Editorial: Soldiers’ successful transition to civilian life starts with leaders

Photo By Alfredo Barraza | Col. Mike Henderson, commander, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. (Official U.S. Army photo)  

JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, VA, UNITED STATES

06.25.2015

Courtesy Story

Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall

By Col. Mike Henderson
JBM-HH Commander

JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - I had the distinct pleasure of speaking at the latest Hiring Heroes Career Fair June 4 at Spates Community Club. More than 220 service members, retirees, veterans, spouses and other career seekers attended. Nearly 70 employers from federal, state and local government agencies, along with various veteran advocacy organizations, conducted more than 143 interviews and made 17 job offers – simply incredible.

Undoubtedly, this career fair was a success: our veterans and transitioning service members are taking advantage of this opportunity. The success of this career fair was heavily dependent on the hard work of the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Soldier for Life-Transition Assistance Program office, which worked tirelessly to put this event on with the Department of Defense.

Still, creating a pathway to a career after military service is just one of many pieces to a successful transition for our service members into civilian life. The transition process begins when a service member decides to leave active service, and involves a wide berth of considerations to ensure veterans and retirees are truly prepared for life outside the military. The SLF-TAP plays a vital role in preparing our service members for separation, teaching critical topics such as: resume writing, finding the right employment, understanding Tricare benefits, navigating the Department of Veterans Affairs benefits process, and even home buying considerations. To take advantage of all this program has to offer requires service members to attend well in advance of their separation date.

Commanders, this is where I need your assistance:

Send your Soldiers early, and often, to the various transition services offered at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. Your personal commitment to ensuring your Soldiers’ continued success as they transition back into civilian life in America’s cities and towns has been nothing short of commendable. Our Soldier for Life-Transition Assistance Program was rated the Army’s number one program in 2014 for complying with career readiness standards. That means JBM-HH’s transition program was the top among more than 50 Soldier for Life-Transition Assistance Programs throughout the Army.

Let’s keep this momentum going.

The success of this program is maximized when you allow your Soldiers to take full advantage of all that SFL-TAP has to offer. This program connects Army, governmental and community efforts to build relationships that facilitate successful reintegration of our Soldiers, veterans and their families. Those connections provide the foundation for the strength of our total Army Team; likewise, it helps keep American communities strong when these same Soldiers instill their values, ethos and leadership when they return to those communities.

The key to a successful transition begins when commanders personally ensure their service members meet the prerequisites, register for and attend required transition assistance classes well in advance of end of active service dates. For Soldiers at JBM-HH, that means attending the SFL-TAP at least 12 months in advance – preferably 18 months in advance – of a Soldier’s expiration of term of service (ETS) date.

So, why should you send your Soldiers to SFL-TAP early and often?

First, it helps ensure post-service career readiness by enabling our transitioning service members to network with the right people who will connect them with the employment, education and health care required to successfully reintegrate into civilian life.

Secondly, this program ensures Soldiers leave military service with a comprehensive Individual Transition Plan that includes counseling and instruction on their finances, employment search, resume writing, and social media skills. It also helps them learn how to build a variety of resumes, network, interview successfully with potential employers and even how to start their own businesses or go to college.

Finally, the SFL-TAP converts transition stress into confidence and peace of mind during the transition process. The program serves as a powerful retention tool by explaining in detail to Soldiers the benefits they enjoy while serving versus those in civilian life. We have found many Soldiers decide to postpone separation until they are in a better position to separate successfully. This approach supports retention of quality Soldiers and helps Soldiers when they make critical decisions for their careers and their families.

If you’re not familiar with what SFL-TAP offers and just how critical this program is to our Army, I encourage you to learn more. Stop by the SFL-TAP office, located in Bldg. 404 on the Fort Myer portion of JBM-HH, or visit https://www.sfl-tap.army.mil.

For our Marine Corps brethren: SFL-TAP is open to you as well. In fact, all branches of service are welcome to attend on a first-come, first-served basis.

Regardless of branch of service, the key to a service member’s successful transition to civilian life starts with his/her leadership. I implore you to send them early and often as you can to take full advantage of SFL-TAP’s services.

We owe it to the American communities where our service members and families will return post-military service. We owe it to the Army. Most importantly, we owe it to our Soldiers, Marines, retirees, veterans and families.

Soldier for Life – Semper Fi!

• Date Taken: 06.25.2015
• Date Posted: 06.25.2015 12:41
• Story ID: 168102
• Location: JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, VA, US