THE ARKANSAS AIR NATIONAL GUARD’S 188TH WING offers
the benefits of a military career while providing you with the
leadership and technical skills many employers are looking for.
The 188th Wing, based in Fort Smith, is made up of five units:
wing staff, the intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance group,
operations group, medical group and mission support group.
“Only two percent of Airmen are pilots,” explains Master Sergeant
Eric Martin. “You’ll find many other career paths in the Air National
Guard, including security, civil engineering and communications.”
The 188th Wing has a high-tech mission, using remotely
piloted MQ-9 Reaper aircraft for intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance.
“A lot of people are surprised when they find out what we do,”
Martin says. “We conduct unmanned missions 24/7. You could
pilot an aircraft overseas from here in Arkansas. Personnel stationed
somewhere like Afghanistan launch the aircraft and then hand over
control to us. A pilot controls the aircraft while a sensor operator
captures live footage. Our intelligence Airmen analyze that
footage and pass information to joint partners or allies to conduct
operations.”
Martin says their work can be challenging. “This is real life. It’s
not like playing a video game,” he says. “Sometimes, you see
something that helps save a life – like an explosive being planted
that we can take out before it hurts one of our troops. Other times,
you see things that are hard to watch.”
As part of the Arkansas Air National Guard, you’ll serve one
weekend a month and a few weeks a year but could be called on
more.
“We support educa
tion and you’ll rece
ive
100 percent tuition
paid at any public
college or trade sc
hool in Arkansas.”
college or trade school in Arkansas,” Martin says. He says that
promise is what drew him to the 188th Wing in the first place.
“I didn’t take the ACT test in high school and wasn’t sure about
college,” he recalls. “A friend and I decided to check out the 188th
and I decided to enlist.” Martin says once you join, the next step is
training.
“You’ll go through eight-and-a-half weeks of basic training,
followed by a technical training school to prepare you for your
specific role,” he says. “There’s also a signing bonus of up to
$20,000 for certain jobs, like intelligence, communications, civil
engineering, HVAC or medical.”
To enlist in the Arkansas Air National Guard, you must pass a
physical and the ASVAB, which is an aptitude test. However, Martin
says they look for more than just aptitude and fitness. They’re
looking for character.
“We look at your background, he says. “You can’t have any
violations on your record, and we have a zero tolerance policy
for drug use.” He says what you do during high school can have
an impact on your opportunities after graduation. “We look at
your social media accounts. If you’re posting pictures of underage
drinking or other inappropriate things, we won’t accept you. Also,
think about any tattoos you get. We don’t allow any facial tattoos
and any others need to be covered completely. We want to be
represented as a professional organization.”
“Our Airmen have responded to hurricanes, floods and other
disasters,” Martin says. “We also do humanitarian missions, which
could involve things like our civil engineers constructing buildings,
or our medical group helping with healthcare needs in other
countries.” Martin says the 188th Wing can be more than a part-time calling.
“There are lots of opportunities to move to a full-time position and
make this a career. You can do important work serving our country,
have great benefits and stay here locally.”
Those up to the challenge can earn valuable benefits. “We support
education, and you’ll receive 100 percent tuition paid at any public To learn more about the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th
Wing, scan the code or find them online at http://188wg.ang.
af.mil/.
FAYETTEVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
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