Photo By Staff Sgt. Frederick Brown | U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Nicholas Santos, 375th Medical Group physical therapy...... read more read more
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BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The Air Force is no stranger to innovation when using flexibility to overcome challenges. The Air Force Manning Assist Program is proof of one of the Air Force’s unofficial mottos, “The key to Air Power is flexibility”.
For two months, Airman 1st Class Nicholas Santos, a 375th Medical Group physical therapy technician from Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, aided Beale Airmen and families on their path of healing and recovery. Despite being assigned to another wing, Santos was able to provide care for the 9th Medical Group’s physical therapy patients through the Air Force Manning Assist Program.
“The Air Force Manning Assist Program plays a crucial role in addressing staffing shortages,” said Chief Master Sgt. Charles Santos, 9th Medical Group senior enlisted leader. “Our physical therapy clinic faced a 50% manning deficit, so we reached out to Defense Health Agency (DHA) which recognized our need and promptly worked with the Air Force Personnel Center to send manning assistance from other military treatment facilities and help fill the gap.”
Per Air Force Instruction 36-2110, the intent of manning assistance is to provide short term manpower to Air Force units, and Air Force positions in Joint units, to guarantee accomplishment of the mission during periods of manning shortfalls. This becomes known as a manning assist Temporary Duty Yonder (TDY).
In 2019, a good example of this program’s effectiveness unfolded at Keesler Air Force Base’s Labor and Delivery Clinic, which was experiencing a significant manning shortage. DHA used the Manning Assist Program to send four personnel from different branches of service to Keesler. This move allowed the clinic to meet their family readiness objectives, illustrating the vital role of the Manning Assist Program in enabling Air Force units to overcome manpower challenges and maintain operational readiness.
When the 9th Medical Group sought aid for their manpower shortage, Chief Santos’ own son, A1C Nicholas Santos, was selected by the 375th Medical Group to address Beale’s deficit. This turn of events brought the Santos family closer than ever.
In addition, Chief Santos’ wife, Adelaida Santos, serves as administrative assistant to Beale’s 9th Communications Squadron Commander, and their younger son, A1C Anthony Santos, 81st Medical Group physical therapy technician, was doing the Recruiter’s Assistance Program with the Yuba City Air Force Recruiting Office. Under these circumstances, the Santos family discovered an opportunity to not only fulfill their professional commitments but also strengthen their familial bonds as the entire family was serving the Air Force together, and supporting multiple Air Force objectives, under one roof.
“This manning assist was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said A1C Santos. “It doesn’t happen often in the military that you get to help patients at a critically undermanned location, all while working under your dad’s leadership”.
In the face of any challenge, the Manning Assist Program is another example of how the Air Force continues to demonstrate flexibility and ingenuity in the pursuit of maintaining readiness and completing the mission.
| Date Taken: | 07.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.18.2024 14:14 |
| Story ID: | 476529 |
| Location: | BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 2,193 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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