Daniel Yeomans has seen it all before.

A young airman enlists in the Air Force and plans on simply honoring their initial four-year commitment and then getting out with a clearer picture of their future. But while serving, the airman's eyes are opened to privileges and opportunities they may not have seen in the beginning.

Then they get involved in a professional military association - such as the Air Force Sergeants Association - and get a glimpse of the bigger picture of what they are part of.

"I've seen tears in a young airman's eyes after a day visiting with veterans as part of a chapter trip to the veterans home," Yeomans said. "It's amazing how that can impact people in a positive way."

Yeomans, a retired chief master sergeant and senior advisor for the McChord AFSA chapter, knows because his career followed a similar path.

"It can make one reconsider their initial commitment," he said.

Through education about the lobbying power the association holds, the fraternal bonds it offers and the community service opportunities it provides, McChord's AFSA chapter gives airmen a chance to enhance their career.

"At the core, it's about an energy and eagerness to support everyone that wears the uniform," said Yeomans, also the Division 14 AFSA president, which governs Alaska, Oregon and Washington.

AFSA currently consists of 153 active chapters around the world with approximately 120,000 members. The McChord chapter is 2,900 members strong, the second largest in the country, Yeomans said.

Through lobbying and educating members on enlisted force issues concerning benefits, compensation and overall quality of life issues, AFSA acts as a collective voice in advising Congress and the Department of Defense.

"For young airmen, they may not understand how much work is behind a lot of the military benefits now, from the educational all the way to the helping the military pay structure regain parity with the civilian pay structure," Yeomans said. "The (membership) check you write is going to be much smaller than the benefits you receive."

At the local level, the chapter is about giving airmen opportunities to get involved in the community.

That includes organized visits to the Washington Soldiers Home in Orting and pairing airmen with former prisoners of war at the annual POW luncheon at McChord.

"Once airmen make that first trip to the soldiers home, they want to make them all," said Robert Winkler, the chapter membership chairman.

The McChord chapter hosts its monthly meeting the first Tuesday of every month at 11:30 a.m. at the McChord Clubs and Community Center. The next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 2.