A second chance

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Eydie Sakura
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, GERMANY --  His tall, athletic frame fills out the crisp Air Force battle dress uniform he meticulously prepared the night before, as his boots shimmer with the flash of the fluorescent lights from the ceiling panels over head. 

After meeting him, you feel completely at ease with his friendly smile, shy laugh and firm handshake -- never believing this Airman was investigated for gang-related activity, and was in correctional custody one year ago with an Article 15 hanging over his head. 

Although never initiated into a gang, this self-proclaimed basketball star from Trenton, N.J., found he was hanging out with gang members and gravitating toward a certain life style against his better judgment. He made a decision that would change his life and joined the Air Force Sept. 4, 2001, in an effort to stay out of trouble. 

"I'd go into a store and I'd expect the store owner to get me a shirt for free, just because of who I am," said Senior Airman Ryan Vaught, 52nd Equipment Maintenance Squadron metals technology journeyman. "I was partying every night of the week and I knew that if I went to college, I would either get kicked out or fail out. So, I went ahead and came into the military so I could have a better life, but I still had a lot of war scars." 

His military career started off on the wrong foot. His technical school was located near home, and he would often head back to his old stomping grounds, hanging out with the people he was trying to break away from. 

His first assignment at McChord Air Force Base, Wash., was on the other side of the country, but he continued to gravitate toward what was familiar. 

"You got a lot of gangs going on out there in Washington," Airman Vaught said. "You would see unspeakable things, and it was all in good fun, but you look back on it, and you can't really say that it was necessarily right. There were a lot of things going on that I can't speak on." 

While at McChord AFB, Airman Vaught was investigated four times because of the people he knew and his name was thrown around at different scenes and investigations. 

"I just knew people," he said. "You go out with acquaintances and you get mixed up in situations. I seemed to get into more trouble in the military than before I joined." 

His Air Force career then landed him at Osan Air Base, Korea, where he was forced out of the gang life in Washington and into a new life half-way around the world. Even with all of his efforts, he said he began to show a "thug" mentality again when interacting with people on- and off-duty. 

His job performance at Osan AB started off strong and he was studying to earn his Community College of the Air Force degree, yet Airman Vaught found himself still hanging out with the "wrong crowd" off-duty. 

"I was coming to work late and staying at the wrong place at the wrong time constantly. It just started to bring me down," he said. "As soon as I'd come to work, I was already pissed off. My play started interfering with my work, and it started to catch up with me ... then comes along an Article 15 ... I was buried in my own crap." 

Today, Airman Vaught views gangs and the military as magnets. Put two north-end magnets together, and they repel and reverse each other, said the metals technology journeyman. 

"A lot of people who are in gangs and who join the military are looked down upon because they're in the military ... because they already belonged to one 'family'... It'll disrupt both the gang and the military. Who do you listen to? You can't do both things at one time. It's up to personal judgment," Airman Vaught said. "You can't belong to one thing and belong to another. It's impossible," 

After Korea, Airman Vaught was stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, where he once again started out strong, and had the making to be an outstanding Airman. The first week on the job, his flight chief placed him in charge of the swing shift. Because of temporary duty assignments and deployments, he was one of the highest ranked people in the shop. 

"A few months later, his performance and personal appearance began to decline. He arrived late to work several times a week, his uniforms were sloppy and he frequently needed a shave," said Master Sgt. Norman Hill, 52nd EMS metals technology section chief. "His work performance was slow and incomplete most times. He received several letters of counseling and letters of reprimand during that time, and nothing seemed to get through to him." 

The Airman's performance continued to spiral downward, and Sergeant Hill became frustrated knowing that Airman Vaught had potential, but just lacked focus, because his priorities were not on work or his future. That was when Airman Vaught was introduced to the 30-day Ramstein's Area Motivational Program. This 30-day program was used by commanders to "re-blue" Airmen, whose attitudes or behaviors have deteriorated, resulting in non-judicial punishment. 

"RAMP is going away," said Master Sgt. Thomas Hartswick, 52nd Fighter Wing Career Advisor and Professional Enhancement Center superintendent. "It is not needed because someone else at (Military Entrance Processing Station) is ready to take your place. This kind of correctional custody is not needed anymore. You can get force shaped out, so it's important that Airmen understand they live with the consequences of their actions and their world." 

Actions often speak louder than words, and being affiliated with a gang in the military violates Air Force Instruction 51-903, paragraph 5 which says military personnel must reject participation in organizations that espouse supremacist causes; attempt to create illegal discrimination based on race, creed, color, sex, religion, or national origin; advocate the use of force or violence; or otherwise engage in the effort to deprive individuals of their civil rights. 

Airmen are subject to disciplinary action under Article 92, in addition to any other appropriate articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. 

"It goes without saying that participation in such activity has no place in our Air Force," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley, in an earlier interview on gangs in the military. "Not only does it run counter to our core values, it fosters divisive behavior and destroys good order, morale and discipline." 

RAMP changed Airman Vaught's life, and although the program is going away, it forced Airman Vaught to reflect on his life, his choices and his future. 

"I learned how to incorporate a military mindset within my personal life. What I ended up doing was breaking things down into terms that I knew," Airman Vaught said. "If I was back home in the gang, what would I be doin'? When I go into a situation I think how will it benefit me, and will it hurt someone else?" 

The staff at the First Term Airmen Center heard about the challenges Airman Vaught faced early-on in his military career, and how through much work and soul searching, he has turned a new corner in his life. 

"His help with the FTAC folks was a lucky series of circumstances," Sergeant Hill said. "They knew Ryan personally, and his ups and downs. Part of the curriculum happened to mirror what Ryan was dealing with in his personal life, so it was a good fit." 

Airman Vaught briefs 15-30 Airmen each month about the importance of staying away from gang activity, and the importance of professionalism in the Air Force. He talks about his life prior to the Air Force and the road he was headed down; his military career early-on and the hurdles he faced; and how he began seeing his future clearly. 

"When you uplift others, you uplift yourself, and briefing FTAC is a golden opportunity to help others," he said. "That's how I go about things now-a-days."