SSgt Peter Gonzalez led an effort to obtain commercial radio operator certifications for maintenance personnel at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. He researched certification options and worked with the FCC and AF COOL program to set up the first ever accredited Maintenance Communication Certification Course in April 2018. The two-day course provided training and testing to obtain the General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL) and resulted in 61 personnel becoming certified. Obtaining the GROL provides benefits like 9 college credits and qualifications to work as a commercial radio or radar technician. SSgt Gonzalez partnered with MSgt Joseph Dawson to set up a second course the following month, demonstrating their success in creating opportunities for

1. Federal Communication
Commission General
Radiotelephone Operator
License (FCC GROL)
3 0 5 M X G C P I HIGHLIGHT
V O L 1 I S S U E 2 I M P R O V E M E N T P U L S E 2 0 1 8
IN THIS ISSUE Creating a Culture of
Innovation
T h r o u g h r e v o l u t i o n a n d m o t i v a t i o n , S S g t P e t e r G o n z a l e z f r o m
t h e 3 0 5 t h A i r c r a f t M a i n t e n a n c e S q u a d r o n , l e d b y a n a s p i r a t i o n
t o b r o a d e n h i s s k i l l s e t e x p e r t i s e w i t h i n h i s 2 a l p h a A F S C
b a c k g r o u n d , t o o k o n t h e m o n u m e n t a l t a s k o f e n a b l i n g h i s
f e l l o w m a i n t a i n e r s t o r e c e i v e a c c r e d i t e d o p e r a t o r
c e r t i f i c a t i o n s . W i t h h i s p e r s i s t e n c e a n d d r i v e , S S g t G o n z a l e z
c o n t a c t e d a v a r i e t y o f b u s i n e s s e s a n d f i n a l l y l a n d e d o n a
m a i n t e n a n c e p r o g r a m t h r o u g h t h e A F C O O L P r o g r a m .
D u r i n g t h i s p r o c e s s , h e e x p l o r e d c o u r s e s t h a t w e r e c o m p a t i b l e
w i t h m u l t i p l e 2 a l p h a c a r e e r f i e l d s t h r o u g h o u t t h e 3 0 5 t h a n d
d i s c o v e r e d a c o u r s e t h a t w a s e l i g i b l e f o r t h e C - 1 7 C r e w C h i e f s
c a l l e d G e n e r a l R a d i o t e l e p h o n e O p e r a t o r L i c e n s e . H i s d i l i g e n c e
l a n d e d t h e f i r s t e v e r 2 0 1 8 ’ s a c c r e d i t e d M a i n t e n a n c e
C o m m u n i c a t i o n C e r t i f i c a t i o n C o u r s e i n A p r i l . T h e c o u r s e w a s
s u c h a s u c c e s s , S S g t G o n z a l e z s o o n p a r t n e r e d w i t h M S g t
J o s e p h D a w s o n f r o m t h e 6 0 5 t h A i r c r a f t M a i n t e n a n c e S q u a d r o n
a n d g e n e r a t e d a s e c o n d c o u r s e o n l y o n e m o n t h l a t e r . B o t h
c o u r s e s w e r e h o s t e d t h r o u g h t h e F e d e r a l C o m m u n i c a t i o n s
C o m m i s s i o n ( F C C ) b y M r . L e B l a n c , a r e t i r e d s e r v i c e m e m b e r
l o c a t e d i n S a n D i e g o , C A . H i s f u n d i n g t o t e a c h t h e c o u r s e w a s
i m m e d i a t e l y a p p r o v e d t h r o u g h t h e A F C O O L P r o g r a m .
F C C L I C E N S I N G C E R T I F I C A T I O N
C O U R S E C O M E S T O T H E 3 0 5 T H
M X G
A B O U T T H E L I C E N S E A N D I T S
B E N E F I T S
H O W T H E C O U R S E W A S
I N I T I A T E D A N D
L A U N C H E D
B Y T S GT K A Y L E N H O R A C E

2. About the License and
its Benefits
B Y TS G T K A Y L E N H O R A C E
With an existing partnership with the FCC, the USAF
and fellow sister services are provided the
opportunity to enhance their skillsets within their
appropriate specialty codes, more specifically, the
General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL).
Through existing accreditation licensing programs
throughout the DoD, members can determine their
eligibility and pursue their accreditation through AF
COOL. Those who achieve their GROL certification
will earn 9 college credit hours towards their
Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) Associate
in Applied Science degree. The FCC GROL is a two
day active learning course that consists of 3 exams,
discussions, training aids such as diagrams and
formulas, and exam preparation.
MSgt Dawson and SSgt Gonzalez’s efforts solidified
Joint Base MDL’s 100% pass rate statistic and
promoted a total of 61 licensed professionals into the
commercial radio and radar technician industry.
“My passion to teach the
FCC GROL is to stay close
to the military
community.”
FCC GROL Instructor, Retired Military, Mr. LeBlanc
Upon completion and receipt of the FCC GROL, members will
be legitimized technicians to: adjust, maintain, repair, and
operate associated systems in the commercial sector on
aviation vessels, marine vessels, and international fixed
platforms. Accompanying the FCC GROL and through the
partnership with Aviation Communication Maritime Electronic
(ACME) training, induces the special qualification for “Ship
Radar Endorsement”. This separate exam certifies individuals
to provide services including adjustment, maintenance, repair,
and operation of radar features on marine vessels.
The question still stands; How did they make this all
happen? MSgt Dawson and SSgt Gonzalez created a
pathway for Airmen to go through the proper steps to
obtain a specific certification through AF COOL. After
thorough research and past classes, MSgt Dawson and
SSgt Gonzalez secured a certifying agency through
fcc.gov who supported the license they were
researching. In order to secure a seat in the FCC GROL
course, members who are eligible via AFSC, must file
for supervisor approval and submit a funding request
through AF COOL. The member must then obtain a
Federal Registration Number (FRN) via www.fcc.gov.
MSgt Dawson and SSgt Gonzalez then fulfilled the
administrative role and generated the FCC Main Form
605 and FCC Schedule E (which is a quick form
application for Authorization with the FCC) for each
student who applied. Throughout this process, MSgt
Dawson and SSgt Gonzalez conducted briefings to
colleagues and provided AF COOL familiarization
training to streamline education goals and funding
requests for committed members. This innovative, out -
of-the box thinking and steadfast commitment to
improvement is exactly what the Air Force needs to see
from Todays’ Airmen!
Fellow members of the 305th & 605th AMXS participating in 2018’s first FCC GROL
certification course
MSgt Joseph Dawson, 605th AMXS SSgt Peter Gonzalez, 305th AMXS