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Show Deployments, pay -cp n eeps owe r rete nt iorr, Peters r says I J':J I by SrA. Karen Giacaone 39th Wing PUbfid Affairs ; INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey (AFPN) Men and women join the Air Force to serve the American public, but current issues like long deployments and pay concerns are driving some away, says Air Force Sec- .." Whitten Peters. Peters, who was here forThanksgiving,-saiairmen because to want do join they public service. '', "They're out there performing the mission and seeing all the good right in front of their eyes," he said. "But when they're gone too much and have no time for their private lives or families or no time to take advantage of the educational benefits we offer that's retary F. : ; . d what drives' people out."" Peters and other Air Force leaders are hoping the expeditionary aerospace force, with its stable and predictable deployment cycles, will help solve some of the retention problems. Including people from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve in the deploying force should also help. "The Guard has 52,000 people who will rotate through the EAF cycle in the first two years," he said. Military readiness is also an issue for the secretary, who believes in haying the right people in the right pidce to get me mission done, liut maintaining reach-- . riess means keeping Air Force members safe from the threat that chemical and biological weapons pose ' to troops stationed overseas today, he said. 'jf you get exposed to anthrax, you're basically dead," said Peters. "I understand people have concerns about j the vaccine and we looked at (the issue) very hard before we asked people to get the vaccination. " "The vaccine has been around for 40 years. It's been used by people in the wool and cattle industry for ; decades," he said. "There are no known adverse side effects that differentiate this vaccine from the flu vac- cine or other vaccinations people get all the time." Air Force leadership has taken the' lead by taking the vaccine, which includes a series of six shots and an annual booster, said Peters, who has already taken the first of five shots. Military leaders are also trying to keep service members happy and in the service with projected pay hikes. "(The pay increases) are the first of several. Each budget cycle, from now through the next several years, will probably contain an increase of about a half a percent above that of civilian employers," he explained. "We think with this half percent, we'll be making up the difference between civilian and mili . : . tary pay '..,r ' "We're never going to be able to compete with the ciyilian.sector in regards to certain career fields," he said,, "but what we do offer is teamwork, camaraderie and a sense of purpose a real sense of doing some, thing good in the world." Peters realizes a healthier paycheck is not always enough to make someone want to stay, so the Air Force is taking other steps to make compensation more fair for its members. "My goal is to make the Air Force the kind of place that people want to (join) and stay in," he said. 'That means going back and working on a lot of fundamentals - like getting modernization going, getting spare out to the flightlines and vehicles, getting fair parts pay, and taking some of the work that doesn't really need to be done out of the Air Force. "I think ultimately we live in an unstable world and the only real hope for stability for our folks is to put them on a rotational cycle so that we can give them -- 12 months off between contingencies," he added. "The Air Force has got to be as good to its people as it is to the United States. The Air Force does a tremendous job for the American public. Now we need to make sure it does a good job for its people." (Courtesy ofU. S. Air Forces in Europe News Service) Reserve now for the holidays. The Arbor restaurant Layton 497-060- 1 247223 See's i Barbershop A Wallc-inI Only s mm 1 Mon.-Fri- .. 9-5:- 30 South gate HAFB 825-595- 1 We do flat tops! J fl Candles W v JJ f Wfc ; :. jjr Holiday & Home Decor Handmade Soaps Candle Accessories Large Selections 'Gifts aEFaciory Prices Gift ' M 0. ill CcatUabler 825 East 3000 North C (NearlFAonHwyl93) LAYTON 771-078- Hours: Mori. - Fit 15 9-- 6; 7 Sat. 10- -2 LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO Off Entire Purchase Must present coupon at time of purchase. 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