meeting. The last board meeting was Oct. 19 to 25 in Washington. Besides October and January, the board also meets in April and July.

The first thing on the agenda is a discussion of concerns submitted by Air Force reservists from around the world, officials said.

The discussion is "a combination of opinion, personal experience and expertise," Lytle said.

After the discussion, the members vote on how to resolve an issue. They look at who needs to be involved in the process, such as officials at the Air Force Reserve Command, the Air Reserve Personnel Center, the Air Reserve Personnel Policy Committee or in the secretary of the Air Force’s office. They also determine if a policy or law needs to be changed, officials said.

An officer is assigned to ensure that item is kept on track, resolved and closed out with the results reported to the reservist who asked the question. The board serves a clearinghouse. The process is deliberate but thorough, officials said.

"We don't try to rush it," Lytle said.

Recent topics include the government travel card, space-available travel, medical benefits for activated reservists, college-tuition assistance, meals on drill weekends and even the inspector-general complaint process.

"We've had hundreds of issues and policies clarified and put back into the proper channels for action," said Lt. Col. Roger Daugherty, a board staff officer. However, "we are not a complaint hotline or an alternative to the Air Force suggestion program," he said. Daugherty commands the 952nd Reserve Support Squadron at AFRC’s headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.

"We deal with a lot of issues," Lytle said. "Each one is a legitimate concern for at least one person" -- and perhaps for many others who serve.

The board's challenge is to examine each issue within the context of the total Air Force Reserve to determine actions that will benefit the greatest number of people.

Success stories include establishing a toll-free telephone pay-information service for reservists without computer access and implementing a promotion enhancement program for individual mobilization augmentees. The board also sorts out of a variety of issues relating to mobilized reservists' benefits, including per diem and lodging while in "leave" status.

"We're very close to completion" on several key concerns, Daugherty said. One major recommendation to be resolved is reforming the reserve component retirement-pay system.

Lytle urges reservists to get involved.

"Give me your insight to problems, impediments, opportunities or other facets of Reserve life that, if changed, could make the Air Force Reserve a better, more effective organization," he said. "I personally solicit your inputs to the process." (Courtesy of AFRC News Service)