WASHINGTON (AFNS) – Air Force finance officials are implementing ways to improve customer service to Airmen with process changes, said the director of the Secretary of the Air Force Financial Management Process Improvement and Integrations Office.
“This has been a rocky road for some Air Force travelers,” said Josephine L. Davis, SAF/FMPI. “Fortunately, process improvement and service delivery initiatives will improve travel reimbursement services.”
Air Force finance officials recently completed two separate Air Force Smart Operations 21 reviews to improve the travel and permanent change-of-station voucher processes. Senior Air Force and Reserve command financial management leaders attended a travel voucher process AFSO 21 event at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., to conduct an end-to-end review of the travel voucher process.
“The active-duty, Guard and Reserve team identified and validated problems in the current processes and agreed on a future state process,” Ms. Davis said. Some short-term solutions are now in place via a recent Defense Travel System software upgrade that improves government charge card usage. This same upgrade implemented a pilot program with the Navy, results from which will be applied to improve travel voucher services to the Air Force Reserve and Guard communities.
Ms. Davis said the Robins AFSO 21 review also looked into improving the submission of PCS travel vouchers, services for deployed members, and ensuring Airmen aren’t over or underpaid. A subsequent AFSO 21 review took place in September at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., to review and improve these processes. Solutions in this area are also under way and will be implemented with DTS software upgrades scheduled to occur in 15-18 months.
Some Airmen may remember that in the past an Airman would visit the base accounting and finance office and work with a travel pay clerk to reconcile a travel voucher, according to Ms. Davis. The Airman would leave the office with a cash reimbursement and a copy of his or her filed travel voucher.
“The process was functional and effective from a traveler’s perspective, but it was costly and labor intensive for the Air Force,” Ms. Davis said. “The cost and manpower requirements for such a process were not an issue in the past. However, times have changed due to federally mandated manpower reductions.”
In light of this changing fiscal landscape, two additional process improvement initiatives are currently underway to enhance financial service delivery to Airmen: the Financial Service Delivery Model and Defense Integrated Military Human Resources System (www.dimhrs.mil/).
“The primary objective of FSDM is to improve service delivery to Airmen through enhanced utilization of Web-based self service applications,” Ms. Davis said. “Click, Call, Walk” isthe FSDM slogan.
With FSDM, Airmen will have:
· 24-hour, seven-day-a-week access to Web-based service for financial transactions;
· a toll-free number to a contact center when additional assistance is needed; and
· the ability to deal face-to-face with a base financial service technicians for those unusual financial transactions.
“Ultimately, FSDM will result in enhanced customer service and substantial return on investment for the Air Force,” Ms. Davis said.
Another initiative is DIMHRS, a Department of Defense program currently under development. It provides the Armed Forces with an integrated, multi-component, personnel and pay system that improve delivery of military personnel and pay services, according to Ms. Davis. This system provides each service member with a single, comprehensive record that features self-service capabilities to empower them to update portions of their personal information, and initiate personnel and pay actions.
Finance officials listen to customer comments, Ms. Davis said. They heard such comments as “I had to use my savings to pay my government travel card” or, “I had to wait months for payment due to the huge backlogs.”
“These types of comments reflect a detrimental impact on our mission,” Ms. Davis said. “Air Force leadership takes them seriously, and continues to take steps to resolve members’ concerns.”
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
COMMENTARY>>Integrity first - always
By Master Sgt. James Albini
714th Training Squadron First Sergeant
Each week I have the privilege of spending time with the Air Force’s newest enlisted aviators. I like to discuss the core values and apply those three ideas to real world experiences. Unfortunately, an aspect of my job is to interview Airmen who have taken the wrong path and made poor choices. These experiences have caused me to redefine my definition of our first core value, integrity.
If I ask Airmen to tell me what they think integrity means the preponderance would respond, “Doing the right thing when nobody is watching.” This is the textbook definition. I have come to realize most Airmen do not have a problem doing the right thing when alone; the harder action is doing the right thing while in a group.
All too often when things go wrong, it wasn’t because one person, by himself or herself, decided to make a poor choice.
Instead a bad decision was made while with a group of friends. Despite the many opportunities to prevent a Wingman from going down the wrong path, many remain silent. Some consider it not cool to speak up in front of others and challenge the group. Others don’t want to be labeled a rat or killjoy. This thought is what caused me to reinterpret integrity.
