About a year after leaving the army, then a captain. Avery Herbison, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, began attending Fort Hood’s Transition Assistance Program, which helped him secure a position where he can still serve his country.
As the name suggests, the Transition Assistance Program provides transition assistance to soldiers preparing to separate from the military. TAP offers workshops, seminars, and counseling to determine where the soldier sees themselves after the military, and then helps them work toward that goal.
“I knew I was interested in applying for federal jobs, especially federal law enforcement,” Herbison said. “I’ve always dreamed of being in federal law enforcement…and I’ve always dreamed of being a soldier, too.”
TAP walked him through the ins and outs of applying for federal jobs and helped him edit his resume so he had a better chance of being selected. They also provided interview preparation, so he was ready.
“The TAP program takes a holistic approach to ensuring military transition success. The program offers a variety of workshops and training that help service members with all facets of their transition so that no stone is left unturned,” said Shelley Tippens, contract installation manager at TAP. . “We are confident that if they commit to everything the program offers, they will be prepared and successful in the next chapter of their lives.”
Herbison found out about his selection in July 2019, left the military in September and immediately began his two-part Secret Service training within a month of transitioning.
“You go to two different law enforcement academies,” he explained. “I went to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia, which taught me to be a criminal investigator, but generalized to all law enforcement. Then I went to the Secret Service Academy, which is about four month and a half.
Like the military, both academies focus on physical fitness and training to prepare special agents for real-world events. One aspect of the training involved fictional scenarios, where trainees conducted a criminal investigation. While special agents train for criminal investigation, they are also trained for protection.
“Through our mission, you get the best of both worlds,” he added. “You can be a criminal investigator if you’re interested, but you can also be involved in protection, so you can kind of shape your career around what you enjoy the most.”
After completing his training, Herbison was assigned to the United States Secret Service office in Waco, so he didn’t need to move his family, which he was grateful for after seven and a half years in the military.
“You get a little more time with the family with this job. In the military, you go into the field or you deploy a lot,” he said. “While this job, we have times when we have to travel, but for the most part, you’re at home a lot more with your family.”
For more information about the Fort Hood TAP, call 254-287-2227 or 254-288-5627. TAP is located inside the Copeland Soldier Service Center.
For more information on a career in the Secret Service, visit https://www.secretservice.gov/careers.
