Photo By Melanie Casineau | A photo in a published newsletter for the 104th Tactical Fighter Group, July 1973,...... read more read more
Subscribe
104th Tactical Fighter Group Enlistees Gain Expanded Technical Training Options in 1973
By Melanie J. Casineau, 104th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Massachusetts- In July 1973, the Air National Guard introduced a policy change that offered male and female applicants of the 104th Tactical Fighter Group unprecedented access to technical training options.
U.S. Air Force Sgt. Bill Fortin, a recruiter for the 104th Tactical Fighter Group based at Barnes Airport from 1971 to 1983, said the new system allowed enlistees to select from a full range of Air National Guard career fields, rather than being limited to state-specific training slots.
“In the past years, states were allocated training spaces from Air Guard Washington headquarters, thus limiting choices to only those career fields available within the state,” Fortin said in a July 1973 issue of AirScoop, the group’s newsletter.
Under the revised policy, training slots were centralized and listed by headquarters in Washington, enabling recruiters across the country to offer applicants their choice of technical training. Qualified candidates received confirmation directly from headquarters before enlisting.
The expansion aligned with a larger national strategy. In an Aug. 23, 1973 memorandum, Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger declared the implementation of the "Total Force Policy," stating that guard and reserve units would serve as the initial and primary reinforcements for active-duty forces.
At the time, more than 90% of skills taught in the Air National Guard were applicable to civilian careers.
Source: July 1973 AirScoop article by Senior Master Sgt. John Lundberg and nationalguard.mil
| Date Taken: | 07.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.11.2025 15:16 |
| Story ID: | 542586 |
| Location: | WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 16 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 104th Tactical Fighter Group Enlistees Gain Expanded Technical Training Options in 1973, by Melanie Casineau, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
