459th ARW Hosts IRR Muster Published Feb. 21, 2010 By Senior Amn. Amber Russell Ford 459th ARW/PA Andrews AFB -- The 459th Air Refueling Wing hosted an Inactive Ready Reserve muster at the Joint Base Andrews Theater Jan. 23 to check the eligibility status of IRR members within 150 miles of the base and inform them of all their current Reserve benefits. Col. William T. Cahoon, 459 ARW commander, welcomed the IRR members to the Wing after they signed in and had refreshments. Master Sgt. Diego Sifuentes, 459th Military Services Flight chief of employment then briefed the members on the agenda for the day. The topics discussed were IRR member entitlements such as Post 9/11 GI Bill and Reserve Tricare benefits. An Air Force Reserve Recruiter briefing was given by Senior Master Sgt. Terry Taylor, 459 ARW senior recruiter, as well as Master Sgt. Wednesday Jones, 459 ARW Air Reserve Technician Recruiter. Medical, recruiting, and identification card verification screenings were also held during the muster to determine eligibility for the many job openings on base. "I thought it was very informative," said Nancy Cook, an IRR member currently working at the Pentagon. "The process of separating was difficult and the opportunities as a reservist weren't made clear at the time. Upon leaving Active-Duty there were no jobs available to become a reservist. At the muster, I talked to a recruiter and am now considering working as a traditional reservist or an individual mobilization augmentee," said Cook. "This was one of the most successful IRR musters in the entire reserve command," said Senior Master Sgt. Taylor. The after action report states: a total of 200 members received orders, 137 of them attended and 47 recruiting leads were established.