Michael G. Becker entered the Air Force as an Explosive Ordinance Disposal Technician. Before his 26 year career ended, he would serve as the Command Chief for one of the Air Force’s largest bases, responsible for 46,000 personnel and $51 billion in assets.
I had the privilege of working with Chief Becker during his time serving at our local Air Force base. When I asked him about his plans post Air Force, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “I don’t know.” His answer surprised me given his time training and supervising other Airmen.
Following his retirement ceremony, he laid his uniform top on a chair in his bar, and it sat there for months before he was able to put it away neatly like he was going to wear it again the next day. “It was a thing to take apart that uniform for the last time. For most of us, if you have a long career, it’s all you have ever known. The uniform is a symbol for all you have ever known.”
We spend time talking about the challenges faced by our military members when they make the transition to the civilian sector, especially those like Michael who spent their entire adult life in the military.
He says one of the best things he did was become a “yes” man. Whatever anyone asked, he said yes. That led to a position that allowed him to go back and work with Airmen as a private contractor.
When he first began training, the wash out rate for EOD was 75 percent. Michael shares some stories from his multiple deployments as an EOD technician. He says that there were nuggets of truth in the movie Hurt Locker. In fact, Michael personally experienced one of the situations shown in the film. He diffused 206 devices on his first deployment.
His advice to younger military members is to invest early and get an education. “Do everything you can to be a lucky person while you are in.”