419th hosts mass enlistment ceremony Published Oct. 4, 2009 By Senior Airman Brandon Craig 419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs HILL AIR FORCE BASE, UTAH -- Air Force Reserve recruiters from the 419th Fighter Wing held a mass enlistment ceremony for new members Oct. 3 in the Hill Aerospace Museum. Col. Walter "Buck" Sams, 419th FW commander, swore in 35 new reservists in front of an audience of family and friends. Similar mass enlistment events are being held across the Air Force Reserve to kick off the fiscal year 2010 recruiting season. The mass enlistments are held annually. "Once a month or so, I'll do a couple of enlistments, but only once a year do we have a group this size," Colonel Sams said. "They are the lifeline of the Reserve," he said to the audience. "I wish I could serve forever, but right now I'm closer to the end of my term of service than I am to the beginning. It's good to see the fresh faces that will carry on our traditions into the future." The new reservists come from as far away as Idaho or St. George, Utah and will be going into a number of specialties. Matt McGregor, a new enlistee, will be joining the Reserve as a loadmaster. "I'm pretty excited," he said. "I've been waiting a long time for this. I've been trying to join since I was 16." Motivations for enlisting also varied. "I eventually want to be a pilot so I'm starting here," said Robert Lyons, another enlistee sworn in Saturday. "I want to get a degree in engineering and am joining the Reserve for money for school. Then I'll try and become an officer and a pilot." "I want to become a doctor," McGregor said. "The Reserve has great benefits and money for school, plus I've always wanted to serve my country." The 419th recruiters exceeded their recruiting goals for fiscal year 2009, enlisting 222 personnel -- a total that put them at 139 percent of goal. The 419th recruiters have exceeded their recruiting goals for the past five years.