How to Recruit Veterans Near NAS Meridian, Mississippi

Meridian, Mississippi has two military airfields. One is a Navy jet school. The other is an Air National Guard tanker wing. If you want to hire veterans in Meridian, Mississippi, both matter to you. But they feed your hiring plan in very different ways.

It is easy to treat a base as one pool of separating troops. That plan fails here. The Navy base trains students who leave town when they finish. The Guard wing is full of people who already live here and already hold civilian jobs. You recruit those two groups in different ways.

This guide is for a hiring manager or recruiter at a midsize company in Meridian or Lauderdale County. You will learn who is on each base and who you can actually hire. You will also see which job codes to look for. And you get a 90-day plan that works without a recruiter on base.

One quick note on scope. This is Meridian, not the Golden Triangle. If you also hire near Columbus, our guide to recruiting near Columbus AFB covers that base. It is a different metro with a different talent mix.

What Is at NAS Meridian?

Naval Air Station Meridian sits northeast of town. Its main flying unit is Training Air Wing ONE. The wing has two squadrons, Training Squadron SEVEN and Training Squadron NINE. They train student Naval Aviators in the T-45C Goshawk jet trainer.

The wing's job is simple to say. It turns new aviators into strike pilots who go on to fleet jets. Its instructors come from Navy and Marine Corps aviation units. The wing also trains pilots from allied countries.

The air station hosts other tenant commands too. The Navy's own list for the base includes these:

• Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC): A school for enlisted Sailors in supply, admin, and pay jobs.
• Marine Aviation Training Support Squadron One (MATSS-1): Support for Marines who train at the base.
• Navy Reserve Center Meridian (NRC Meridian): The local home for Navy Reserve Sailors.
• Regional Counterdrug Training Academy (RCTA): A training school on the base.
• Base support departments: Public works, supply, security, fire, and weather.

Each of these commands has a different flow of people. Some people stay two or three years and then leave. Others are local and stay for decades. Knowing which is which saves you a lot of wasted outreach.

Why Are the Student Pilots Not Your Hires?

The student pilots are officers at the very start of a career. After they earn their wings, they owe the Navy or Marine Corps years of service. A student who leaves Meridian this year is headed to a fleet squadron. They will not apply for your operations job next spring.

The same goes for the NTTC students. They are new Sailors in their first school after boot camp. They finish the course and ship out to the fleet. They're years away from a separation date.

So a plan built on "the base trains hundreds of people a year" points at the wrong group. Students come and go fast. Your hires come from the people who stay longer.

Who Fixes the Jets at NAS Meridian?

This is the question that trips up aviation employers. You might expect a base full of Navy jet mechanics. That's not how the training command works at Meridian.

The Navy buys T-45 maintenance as a contract. A civilian company holds that work and staffs it with civilian mechanics. Many of those workers are veterans. But they are not Sailors with a separation date. They're already in the civilian labor market.

That changes your approach in two ways. First, do not wait for a separation date that is not coming. Recruit those mechanics the way you recruit any experienced worker. Second, expect them to compare your offer with a steady government contract. Pay and schedule both get weighed.

This contract gets recompeted when its option years run out. The current T-45 task order dates from 2021. It has a base year and six option years. When a contract comes up for recompete, some workers look around. Keep an eye on public contract news for the base. That's often when a skilled mechanic is most open to a call.

The aviation maintenance talent you want may also sit across town. That brings us to Key Field.

What Is at Key Field in Meridian?

Key Field is at Meridian Regional Airport. It is home to the 186th Air Refueling Wing of the Mississippi Air National Guard. The wing flies the KC-135 Stratotanker, a jet that refuels other aircraft in flight. In August 2024, the wing reopened its KC-135 flight simulator at the base.

A Guard wing works on a different clock than an active-duty base. Many members serve part time. They drill on set weekends and do some longer duty each year. The rest of the time, they work civilian jobs in and around Meridian.

The wing also has a full-time staff that keeps the jets and the base ready. Those full-time members still train and deploy with the wing. Some will leave that full-time job at some point. When they do, they are often looking for local work that uses the same skills.

For an aviation or industrial employer, this pool deserves a close look. Tanker crew chiefs inspect, service, and repair a large jet on a strict schedule. They work from written technical orders and sign off on their own work. That habit transfers well to any shop with safety rules and paperwork.

Which Job Codes Should You Look For?

Many veterans list military job codes on their resumes. If you search only for civilian titles, you will miss them. These codes fit the units in Meridian. Search for the code and the title together.

Navy ratings tied to NTTC Meridian

NTTC Meridian trains five Navy ratings, per the NTTC Meridian page. The school's staff includes senior Sailors from these same ratings. Some of them finish their last tour in Meridian and decide to stay.

• Logistics Specialist (LS): Supply, inventory, receiving, and shipping. A Navy Logistics Specialist fits warehouse, purchasing, and supply chain roles.
• Personnel Specialist (PS): Pay, records, and personnel actions. A good fit for payroll and HR support.
• Yeoman (YN): Office admin, records, and correspondence for a command. A good fit for office manager and executive assistant roles.
• Retail Services Specialist (RS): Ship stores, cash handling, and retail services. A good fit for retail and food service management.
• Aviation Maintenance Administrationman (AZ): Maintenance records, scheduling, and data tracking. An Aviation Maintenance Administrationman fits maintenance planning and records roles.

