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First term Airmen receive a helping hand

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Diana M. Cossaboom
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Airmen are always learning because the Air Force is always changing. For that reason, the First Term Airman's Course helps new Airmen learn what the Air Force currently offers and what the standard operations are at their first duty station.

"It is a three-and-a-half day class that introduces brand new Airmen, first duty station Airmen, to Shaw Air Force Base," said Master Sgt. Damaris Quintiliani, Team Shaw career assistance advisor.

FTAC is supposed to help first term Airmen transition from the technical school mindset back into the operational mindset, said Quintiliani. It also introduces them to how things will work at their duty sections.

Airman 1st Class Megan Mathis, 20th Communications Squadron knowledge operations manager, went through FTAC in October 2013.

"I wouldn't have known half of the things that were on base if it weren't for FTAC," said Mathis.

In FTAC, the Airmen are briefed by subject matter experts from the finance office, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, legal office, public affairs, equal opportunity office and many more.

Airmen are also taken to various locations on base including the Carolina Lakes golf course, the skeet and trap range, Shaw Lanes and Studio 20 to introduce them to the activities available on base.

On the last day, the Airmen go through eight hours of resiliency training where they talk about stressors and how to deal with those stressors, said Quintiliani.

Some activities Airmen take part of on resiliency day include briefings about suicide awareness, alcohol binge drinking, and team building exercises, said Quintiliani. These are implemented into FTAC to teach the Airmen how to not only deal with stress, but how to create a positive working atmosphere and connect with the Airmen around them.

Quintiliani said that during FTAC instructors do their best to not only inform the Airmen of how to transition into an operational mindset, but also try to do team building within the group.

"The initial purpose of FTAC was networking," said Quintiliani. "Getting people to know each other even though they don't work in the same areas, that way they have contacts in other places around the base."

Becoming operational can be an unnerving time for Airmen. They are unsure of what they need to do and how the Air Force operates in a work environment.

"Take it one day at a time," said Mathis. "It's really easy to get panicky because it's not like tech school or basic training."

Quintiliani said it is important that the Airmen get the support they need from their duty sections.

"Enforce the standards," said Quintiliani. "Be patient. Help them understand the whys behind decisions. Don't let them feel like they're not worth anything. Help them realize where they fit, how they fit, and what they can do to make everything better. They need to feel like they have a purpose and they're not just here and not just the new Airmen. Help them fit into what is going on with the mission."

FTAC is there to help the Airmen transition into the occupational life smoothly. The Airmen's duty sections should also provide help to the first term Airmen in their transition.

"The Comm. squadron is like family to me now," said Mathis. "I know so much about my coworkers' lives and they know so much about me that it really is a bit like family. They are always helping me and asking how my day is."

I got a lot of advice from everyone in my office whether they're technical sergeants or A1Cs, said Mathis. If I had any questions at all, everyone was very helpful in helping me.

It is important for the Airmen to see how they fit into the much bigger picture of what we do, added Quintiliani.