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Base hosts IRR Muster

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Todd M. McFeeley
  • 171 ARW Public Affairs
Coraopolis, Pa. --  The 171st Air Refueling Wing Recruiting Office, along with the 911th Airlift Wing, hosted an Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) Muster here at the Wing Dining Facility, May 10th.
About 40 Individual Ready Reservists attended the muster. The IRR extended an invitation to all members that live within a 150 mile radius of the base.
After welcoming statements by Master Sgt. John Frazier, 171st ARW Recruiting Superintendent, the muster participants were given background information on both the 171st ARW and 911th AW. Lt. Col. Mike Schmidt, 171st ARW Force Support Squadron Commander, provided a history of the 171st and explained what the Wing's mission is. Col. Craig Peters, 911th Wing Commander, then provided a history of the 911th and described their mission.
A representative from the Veteran's Affairs (VA), Misty Shields, spoke on the VA's major benefits and programs that IRR members may not have realized they are eligible for. They were then briefed on the numerous benefits of joining the Air National Guard by both Tech. Sgt. Nicole Bochter, 171st ARW Recruiting, and Tech. Sgt. Liz Simoneau, 171st ARW Retention.
Master Sgt. Dawn Serakowski, 911th AW Recruiting, talked about the benefits of the Air Force Reserves as well as current job opportunities that are available.
Upon conclusion of the briefing, IRR members then processed through various stations to ensure their readiness, if needed. These stations included representatives from: 171st/911th Personnel, Medical, Recruiting and Family Readiness. There were also reps from the VA, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, and Civilian Employment Information.
Coffee, juice and donuts were provided by 171st ARW Services.
The IRR Muster program has five objectives:
· Verify/update personal data on each member
· Ensure Air Force Compliance with legal responsibilities for IRR screening
· Ensure availability and maintain readiness of IRR members for mobilization
· Determine skill proficiency degradation
· Evaluate the need for refresher training to maintain minimum proficiency of IRR members
The goals of the program are:
· To achieve the highest possible participation rate to verify the availability and readiness of the IRR
· To determine skill level retention proficiency to ensure that critical skills are available in the event of a mobilization
· Ensure the accuracy of mobilization-affecting data on IRR members