KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Beneath the shadows of deep blue campaign hats, military training instructors march flights of Airmen down the Lackland bomb run during each basic military training graduation. It is the culmination of weeks spent transforming civilians into warriors.
The 433rd Training Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio offers Reserve Citizen Airmen the chance to experience this moment and they are currently hiring traditional reservists to fill open MTI positions.
The 433rd TRS mission is to recruit, train and maintain a cadre of MTIs who augment Air Education and Training Command. They support the 737th Training Group and seven basic training squadrons in preparing approximately 37,000 enlisted trainees each year for military service. The 433rd TRS is unique to Air Force Reserve Command as it is the only unit of reserve MTIs.
Master Sgt. Carlos Recoder, 433rd TRS MTI recruiting noncommissioned officer in charge, recently visited the 403rd Wing to spread the word about MTI opportunities and visit with the wing’s development and training flight to give them advice about what to expect during BMT.
“It’s a challenging job and every day is different,” he said. “Every day you’re adapting.”
Recoder also said the job is intensely rewarding because at the end of the day, the trainees became Airmen because of the work that MTI put in.
“This job is really going to be what you make if it,” he said. “It’s the way you look at life and challenges and why you put on the uniform.”
In a letter to potential MTIs, 433rd TRS Commander Lt. Col. Janette Thode wrote, “Our Reserve MTIs are every bit as extraordinary as the active duty MTIs and the MTI you remember from your days in BMT. Each MTI, active duty and Reserve, is hand-picked for this special duty assignment; an assignment that is likely to be the most rewarding you've ever done in the Air Force. MTIs are crucial in shaping the future combat capability of our Air Force.”
Interested applicants must have the following job qualifications:
-
Be a staff sergeant promotable to technical sergeant with one year time in grade or a technical sergeant or master sergeant at least four years from his or her high year tenure.
-
Have a skill level commensurate with his or her pay grade
-
Have 42 months of retainability as of their report no later than date
-
Meet the minimum physical profile
-
Project an outstanding professional military image
-
Have excellent records with overall ratings of 5 or exceeds some, but not all expectations/ exceeds most, if not all expectations (New Form) on the last three enlisted performance reports. Applicants must submit their last three EPRs or a Letter of Evaluation (Air Force Form 77) from supervisors in lieu of EPRs.
-
Have no record of disciplinary action or financial irresponsibility in their Air Force career
-
Have a current physical training composite score 80 or better in the past 12 months and no PT failures in the past 12 months
Candidates who are selected for MTI duty will then attend a seven-and-a-half week course and have 90 days after graduation to complete the training qualifications and certification before they begin to lead their own flights of trainees.
Members interested in applying for MTI duty should request an application from the 433rd TRS recruiting team at 433trs.recruiting@us.af.mil or 210-671-2410.