88th Military Personnel Flight cares for their customers Published Aug. 30, 2018 By Elizabeth Clinch 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Many customers arrive to Military Personnel Flight for the sole purpose of receiving a Common Access Card, dependent ID or CAC pin reset; however, what operation lies behind the Customer Support front counter? The MPF, comprised of six different sections, manages more than 24 major wing programs, providing personnel support to a wide array of customers, including active-duty members, retirees, the Department of Defense civilian workforce, DoD contractors and reservists within a six-state region. MPF works heavily with various DoD-wide system programs, organizations, and other installations in order to support the Air Force mission, which fuels the flight’s productivity and timeliness. Customer Support “We’re mainly known for ID cards, but we do a lot more,” said Airman 1st Class Melchizedek Martin, a Customer Support apprentice and key member of the Installation’s INTRO team, which in-processes every military member assigned to Wright-Patterson. “Every person that comes to the base needs to be in-processed, so we [conduct] briefings every Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” said Martin. “We also do a lot to update [members’] records: duty titles, marriages, dependents, life insurance and much more.” It is vital that personnel records are accurate and current, as incorrect records may impact members’ careers in the future. Customer Support also monitors and updates unit leave, Service Member Group Life Insurance and Family Service Member Group Life Insurance allocations, data amendments, sponsor RIPs, Family Care Plans and more. Force Management Force Management controls the evaluation process, along with monitoring Enlisted Force Distribution and disciplinary paperwork, validating G-series orders, and updating duty status information. “We handle all evaluations, whether it’s for enlisted or officers,” said Senior Airman Paige Welch, one of Force Management’s lead journeyman. Welch can individually process up to 110 evaluations, Military Personnel Data System updates and requests per week. “We make sure that we update everything accurately. When people have to worry about things not being updated or accurate, it can cause them a lot of stress and distract them from their job,” Welch said. “I really enjoy moments when I can fix something for a member. It feels good to take that stress off of them. Installation Personnel Readiness. Installation Personnel Readiness is the go-to section for pre- and post-deployment matters, working closely with all Unit Deployment Managers and the 88th Logistic Readiness Squadron. IPR does everything from making dog tags to out-processing members deploying down-range to monitoring the Installation’s Air Force Personnel Accountability and Assessment System. “There’s a lot that goes on in our job that’s behind-the-scenes, but it’s crucial to the mission down-range,” said Senior Airman Shantel Murrell, an Installation Personnel Readiness technician. “Deployment is part of our job, but there is never a good time to be separated from your family. We make sure that there’s nothing else [Airmen] have to worry about and try to take away some stress, and that’s really rewarding.” Career Development The Career Development section focuses on reenlistments and retentions, retirements and separations, passports, PCS/PCA orders, bonuses and officer and enlisted promotions. “I have four tech school classes this month – all graduating in August. So I keep track of all the students and what they still need to receive their orders,” said Airman 1st Class Soterra Vith, assignment counselor for Career Development. Vith serves more than just tech schoolers; in addition, every assignment counselor has a letter group to serve, from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and beyond. “I’m handling people’s careers, so I take my job very seriously,” said Vith. Personnel System Management and Awards and Decorations The flight also provides two contracted services: Personnel System Management and Awards and Decorations. PSM oversees access to multiple Air Force systems including MilPDS, Base Level Service Delivery Model, and Oracle Business Intelligent Enterprise Edition, along with pulls over 40 rosters monthly for the Installation. This section serves as the primary distributer and liaison with HQ AFPC on all products for military personnel programs. The Awards and Decorations section is singlehandedly run by one member who processes all decorations and deployment medals for Wright-Patterson, as well as reviewing and resolving any decoration issues for the various organizations and units. While the MPF works hard to ensure every person at Wright-Patterson has what they need, there are many AFIs, policies and procedures that must be followed in order to stay in line with the Air Force’s vision. Next time you visit the MPF, feel free to say hello and thank you to the hard working men and women who service you. For more information about the services MPF offers, contact their main line at 257-2547. To check on the status of DEERS/RAPIDS system, visit 88thfss.com.