HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah — Each year, roughly 200 Airmen at Hill AFB leave active duty at the end of their service commitment and one recruiter is charged with talking to each of them.

Master Sgt. Chris Brown has been the in-service recruiter here for the past year. His job is to encourage these officers and enlisted personnel to join the Air Force Reserve, so they can continue to use their talents, expertise and experience to serve the nation part-time.

The Air Force Reserve is an all-volunteer force that is involved in nearly every Air Force mission area. Hill’s 419th Fighter Wing is the first Reserve unit to fly the Air Force’s newest fighter, the F-35A, and Brown is currently looking to fill a variety of positions.

Airmen leave active duty and transition into the Reserve for a number of reasons. Many want to pursue another career or full-time education, or be able to spend more time with family, Brown said.

“I see a lot of Airmen get out here in Utah because they love the area and want to put roots down here because it’s a great place to live and raise families,” Brown said.

For those who want to continue to serve, the Air Force Reserve is an exceptional option, given we offer nearly the same benefits as active duty, Brown added. These benefits include low-cost health insurance, 100 percent tuition assistance, a retirement plan, and tax-free on-base shopping privileges.

“Airmen are often surprised to learn that they can pick their Reserve job from a list of available positions,” Brown said. “When we sign them up, they know exactly what job they’ll be doing.”

Air Force reservists train to the same standards as active duty and have several options for Reserve service. The most well-known are traditional reservists, or TRs, who serve at least one weekend a month and two weeks are years. An individual mobilization augmentee, or IMA, is assigned to an active-duty unit, serving about 40 training days a year. Full-time Air Reserve Technicians, or ARTs, wear the uniform during the week and on Reserve weekends but serve in a dual status – part civilian and part military.

Brown places Airmen in the Reserve via two programs known as Palace Chase and Palace Front.

The Palace Chase program allows active-duty Airmen to separate early and continue their military career with the Air Force Reserve, while Palace Front paves the way for Airmen to transfer to a Reserve unit after their active duty contract ends.

For more information on available positions at Hill, contact Brown at (801) 777-3959 or at christopher.brown.38@us.af.mil.

For more information about the Air Force Reserve, visit www.afreserve.com.