Shaw Air Force Base —located 10 miles northwest of Sumter, South Carolina – began existence as Shaw Army Airfield in 1941. It was named in honor of 1st Lt. Ervin David Shaw, one of the first Americans to fly combat missions in World War I. The Sumter County native was killed when three enemy aircraft attacked his Bristol while he was returning from a reconnaissance mission.

Today, it is home to the United States Air Force 20th Fighter Wing – the Air Force’s largest combat F-16 Wing, whose mission is to provide, project, and sustain combat-ready air forces. It is also home to Headquarters Ninth Air Force and United States Central Command Air Forces (USCENTAF), whose primary mission is to project decisive air and space power for U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) and America.

Shaw Field is one of the largest flying fields in the United States. Its first task was training cadets to fly. The basic flying school at Shaw Field trained more than 8,600 service members to fly in AT-6s and AT-10s.The last basic class graduated March 9, 19435. Later, P-47s replaced the basic trainers and pilots began coming to Shaw for fighter transition training until the end of World War II.

On January 13, 1948 Shaw Army airfield was renamed Shaw Air Force Base.

The Transition Assistance Program Here is Well Organized

According to Mr. Doug Goodwin, Transition Assistance Program (TAP) Facilitator for the United States Department of Labor (DOL), TAP workshops here cover three days of classes and take place once a month, with an average of 30 attendees. He says they are mostly Air Force, but occasionally there are members of the Army, Navy, Marines, National Guard and Reserves.

Mr. Goodwin is a former, 22-year, member of the U.S. Army and has been serving in his current position for about 11 years. He recognizes the importance of the TAP workshops since he retired from the military before there was such a thing.

“The strength of our Transition Assistance Program here is the fact that it’s a team effort. When I accepted this job, my boss, Mr. William Plowden , Director of South Carolina Veterans Employment and Training, told me to make it the best and most effective such program possible. I felt that one person couldn’t do it justice, so I put together a really great team of knowledgeable individuals.

“ I develop lesson outlines and present instruction on Interviewing, Resume Writing, Personal Appraisal, Networking Skills and other related subjects. I also organize an Employers Forum, which is presented during the TAP workshop, with from 10 to 18 employers who are either already hiring or planning to hire, and I provide individual assistance as needed.

“Mr. Willie Griffin, Local Veterans Employment Representative for Sumter, is a powerhouse. He really cares about veterans. He and I work very closely together to ensure quality. He assists me and presents instruction in Career Exploration and other related subjects and assists veterans with job search.

“Mr. Tim Ferguson from the Department of Veterans Affairs, is on site at Shaw AFB two days each week . He presents the VA benefits briefing in the TAP workshop and provides individual counseling to service members. Mr. Kevin Wicks, Federal Program Coordinator, S.C. Unemployment Insurance, provides up-to-date unemployment and re-employment briefing.

“A very important part of our workshop is the Education section. Mr. Jon Wright is the facilitator and he provides academic counseling on higher education, professional military education and the Community College of the Air Force. Representatives from six universities visit the class and present information about their schools.”

Members of the Airman and Family Readiness Staff of Shaw AFB take turns hosting the TAP workshop. Ms. Dorcus Haney has worked with the Transition Assistance Program since 1995, both overseas and stateside. Other TAP team members are Ms. Arlyne Rzepecki, Ms. Joyce Cartner, Ms. Carolyn Bridges, and Ms. Claudia Bostic. The AFRC team provides individual assistance to TAP clients and helps with the monthly logistics of the 3-day class. They offer a variety of extra classes to include Resume Writing, Interviewing Skills, a small business workshop and Spouses/Troops To Teachers.

Ms. Haney says, “We’ve just added a monthly Employers’ Day. I invite select employers to come in and recruit qualified personnel. The objective of our Employers’ Day is to provide our Shaw community looking for jobs the opportunity to be matched with a potential employer. It also offers employers the flexibility to interview and test potential employees to determine their suitability for vacancies.”

Mr. Goodwin says he has four areas of criteria he believes people should consider when they are evaluating a job.

“First is to put one’s family in the loop. How will the family be affected by the requirements of the job? Then comes location. Do you really want to live in the area of that job? And next, the nature of the job. Will you really like doing that job? And then, I think the very last is the money you will make. A person needs to figure out what would be the least he or she could make and still manage to pay the bills. So if there is a job you really want, in which you could move up in the future, but the pay is a bit low, you’ll know if you can take it and get your foot in the door.”