SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Capt. Tyler Relph swore-in to active duty service with the Air Force, June 13, 2020. Relph has thought about returning to active duty for several years now. Through conversations, mentorship sessions and with the support of his family he decided to make the leap.
The ceremony would have been better in person; however, given the current times, Zoom worked as a second-best option which allowed for his parents and brother to join in.
“When he asked me to officiate his swearing in ceremony to Active Duty, I was completely honored and humbled and said; Absolutely!,” said Maj. Emily Derry, 932nd Medical Squadron Critical Care Flight commander. He has always had a passion to serve in many capacities for the Air Force, his church community, civilian occupation, furthering his education, and his family.
Capt. Relph’s journey began in June 2004 as an airman first class going through basic training. He has spent almost four years on active duty, nine years with the Air Force Guard, and five years with the Air Force Reserves. In his civilian career, in the past eight years, he impacted thousands of lives while working for a hospital.
“To me, there is nothing more meaningful than to be able to provide care to wounded American troops in hopes of saving their lives and getting them back home to be with their families as they begin the long journey of recovering,” said Relph.
He is currently a critical care nurse with the 932nd Medical Squadron and serves as the operations officer for the critical care air transport team. He will be transitioning to a role as a critical care nurse at Travis Air Force Base, California, and will fly with their CCAT team.
“As I feel it is a huge loss to us at the 932nd, I know it is a huge gain for the Total Force,” said Derry. “He will do great things in any place he is, and I know deep down this is part of a much bigger plan for him and his family and he will serve our nation well! He will always be a part of our 932nd family and we all are wishing him the best on this next chapter!”
Relph spoke about his special memories of the 932nd, which are wrapped up in the annual tours and the close connections that were made during those trips. Memories like living in tents in the hot Wisconsin summer, dancing on the streets of London, enjoying some warm beers, and flying CCATT missions day in and day out, as part of the CCAT teams at Patriot Warrior.
“These memories will forever be ingrained in my memory as moments of camaraderie, connection, and a common pursuit of serving this great country,” said Relph. “I am thankful for all those with whom I was able to cross paths with in these last five years. I am forever changed by the friends I've made here at the 932nd.”