Many Servicemembers who leave active-duty transition into the Reserves as a way to maintain their ties to the service they've come to love. Yet keeping a foot in both the civilian and military worlds isn't always easy.

For the past 13 years, Tech. Sgt. Charlene Taylor has been serving in the 446th Airlift Wing at McChord Field, formerly as a medical flyer and now as the assistant unit training manager. For close to seven years, she has also worked 40 hours a week at Western State Hospital as a psychiatric security attendant, meaning she is responsible for proving whether criminal patients in the locked down ward are fit to stand trial.

"I feel the jobs compliment each other," she said. "I get tired of one job and then I can move into the other one with a fresh perspective - that gives me an edge over my civilian counterparts."

Taylor, who served nine years in the active- duty Air Force from the time she was 21 years old, is also quick to admit that in her civilian job, the military discipline has helped her when faced with difficult circumstances and patients.

The other challenge, however, has come from her routine deployments over the past eight years:  She deployed for about six months at a time in 2003, 2005, 2007, and recently in 2010.

"I need to switch mentally and physically between the two jobs, especially after a deployment," Taylor explained. "It is definitely a challenge to return to Western State after that."

For another 446 AW Reservist, the transition isn't as drastic.

Tech. Sgt. John Waight, who spent three and a half years on active duty, transferred into the Reserves in 1997 when he moved back home to Washington. His job on JBLM and the one on the outside are quite similar: he drives. On drill weekends, he works in passenger services operating the large, blue military buses that are a common site around the airfield; then, during four 10-hour shifts a week, he drives a bus for Pierce County Transit.  

"When I'm driving the military, I know what I'm getting. On the city bus, I can't say I've seen it all, since I still get surprised at least once a week," Waight said with a laugh.

Due to a shortage of available weekend drivers, Waight has also started training new drivers at JBLM, which goes beyond his normal job requirements.  Not that he's complaining. Though he has already put in 18 years, during which time he was fortunate to be deployed for only about six months, Waight is re-enlisting this month for another four years.

"I am flexible enough to know that things will change at the last minute, a lesson that I feel I learned from the military," he said. "It totally helps me adapt."

Both agree on the flexibility demonstrated by their respective employers - which makes them lucky.

"I simply hand them my orders and I'm good. There are a lot of relief drivers looking for hours, so there's no problem finding a substitute for my routes," Waight explained. "In fact, the PT CEO has come out here to take a flight. It's a very supportive company."

Taylor concurred that during her time with Western State, she's never had an issue once she presents them with her orders.

"Sometimes it is harder to meet the standards as a Reservist, especially with the flying requirements and necessary training," said Taylor. "Having done both, I can say this is the harder way, but it works for me and I really do like both of my jobs."