Air Force codes at Key Field

A tanker wing needs a full set of support jobs. Look for these codes on Guard resumes:

• 2A5X4, Refuel/Bomber Aircraft Maintenance: The crew chiefs on tanker jets. A 2A5X4 maintainer fits aircraft, heavy equipment, and plant maintenance roles.
• Aircraft specialist codes: Engines, hydraulics, electrical, and fuel systems. Many of these start with 2A.
• Support codes: Fuels, vehicle maintenance, supply, and security forces. Read the duties, not just the code.

Do not guess at a code you do not know. Ask the candidate what the job was day to day. A two-minute answer tells you more than a title.

How Do You Reach Staff Sailors Before They Separate?

Active-duty Sailors start planning months before their separation date. The earlier you are on their list, the better your odds. There are a few ways in.

Work with the base offices

NAS Meridian has a Fleet and Family Support office that runs transition help for Sailors. Call and ask how local employers can share openings. Some offices host job fairs or employer days. Others keep a list of local openings for Sailors to browse. Our guide to working with base transition offices walks through that call.

Ask the same office about spouse employment help. Spouses move in with every new tour. Many want work soon after they arrive. Send the spouse program a short note about your admin or customer service openings.

Consider hosting SkillBridge

DoD SkillBridge lets a service member near the end of service train with a civilian employer. The member stays on active duty and keeps military pay. Your company does not pay a wage. The member needs command approval, and placements are not guaranteed.

Your business can apply to host only if it has been in business for at least three years. That is a rule in the DoD SkillBridge agreement. Federal, state, and local government offices are the exception. Our guide on becoming a SkillBridge host company covers the steps.

A SkillBridge placement is a tryout, not a hire. You can make a job offer, but the person starts after they leave the service.

How Do You Hire Guard Members From Key Field?

Hiring a Guard member is a normal hire with one extra step. You plan for their military duty. Federal law protects them from job loss because of that duty.

The law is 38 U.S.C. 4311, part of USERRA. It bars an employer from turning down a hire because of Guard or Reserve service. It also covers keeping and promoting that person. So never ask a candidate to quit the Guard to get the job.

The Guard schedule usually looks like this for you:

• Drill weekends: Usually one weekend a month. Most weekday shifts are not affected.
• Annual training: A longer block each year, often about two weeks.
• Deployments: Less often, but longer. The person has rights to return to the job.
• Notice: Members give advance notice in most cases. Ask for the drill schedule early so you can plan shifts.

Many employers see this as a cost. Look at it another way. A Guard member keeps training on someone else's budget. They come back with fresh skills and current safety habits. Our Guard and Reserve employer guide covers scheduling in more depth.

To reach Guard members, ask the wing about local employer events. Spread the word through your own veteran employees too. In a town this size, a referral from a coworker can reach people a posting misses.

What Do These Resumes Look Like?

A military resume can look strange the first time you read one. The work is real, but the words are different. This is how to read it.

Read the duties and the scope. How many people did they lead? How much gear did they own? What happened when something broke? Those answers map to your job far better than the title.

A strong candidate may write "technical orders" where you would write "work procedures." Search your applicants for military terms and civilian terms both.

Do not screen out a candidate for a missing civilian license on day one. Some military work counts toward a civilian credential. Some does not. Ask, and plan training if needed.

What About Tax Credits and Incentives?

Many employers ask about the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. The current status matters. WOTC expired at the end of 2025. It's not available for 2026 hires unless Congress renews it.

Congress has renewed it after past lapses, sometimes back to the date it ended. Veterans you hired in 2025 may still qualify under the old rules. But do not build a 2026 hiring budget around it.

Other incentives exist that do not depend on WOTC. Some state programs and training funds can help. Our guide to veteran hiring incentives beyond WOTC lists them.

What Is a 90-Day Plan for a Meridian Employer?

You do not need a large team to run this. One person with a few hours a week can do it. You can start this plan this month.

1. Days 1 to 14: Pick two roles that fit the job codes above. Rewrite each posting with both military and civilian terms.
2. Days 15 to 30: Call the NAS Meridian Fleet and Family Support office. Ask how to share openings with Sailors and spouses.
3. Days 31 to 45: Reach out to the 186th Air Refueling Wing about employer events. Ask your veteran staff for referrals from Key Field.
4. Days 46 to 60: Set up a Guard-friendly schedule policy. Write down how you handle drill weekends and annual training.
5. Days 61 to 90: Review who applied and who you hired. Keep the channels that worked. If your business is three or more years old, look into SkillBridge.

If you hire for aviation work, read our guide to hiring veterans for aircraft MRO too. It covers the skills and licenses that matter in a repair shop.

Do you hire in more than one Navy town? The Pensacola Naval Air Station guide covers another training base on the Gulf Coast.

What to Do Next

Meridian gives you two kinds of military talent. The Navy base sends out staff Sailors and spouses on a steady cycle. The Guard wing at Key Field gives you skilled people who already live here and want to stay. A plan that covers both will beat a plan that waits for one big wave of separations.

You can also reach veterans beyond the gate. Best Military Resume adds more than 1,000 new profiles every month. Members have built 75,916 resumes on the platform. The builder helps them put military work into civilian terms.

Ready to see who is looking? Post your openings and search veteran candidates. If you want a longer partnership, talk to us about partnering with BMR.