Team Offutt hosts Individual Ready Reserve muster

  • Published
  • By Ryan Hansen
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  More than 150 former Airmen attended an Individual Ready Reserve muster at the Air Force Weather Agency Auditorium here July 20.

The muster gave IRR members living within 100 miles of Offutt an opportunity to update their personnel records, have their medical files reviewed as well as learn about their inactive Reserve benefits.

"The muster included briefings about their entitlements, benefits as well as their responsibilities as a member of the inactive Reserve," said Master Sgt. Tynnishua Fowler, Air Force Reserve In-Service Recruiter, who helped organize the muster.

The IRR is comprised of former active duty or reserve military personnel who are completing their eight year mandatory service obligation. By federal law, this group could be recalled at anytime.

"One of the main reasons for the muster is to make sure they're still qualified if they were to be reactivated," Fowler said, "so musters are a good way to ensure their full readiness."

Another reason for the muster was to educate the group on possible service in the Reserves. Recruiters were there to talk about being a traditional Reservist, how the individual mobilization augmentee program works as well as the duties of an Air Reserve technician.

"Some of them may miss serving, so we want to see if they're interested in coming back on a part-time basis," Fowler said.

Multiple agencies from across Offutt and the Bellevue-Omaha communities participated in the event including the Air Reserve Personnel Center, 55th Medical Group and Veterans Administration among others.

This is the first IRR muster at Offutt in almost a decade and organizers were very pleased with the overall attendance.

"I'm overwhelmed with the turnout," Fowler said. "Most bases only see about 70 percent attendance rates, but we did much better than that."

With the success of this muster, it is more than likely Team Offutt will be hosting another one before too long.

"We may see another one in the near future," Fowler said, "possibly within a year or two."