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A new chapter for Minot Airman

By Airman 1st Class Andrew Crawford, Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs / Published August 22, 2013

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MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- His father and grandfather served the military.

Throughout his whole life, one of Minot Air Force Base's 5th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron's crew chiefs has been part of the military in some facet or another.

Senior Airman Jared Minter is one of those individuals who continues on with the legacy of serving his country and succeeding as his forefathers have.

Minter recently decided in taking further steps in his career by applying for retraining and gaining acceptance.

He will be moving from duty as a crew chief of a B-52H Stratofortress to learning foreign languages at the Defense Language Institute as a Cryptologic Linguist in Monterey, Calif.

For Airmen who want a change of pace and new opportunities in the Air Force, there are many career advancements available for those who choose to pursue them. A change in career field for crew chiefs is often difficult considering the demand of skilled leaders.

"Minter has been a vital member of our crew chief team," said Senior Master Sgt. John Lium, 5th AMXS APG superintendent. "He continuously mentors younger Airmen to ensure the job is done the right way the first time; his talent will definitely be missed."

Lium said his staff fully supports Minter and guarantees that he will be as dedicated to the linguist mission as he has been in support of the 5th AMXS mission at Minot AFB.

"I love my job as a crew chief," said Minter. "I chose aircraft maintenance because I really enjoy mechanical work."

However, he stated he has always enjoyed learning foreign languages as well.

"I studied French and Spanish both in high school and college, and have taught myself some Russian and Farsi," said Minter.

In the Air Force, enlisted applicants must meet qualification standards for the Air Force Specialty Code they wish to re-train into, which includes but is not limited to, ASVAB scores and security clearances.

"Courses at the Defense Language Institute are supposed to be some of the most academically challenging in the military, with a fail-rate of approximately 50 percent," Minter explained. "The job requires a minimum score of 100 on the DLAB (Defense Language Aptitude Battery) and I passed with a 130. It is one of the weirdest tests I've ever taken."

There are two languages Minter will be learning while at the Defense Language Institute; Dari and Farsi. Farsi is a dialect of Dari spoken mainly in Afghanistan.

"The Defense Language Institute in Monterey is located right on the beach," said Minter. "It will be a nice change of scenery for the 12-plus months my family and I will be there."

The Air Force Enlisted Retraining program is divided into three major areas: Voluntary re-training for first-term Airmen who have completed their first enlistment period, noncommissioned officer retraining and disqualified Airman retraining.

"Retraining wasn't a guarantee with how my career field is structured," Minter said. "Going to the Defense Language Institute, which is close to home for me is exciting, but there is a lot of pressure to succeed and move onto the next chapter of my life."

The Air Force's top leaders, including Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Cody, have explained that as the Air Force continues to mold itself into a leaner budget fighting force, it will look within its ranks to find Airmen to fill needs, most notably however, for special duties.

"I tried to be really proactive, making sure I had the best chance possible at retraining," Minter said. "My family and I are thrilled for the opportunity."
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