KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The Air Force Reserve's 403rd Wing has a new senior recruiter. Master Sgt. Dominique Hogan comes here from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where she served as an in-service recruiter, recruiting active duty members finishing their enlistments and transitioning them into the Air Force Reserve.
Hogan will be supervising four recruiters and has oversight on eight other recruiters' part of the Eglin operating location but based out of Keesler AFB, which extends from the Florida Panhandle to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Hogan's goal while here is to effectively man the 403rd Wing with qualified Airmen, she said. The 403rd Wing is the largest flying organization on Keesler and the only Air Force Reserve wing in Mississippi. The wing has dual missions: tactical airlift support during peace and wartime contingencies and aerial weather reconnaissance in support of the Department of Commerce.
Some of the career fields the wing is targeting are aircraft maintenance and Air Reserve Technicians.
"We're going to have a lot more target recruiting for the Air Reserve Technician positions that need to be filled here," she said. ARTs are full-time civilian employees who are required to serve as members of the Air Force Reserve. ARTs maintain and operate the Reserve unit overseeing a unit's transition from a peacetime to crisis environment.
A California native, Hogan began her military career at 19 when she joined the Marines in 1988 and served as a military police officer until 1992. After her enlistment, she had a 12 year break in service before joining the Air Force Reserve.
Hogan worked at a credit union on Patrick Air Force Base. She would talk to Air Force reservists about life in the Reserve and about a year later she joined the 920th Rescue Wing Security Forces Squadron in 2003. She's been recruiting for six years at office in Tampa and MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, and Ramstein AFB.
Having that background in the Marines, a 12-year break in service, and as a reservist has not only aided Hogan as a recruiter, but made her a better Airman, she said.
"There are quite a few of people from other services in the Air Force Reserve, and I have a good knowledge of the differences between the services and the different recruiting processes," said Hogan.
She said her life experiences also enable her to relate to people looking to get into the Air Force Reserve at different stages in their life, whether it's right out of high school, someone transitioning from active duty, or someone in their late 20's or early 30's when they have established careers and families.
Another goal of Hogan's is to effectively manage and train her staff, ensuring their professional development, she said.
Tech. Sgt. David Rau, 403rd Wing line recruiter for the new recruiting office in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is one of 12 recruiters that's part of Hogan's team.
"As a rookie recruiter, I'm still learning," said Rau, line recruiter for the 403rd Wing, recruiting non-prior service, prior service members from other branches, and active-duty inactive Reserve members. "It's great to have her here, with her experience, doing quality control to ensure that no one is brought in incorrectly causing problems down the line."
Hogan is looking to add members to the (AFRC) recruiting team. The positions are three-year Active Guard Reserve slots.
"We are always looking for outstanding Airmen who want to give back to the Air Force Reserve," she said.
For more information on 403rd Wing opportunities, Hogan can be reached at 228-377-5236.
To contact a recruiter in the following offices, call:
· Master Sgt. Matthew Earhardt, in-service recruiter at Keesler, 228-348-6142
· Master Sgt. Robert Bazor, recruiter in Mobile, Alabama, 251-639-5288
· Technical Sgt. David Rau, recruiter in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 601-549-1535
· Master Sgt. Shane Hogan, Officer Accession Recruiter, Pensacola, Florida, 850-477-5489
· Master Sgt Erica Shultz, Health Professions Recruiter, Mary Esther, Florida, 770-864-2580
· Starting in April, Master Sgt. Patrick Pitmann, will be the full-time recruiter in D'Iberville, Mississippi.