At the time I enlisted, the only Air Force Recruiter in my county was located next to a shopping mall, named the Tacoma Mall, in Tacoma Washington. Tacoma Washington is located in the western half of the State of Washington, in Pierce County, about 35 miles southwest of Seattle.  Here is a map showing exactly where Tacoma is:

For a great source of maps, on the web, click here to visit Maps.com.

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The recruiter's office is located in an office building on the northwest corner of the Tacoma Mall.  Here is a map showing approximately where the Tacoma Mall is located:

For another great source of maps, on the web, click here to visit Mapquest.com.

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In 1972 I was 18 years old and was looking at getting drafted (Does the name Selective Service sound familiar?).  I had no desire to serve in the  Army (I'm sure that a few of you who may visit this site may agree with me <G>).  One day in my Senior year, a month or so before graduation, we had three recruiters arrive in my high school.  They represented the US Army, US Air Force and US Navy.  I talked to the Air Force Recruiter and decided to give the Air Force a look.  I liked what I saw and decided to join up.  Also, it gave me a legal way of avoiding the draft.

At the time I joined, there were three ways of joining the Air Force.  These ways were;

• Guaranteed Job: If you selected this option, you joined for a particular job.  This job could be Security Police, Aircraft Maintenance, Boom Operator, etc..

• Guaranteed Field: If you selected this option, you joined for a field of jobs.  These fields could be the Medical Field, Aircrew Field, Chaplain Field, etc..

• Open Job: In other words, you got the job the Air Force needed you to do.

After you get talking with a recruiter, you will get scheduled to take a test called the Airman Qualification Examination (AQE).  This exam is designed to test your aptitude in different areas.  These areas were:

• Administrative (ADMIN)

• Electronics (ELEC)

• General (GEN)

• Mechanical (MECH)

Depending on the results, it would determine which job(s), A.K.A. "Career Field", you could select.  Your scores might look like this:

ADMIM: 40  ELEC: 70  GEN: 70  MECH: 85 (No these were not my scores.)

Supposed you selected "Corrosion Control".  There may be a requirement that you have a GEN Score of 75 and an MECH Score of 80.  If the above scores were yours, you can see that your GEN Score would qualify you for the job.  This is just an example and probably never did apply to this apply to this Career Field.

Anyway your AQE scores are "hunky dory", and other checks are OK, you now take your next step, your local Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station (AFEES) to take a couple of tests, and get a physical examination.

When my results came through, my recruiter and I were working on my Career Field.  I did not get a Guaranteed Job.  Therefore I selected a Guaranteed Field (Electronics).  I would be able to select my actual Career Field during basic training.

After my second visit to AFEES, after taking my Oath Of Enlistment, I got together with my recruiter and was given an idea of what to expect during basic training.  If my memory serves, the last meeting I had with my recruiter was a day, or two, prior to my last visit to AFEES.

To get your induction physical, click on the arrow below
Or you can click here.