When Gregg Hinds was found to have throat
cancer in 2003, he underwent surgery, then 30 doses of radiation.
Within weeks, though, he was back at work with the
military-security police at the 183rd Air National Guard base.
It’s a job that Hinds loves — and one that can mean
anything from unadulterated boredom (staring at jets parked on a
runway or, worse yet, at a bare runway) to holding a high-powered rifle in a
guard tower, ensuring the safety of the nation’s president as
he arrives in Air Force One. Hinds, 52, has worked for the Air National
Guard for almost 30 years. In 2003, he retired from the military
service but stayed on the job as a state employee — an option
many MSPs choose to give younger guard members the chance to
advance up the ranks. These militarily retired police officers
perform the same duties at the 183rd base as their active-duty
counterparts do — in fact, last year Hinds was named MSP
officer of the year. But now Hinds and a handful of MSPs like him
could be fired if they can’t pass the same physical-fitness
test required for active-duty guard members. Unlike active members,
who get two years to show improvement if they take the test and
fail, these retired MSPs will have to pass the test within 45 days.
This requirement, which went into effect Feb.
1, is just one of several changes brought by new management at the
183rd. Supervisors have been stripped of their leadership roles,
and new policies implementing certain military customs and
courtesies have put veteran officers in the uncomfortable position
of taking orders from young, inexperienced pups. But those changes
just bruise the ego; having to pass the physical agility test is,
one retired officer says, a professional “death
sentence.” Dave Hollinshead, one of the MSPs affected by
these changes, suspects that age discrimination and the fact that
the officers unionized were factors in these policy changes. An Air National Guard publication explaining the
physical-agility test specifies that it applies to all Air National
Guard active-reserve and traditional members. In a section listing
exemptions, the booklet states that guard members planning to retire
within six months are “exempt from fitness assessments.” So far, none of the MSPs has been given a
physical-fitness test, and it’s possible that some would have
nothing to worry about if a test were administered tomorrow. “None of the guys look like they’d
knock you down to steal your corn dog,” says Hinds’
wife, Tammy Hinds. Lt. Col. Tim Franklin, public-affairs officer
for the Illinois National Guard, says that no one from the command
can discuss the issue. In an e-mail response to questions from Illinois Times,
Franklin wrote: “Two grievances have been filed
regarding this position description. Until the grievance process is
completed, it is not appropriate at this time for the Illinois
National Guard or Department of Military Affairs to
comment.” Al Pieper, president of the Springfield Area
Trades and Labor Council, says that the union has been trying to
negotiate with the MSPs’ chain of command for several months,
but although relations seem friendly, the results have been
disappointing. Several meetings have been scheduled, only to be
cordially canceled by management. “I feel like I’ve been led astray
a couple of times by the management guys,” Pieper says. The oldsters aren’t the only ones upset
by the policy changes. A younger active-duty officer, speaking on
the condition of anonymity, says that the retired MSPs are being
singled out. “It’s almost as if there’s a
double standard,” he says. “These guys have been out
there; they’ve done this job for some time — and when
I’m in a dilemma, I go to them. They’re a bundle of
knowledge. I love these guys to death.”
This article appears in Feb 9-15, 2006.
