Operation Next Step

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Timothy Chacon
  • 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  The 627th Force Support Squadron Military Personnel Section of Joint Base Lewis-McChord conducted its inaugural transition assistance event, Operation Next Step Feb. 17, in building 100 on McChord Field, Wash. This event brought together more than 70 transitioning service members, transition specialists and more than 13 potential employers and service providers.

The event was organized by members of the 627th Force Support Squadron and the JBLM Service Member for Life-Transition Assistance Program. The event was one part job fair, with employers from the local area looking to hire and answer questions for service members, and one part military personnel flight informational session.

"We want [service members] to get the proper information about the transition process and let them see what the future holds, "said Tech. Sgt. Kenya Greene-Gadsden, 627th Force Support Squadron non-commissioned officer in charge career development office and event coordinator.

Representatives from the separations, retirement and retention sections from the 627th FSS, as well as the Survivor Benefit Plan section all gave short briefs about the processes for each.

"When you decide what you are doing, we want to be able to help cut the confusion out of the virtual [processing]," said Greene-Gadsden. "Our aim is to give our members the warm fuzzy they are used to getting from the MPS."

Some things might be obvious to a service member who is going through a transition.

If a transitioning member would need a final medical physical, then the obvious place to start is the clinic, but how does one ensure a retiring service member's spouse continues to receive retirement pay in the event the service member dies after retirement.

"A DD form 2656, Data for Payment of Retired Personnel is provided by [our office]," said Staff Sgt. Suzanne Butler, 627th FSS SBP counselor. "This form properly establishes your retired pay account and reflects your SBP election. The SBP ensures widows/widowers [are] not left destitute. SBP is the only way a survivor may continue to receive a portion of retirement pay."

Joint Base Lewis-McChord has a large and active transition assistance program and Operation Next Step was another piece of that.

"This mini career fair was to let everyone know on base that SMFL-TAP is up and running again," said Jay Asuncion, Directorate of Human Resources transition program specialist. "The office has been shut down since September 2015 due to relocation and construction. This is a first of many events to come in the future."

The employers at the event were naturally focused on hiring people, but for some of them it was more than filling a position.

"We are a Veteran owned business and we don't want to see Veterans in a hard spot," said Ashley Layton Commercial Driver School campus director. "We do job placement assistance and try to get in front of as many service members as possible."

"This is just the pilot program and I think that it went really well," said Greene-Gadsden. "The biggest take away for the members [should be] that their local McChord MPS is here to serve them. We are willing to go above and beyond to make their transition into civilian life as smooth as possible."

The McChord Service Member for Life-Transition Assistance Program office is located in building 100 room, 3015. For more information, call 982-1157.