VIEW FROM THE TOP >> 'I'll be back'

By Brig. Gen. Rowayne A. Schatz, Jr.
314th Airlift Wing commander


I hope everyone had a great Independence Day weekend! Thank you for your attention to safety while handling fireworks; there were no firework-related injuries over the holiday weekend.

Over the next several weeks, Col. Mark Vlahos, 314th Airlift Wing vice commander, will be holding down the fort while I attend CAPSTONE, a joint service professional military education course for brigadier generals and rear admirals conducted by the National Defense University at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C.

CAPSTONE focuses on the employment of U.S. forces in joint and combined operations to support the president’s national policy objectives. CAPSTONE ensures your senior military leaders understand how military forces and other elements of national power -- diplomatic, economic, informational, etc. -- are integrated and used to support national military strategies, and how joint, interagency, and multinational operations support strategic national objectives.

I am proud to represent the Combat Airlift mission we have here at Little Rock Air Force Base there, and I admit…I do expect to hear great praise about our awesome contributions to the fight, taking convoys off the road and providing ready tactical airlift to the global fight.

Before I hit the road, I’d like to take a moment to say “goodbye” to the departing group and squadron commanders as they head out to serve our great Air Force at other locations world-wide. Each made unique impacts on Team Little Rock during their tenures; we thank them for their leadership as they pass the torch.

Our new commanders have quite a task to fill big shoes and keep our finely-tuned machine running, but I have every confidence that you, our Airmen, will make these transitions as seamless and transparent as possible. It is a great testimony to you that, with the leadership turnover, you continue to do amazing things and keep the ball moving down the field. The new commanders will see first-hand what a great team we have at The Rock.

That being said, please help me welcome our newest group commanders to Team Little Rock’s awesome community: Col. Patrick Mordente, 314th Operations Group commander, Col. George Risse, 314th Mission Support Group commander and Col. David Stanczyk, 314th Medical Group commander. We also welcome our new Staff Judge Advocate, Lt. Col. Norine Fitzsimmons.

This week, I’d like to place a special focus on home safety, or more specifically, fire safety. Fires, like most other accidents, are very preventable. And believe it or not, we’ve had a few fire-related incidents to deal with this year both here and in the Air Force at large. Here are a few basic tips to prevent a fire:

Tip 1: Make a fire escape plan for your family. Find two exits out of every room, if possible. Pick a meeting place outside and try to practice a family fire drill at least twice each year.

Tip 2: Install smoke alarms in every room. Test them monthly to make sure they work and replace the batteries once a year.

Tip 3: Teach every family member the “stop, drop and roll” technique should their clothes catch fire.

Tip 4: Learn how to use a fire extinguisher and keep it in an easily accessible location.

Tip 5: If you have a fire, get out and stay out. Do not go back inside for any reason.

Thanks again for all you do! I look forward to seeing you all again when I return from CAPSTONE. Keep up the fantastic teamwork, Team Little Rock! “I’ll be back!”

Combat Airlift!