Air Force Recruiting
Upland, CA
Meet Your Recruiters
TSgt Michael Runyan (951)675-5069
Bio
I’m TSgt Michael Runyan. I am an active duty enlisted Air Force recruiter in Upland, CA. I have been in the Air Force 11 years and have been stationed in Northern California(Travis AFB), Maryland(JB Andrews) and now Southern California (Upland). I’m married, have two boys, a little girl, and a french bulldog. I'm originally from Maryland and after I graduated high school I worked in kitchens and went to community college and realized I needed something MORE. I wanted a better way to pay for school, to travel, to learn how to DO something, to become independent and create real opportunities for myself.
I reached out to my Air Force recruiter and came in with a Mechanical Aptitude contract. I picked the job Air Transportation at basic training and my first job at Travis AFB had me working Space-Available flights. Space-Available flights are when an aircraft leaves a base and there’s empty seats on board. Anyone on leave or retired from the military can catch that flight for FREE. From there I moved into a vehicle operations office, teaching classes on how to drive loaders used to load aircraft. I then put in a base of preference request and moved back to Maryland to do presidential support logistics, moving all necessary vehicles and cargo for Secret Service, White House Communications as well as all foreign dignitary missions via airlift. After a few years I put in for recruiting and to move back to California and now I’m here to help YOU get started. Text me directly to setup an appointment. I’m happy to answer any questions you have to help you get started.
TSgt Joel Blair (951)757-6017
Bio
I’m TSgt Joel Blair. I am an Active Duty Enlisted Air Force Recruiter in Upland, CA. I Joined the United States Air Force in September of 2010, 3 days before my 20th birthday. The past 10 years have taken me all across the globe from North Dakota and Washington State to England, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Greece, and Africa until finally landing me here in beautiful Southern California. Traveling has always been an interest and passion of mine so being paid to serve my country and see the world has been the largest reward I ever could have asked for.
My first job upon entering Active Duty was performing inspections on aircraft and support equipment as a Non Destructive Inspection Specialist (2A7X2). I utilized various inspection techniques such as Radiography (X-Rays), Ultrasonic, Magnet Particle, Liquid Dye Penetrant, and Spectroscopy to verify structural integrity and ensure engine health. The airframes I’ve been lucky enough to work on are the B-52 Stratofortress, KC-135 Stratotanker, C-130 Hercules, F-15 Eagle, UH-1N Huey, UH-72 Lakota, and the HH-60 Pave Hawks. One day I hope to be able to crawl around on an A-10 Warthog.
As I progressed in my Air Force Career I branched out and explored different job duties. I managed the Flight line Driver program ensuring everyone on the flight line was properly trained and certified to be there. I was the maintenance squadron Emergency Operations Center Liaison coordinating assistance from maintenance sections in events of fire, flooding, or other natural disasters. And now I’m here as a recruiter to help YOU get started with your Air Force journey. Contact me now to set up an appointment!
How does the process work?
COVID-19 UPDATE: With all the changes recently due to the corona virus, going forward we will have some slight changes to the enlistment process. Until further notice our Air Force Recruiting Office will remain open and continue to hold appointments and ship out applicants to basic training. However, we will be requiring face masks, practicing social distancing, and operating on an appointment only basis. The intent is to minimize unnecessary contact for the safety of our applicants and our recruiters. Thank you for understanding.
If you have a simple process it should take 3-4 months before you ship out to basic training in San Antonio, TX. Each recruiter may run their process a little bit differently depending on the area they are assigned to. Here’s how I run it out of the Upland, CA office.
Step 1: Get prequalified. I’ll pre-screen you over the phone to check for any red flags that are disqualifying to enter such as serious medical issues/law violations/drug use/etc. I’ll send you a practice test you can take at home to give you an idea of how you'll score on the ASVAB. If your pre-screen and practice test scores are good to go, i'll schedule your initial appointment and will provide you a background check packet that must be completed by first appointment.
Step 2: At your initial appointment you must come prepared with your original copies of your social security card, birth certificate, high school diploma, college transcripts (if applicable), and a state issued ID (drivers license, state ID, passport, etc.). I will build you a profile in our system and we will review all necessary paperwork. We will go over all benefits, answer any questions, ensure you’re ready to join, and are open to current Air Force needs. We will identify what is the right next step for you. If all is good to go we will put in a request to schedule your ASVAB and physical at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS).
Step 3: MEPS will be taking precautions and will be screening everyone for covid-19 traits or exposure upon arrival. Once scheduled for MEPS you will go down and complete your testing on the first day. You’ll spend the night at a hotel nearby free of charge and do your physical the next day. Once the testing and physical is complete you will know what jobs you are qualified to do based on academic and physical results. You will complete the oath of enlistment, swear into the Air Force, and be a new member in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP).
Step 4: The delayed entry program (DEP) is everyone who is qualified and waiting to book a job or has booked a job and is waiting for their ship date. We will complete your DEP briefing and give you some time to review the jobs you are qualified for so you can make an educated decision. I will be available for any questions you have and to discuss realistic options. When you are ready we will send a list of 10+ specific jobs that you would like to request to our operations center. You will never be given a contract that you are not qualified for or requesting.
Step 5: Once a month our operations center will receive 100+ contracts. At this point they will review every DEP member in Southern California and Arizona that does not have a job and will align contracts based on applicant's request and Air force needs. Air Force needs currently include all mechanical jobs, electronics jobs, security forces, fuels, linguists, air traffic controllers, and special warfare positions. Once you book a job you’ll receive a date to leave for basic training typically within the next 1-3 months.
Want more Information?
Air Force Recruiting's official YouTube page. They have created so many informative videos describing the enlistment process. Click the button for Air Force Recruiting's official Youtube page.
Please review the following message from our Air Force Recruiting Service leaders.
The official Air Force website. The one stop shop for all types of information on enlisting in the Air Force. This covers everything from benefits to specific jobs. If i'm not in your area you can enter your information and find the nearest recruiter to you. You can also search for guard, reserve, officer, civilian service, recruiters as well. Click the button to visit the Air Force website.
This is the initial contact packet I give out at Initial Appointments. It covers topics such as benefits, pay, bonuses, career fields, etc.
Initial Contact Packet (info) 2020.pdfThe AFSC List Building tool. If you have taken your ASVAB and have your line scores (Mechanical, Administrative, General, Electrical) you can plug them in and get an idea of what kinds of jobs you are qualified for. While this is a useful tool please understand requirements are updated regularly and job qualification is also determined by other factors such as physical results, drivers license, citizenship, etc. Click the button and take a look.
We're located at 1422 W 7th St. Upland, CA 91784.
Click the map to find directions to our office.