VIEW FROM THE TOP >> My goal for you

By Brig. Gen. Wayne Schatz
314th Airlift Wing commander

Congratulations on another phenomenal ROCKEX! Last week, we asked that you work hard to ensure that we were headed in the right direction for April’s Operational Readiness Inspection and Team Little Rock delivered!

It’s been a busy week of events, but at every turn, Airmen from across the Rock stepped up and met the challenges set forth. Each night, as I drive home, I am reminded again of how great our Combat Airlifters are and of how proud I am to serve along side them.

Our success in this ROCKEX by no means indicates that we’re 100 percent ready to go, but it is a good start.

Work areas identified area that need work base-wide; within the next week you can all expect feedback from your chain of command about what you’re doing and what you can do better.

If you aren’t getting the feedback you need, seek it. Ask your supervisors for feedback – early and often. I truly believe that the only way to get better is to seek advice. As supervisors, we all need to ensure we are passing information down the chain and that our troops are educated, equipped and prepared for whatever comes next.

We’ll be switching gears a little as we head into a four-day weekend. This time off is your reward for a successful 60-day run without any incidents involving driving under the influence. But as you head out the gate tonight, take a look at the signs.
The DUI trend has started to swing up – we had three Airmen arrested for alcohol-related instances while behind the wheel of a car in the past four weeks. Enjoy your time off, but please remember: drinking and driving is wrong. It will not be tolerated. We can not let our guard down. Sixty days is a short-term goal we set. But we need to work together to get past the 60-day mark and keep going.

Our goal for this four-day weekend is to ensure we get some rest, return to duty safely on Tuesday and stay DUI free.
We have a zero DUI goal for the holiday weekend. I’m confident we can achieve it! You have shown me time and again that you can step up to and exceed any challenge we set, and I’m proud to know that this weekend will be no different! Combat Airlift!