Blue Blazers share with Airmen options for future

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman James Hensley
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  When it comes to deciding whether to stay in the service or transition to the civilian world, the choice can be difficult. Talking to people from both sides of the spectrum can help make those decisions easier.

The Blue Blazers, a Fighter Country Partnership honorary commander alumni group, developed a plan to mentor Airmen in a quick and easy fashion. They gathered fellow Blue Blazers to come out to Luke Air Force Base for a speed mentor session similar to how a speed date event operates. Each Airman had approximately four minutes with each Blue Blazer before switching to another. The result? Airmen received nuggets of information encompassing a breadth of experience from local civic leaders. They talked about what they do in the civilian world and what it took to get there.

"Looking at the notes we had, we tried to look introspectively at ourselves to see where we could help Airmen," said Bruce Larson, Blue Blazer member. "We had to think about areas that are strengths for us that we could pass on to the Airmen. We wanted to share with them anything that would benefit Airmen. For example, my topic was finances and how to live within those finances."

The Blue Blazers talked about several topics ranging from job opportunities to options Airmen have in the future.

"I think one thing we bring as the Blue Blazers is the business community viewpoint," Larson said. "With military talking to military, sometimes it's tough to get a new or different perspective. When successful business men and women share what they've accomplished in the civilian world and show Airmen how their military experience can translate to a civilian career, Airmen can really benefit."

Another topic Larson covered was about taking risks and how to prepare for them.

"Don't take risks to just take them," he said. "Look at one's personal life and business opportunities and look at the risks versus rewards. Weigh those risks against the rewards and make wise decisions."

A Detachment 12 Airman saw an additional advantage to participating in the event.

"It helps our partnership with the community and ourselves," said Tech. Sgt. Steve Martin, 372nd Training Squadron fuels systems instructor. "This is just a different perspective to help polish our skills and to help those who are possibly transitioning out of the military. It helps Airmen with what they need to know and expect."

Martin spoke with several of the Blue Blazers during the speed mentoring.

"One of the things I gleaned from this speed mentoring is communication is key along with a professional posture -- almost like you're in an interview," Martin said. "Events like this help broaden our knowledge and expose us to different realms. The civilian life can open up so much for us after our service."

There will be more speed mentoring sessions in the future.