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AFDW Capital Airman: Traenesha Miliner

  • Published
  • By Air Force District of Washington Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. --  Traenesha Miliner, Air Force District of Washington Copper Cap intern and contract specialist, is an AFDW Capital Airman. Miliner joined the AFDW staff in September 2014.

Why did you choose to become part of the Air Force family?
My father was in the Air Force for 22 years, so I grew up around the Air Force. My mother also worked for the Air Force as a contractor. When I decided I wanted to work for the government, the Air Force was my natural first choice.

What city do you consider your hometown?
This question is always hard, but I consider both Miami and Hampton, Virginia, to be "home." I was born in Miami and that's where my mother's family lives. I spent my formative years in Hampton so it will always have a special place in my heart.

What is your job and how does that impact the AFDW mission?
I am Copper Cap Intern. In the Copper Cap program, I'm learning the ins and outs of Air Force contracting so that I can graduate as a fully functioning contract specialist. As a contract specialist, my mission is to provide superior contract support, on time, at a fair price so that the AFDW can complete its mission effectively and efficiently with the all the right tools.

What has been your most memorable or rewarding military experience?
I recently exercised an option on my own for the first time.  A contract has a base year and then depending on the contract, it may have option years. Exercising an option extends the contract for another year. Paperwork as well as communication between the contract officer, customer, and contractor are some of the steps involved in this process. We use an electronic system in which exercising the option actually takes place. For some reason, I was unable to exercise the option within the electronic system due to a system error so I had to exercise it manually. This is light work for the veterans. But for me, exercising an option has been my most memorable Air Force experience yet because it gave me the opportunity to both learn and apply what I've previously learned simultaneously. While this may seem like no big deal to the contracting veterans, it felt good to actually put what I've been learning into action.