Photo By Staff Sgt. Nicholas Faddis | U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Franchestar Witherspoon, a dental technician with the 117th...... read more read more
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U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Franchestar Witherspoon joined the Air National Guard in August of 2013. Since then she has been working in Dental Services with the 117th Medical Group (MDG).
“I always wanted to be in some form of the military. Originally, I wanted to go active duty, but of course things happen in life and I wasn’t able to go active duty, so I told myself that I’d at least join the Air National Guard,” said Witherspoon. “I spoke to a recruiter who was so helpful, so nice and she kind of sold me then. I joined and I’ve been in ever since.”
Witherspoon said that over her time in the military, she has one TDY that provided her with memories both in and out of work. Her favorite memory was when the 117th MDG went to Hawaii in 2019.
“We were able to visit their dental clinic where we had the opportunity to get a lot of hands-on experience,” she said. “That was probably the best experience I’ve had as far as working in a dental clinic.”
During that TDY she was able to interact with people who lived in the area.
“I got to meet a lot of great people, they were so nice and they were always offering us little food items and things from their culture,” she said. “We got to meet a variety of people from different cultures, which was really interesting. We also did a lot of hiking, which I had never experienced that before, and it was really fun.”
In addition to her dental experience here, Witherspoon is involved in a lot of other activities.
“I am involved in extra-curricular activities. I have a daughter that plays basketball so I do a lot of training with her because I play basketball as well. I am a traditional guardsman. In a couple of years, I would love to go full time, but right now just traditional works for me,” she said.
Witherspoon also places a high value on education.
“In my civilian career, I am a licensed practical nurse and I’m also in college now to cross over from a licensed practical nurse to a registered nurse,” Witherspoon said. “I work in the Emergency Room, so I am an ER nurse and I’ve been doing that for three years now. Eventually, I would love to take flying lessons and learn how to fly a plane.”
Over her 11 years in the Air National Guard, Witherspoon has acted as a mentor to younger troops, urging them to think about their future.
“My experience in the Guard has been been amazing and I really try to push younger troops to make it a career because it’s definitely worth it," she said. "A lot of people really appreciate us no matter where I go, especially if I’m in a uniform there are people who tell you how much they appreciate you. I think that feeling in itself makes you want to do more and I feel like no matter what branch of the military, you have a mission and everyone in the mission is like a piece of the puzzle.”
| Date Taken: | 09.07.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.07.2024 14:30 |
| Story ID: | 480330 |
| Location: | BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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