MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, S.C. -- Greetings Swamp Fox Airmen! This month, we’re going to touch on records. More specifically, your records. Our records are a reflection of our military careers and while we may not have direct access to update them ourselves, we are ultimately responsible for making sure they’re correct. Don’t believe me? Try applying for a position with outdated or missing records. You could try blaming someone else for the record being inaccurate, but ultimately it’s the applicant that will be bear the brunt, not the office responsible for the update.
Before we can update our records, we need to know where to find them. Sometimes they can be a bit scattered, but here the two most important locations; both are accessible at home through the Air Force portal (www.my.af.mil) or AFPC secure (https://w45.afpc.randolph.af.mil/AFPCSecureNet40/PKI/MainMenu1.aspx) with CAC readers:
- vMPF- a summary of your career; fed primarily from MilPDS.
- PRDA- documents associated with your careers including enlistments, medals, performance reports, etc.
Next, we need to review them. Ideally, we do this annually but if you have never done it, you’re overdue! Unless you’re an expert, I recommend navigating through your record with your supervisor or a wingman who understands the systems. I started out with just poking around and figuring it out. They’re not complicated, but you do need to read everything. It’s worth your time. I went through an Airman’s record who had over 30 years of service and found he was missing education information and retirement point records that would have cost him his next stripe and cash in retirement.
Finally, we need to correct errors. In most cases a record can be corrected with a simple helpdesk ticket through MyPers, a visit to the Force Support Squadron, or by reaching out to the office of primary responsibility. While I continue to receive and appreciate the outstanding support from our folks in FSS, when it comes to simple record updates, my preference is to go through MyPers. Here’s why; as a Drill Status Guardsman, I’m not local so doing it from home is a huge bonus. Plus going through MyPers reduces the demand on SCANG resources, provides a record of the request, gives the ability for a self-service status check, there is never a line, and you can call the total force center (1-800-525-0102) 24/7 with questions.
I’ve personally gone through MyPers for corrections regarding point requests, adding PME, updating TDY information, etc. It was as simple as following the below steps and including the necessary information and attachments (AROWS orders, certificates, or other pertinent documentation).
Submitting Requests:
- Log into the AF Portal
- Select myPers from the home page
- Once logged in, select incidents and messages from the left side under “My Account”
- To the right, select email us
- Start flowing through drop downs and submit
Civilian Education Updates:
Before closing, I also want to call your attention to updating your education record. This is a different beast from your other records. If you have a college degree at any level, the only way to update it in MilPDS is through the education office. To do this you must bring in a SEALED copy of your transcript to Senior Master Sgt. Larry Smith or Master Sgt. Kevin Przewrocki located in the FSS section. They’ll then take the action in MilPDS. This is critical for those seeking promotion.
Bottom line. If it is not in your record, it didn’t happen. I hope this has been helpful; please discuss this topic with your peers, supervisors, and subordinates; you never know who it could help. Thank you for your time and all you do!