We must have the courage to stand by our convictions and speak up in the presence of others. Although the reference I used is associated with discipline, it can be applied to the work center. Doing the right thing when everyone is watching is extremely tough. Failure to have courage and stand up has resulted in countless DUIs, underage drinking, assaults and work related accidents. I leave you with this simple challenge … think of our first core value in two ways; doing the right thing when no one is watching and doing the right thing when everyone is watching.
714th Training Squadron First Sergeant
Each week I have the privilege of spending time with the Air Force’s newest enlisted aviators. I like to discuss the core values and apply those three ideas to real world experiences. Unfortunately, an aspect of my job is to interview Airmen who have taken the wrong path and made poor choices. These experiences have caused me to redefine my definition of our first core value, integrity.
If I ask Airmen to tell me what they think integrity means the preponderance would respond, “Doing the right thing when nobody is watching.” This is the textbook definition. I have come to realize most Airmen do not have a problem doing the right thing when alone; the harder action is doing the right thing while in a group.
All too often when things go wrong, it wasn’t because one person, by himself or herself, decided to make a poor choice.
Instead a bad decision was made while with a group of friends. Despite the many opportunities to prevent a Wingman from going down the wrong path, many remain silent. Some consider it not cool to speak up in front of others and challenge the group. Others don’t want to be labeled a rat or killjoy. This thought is what caused me to reinterpret integrity.
We must have the courage to stand by our convictions and speak up in the presence of others. Although the reference I used is associated with discipline, it can be applied to the work center. Doing the right thing when everyone is watching is extremely tough. Failure to have courage and stand up has resulted in countless DUIs, underage drinking, assaults and work related accidents. I leave you with this simple challenge … think of our first core value in two ways; doing the right thing when no one is watching and doing the right thing when everyone is watching.
COMMENTARY>>Alice, balanced scorecard and Wonderland
By Col. Charles Hyde
314th Airlift Wing commander
I love military history and reading about the exploits of the warriors and units that left us with a rich legacy of character, service and heroic defense of our republic. A storied history, however valuable for learning and development of the warrior ethos, does not predict success on future battlefields. Future success depends on a well-understood objective and requires progress toward its attainment.
In previous articles, the 314th Airlift Wing’s mission, vision, and goals were presented. The mission is the purpose of our wing – to train the world’s best C-130 and C-21 crew members to fly, fight, and win. The vision sets an enduring context for our mission: what we are, what we want to be, and our legacy in the future – the foundation of combat airlift. Goals help us accomplish our mission and realize our vision. In short, our mission, vision, and goals are our objective as a wing.
Our objective, that point toward which we strive, is the first step on the road to success. In the book “Alice In Wonderland,” Alice asks the Cheshire cat which path she should take. The cat replied by asking where Alice wanted to go. Alice, unfortunately and similarly to many businesses and organizations, didn’t know. The Cheshire cat then replied that it didn’t matter which way she went. If we don’t know what we are trying to accomplish, then we cease to be an effective and successful team. Having an objective is the first step toward success.
The next requirement for achieving success as an organization is to continuously progress towards its objective. If we don’t have a common mission, vision, and goals, we will fail. Likewise, we can have an objective, but fail to move toward it.
Continuous improvement is the lifeblood of a military organization. Our success and the success of our students depend on it, but it is not enough. The improvement must lead us on a path which reaches our objective. That path is defined by metrics.
Metrics are the key to measuring where we are going and how we are progressing.
The 314th AW leadership met last week to work on our metrics. The balanced scorecard is the AETC tool we use to document our objectives and measure our progress toward attainment.
We refined our mission, vision, and goals and started to define the metrics we will use to chart our path as a wing. I have challenged each of our commanders to build good metrics and implement them in each flight and section. The reason is simple. In order to be successful, we must work together with a common objective and strive for continuous improvement.
Hopefully when you hear someone talk about the balanced scorecard and metrics, it won’t be a mystery. It’s simply a tool to keep us out of Wonderland and focused on training the world’s best C-130 and C-21 students to fly, fight, and win.
314th Airlift Wing commander
I love military history and reading about the exploits of the warriors and units that left us with a rich legacy of character, service and heroic defense of our republic. A storied history, however valuable for learning and development of the warrior ethos, does not predict success on future battlefields. Future success depends on a well-understood objective and requires progress toward its attainment.
In previous articles, the 314th Airlift Wing’s mission, vision, and goals were presented. The mission is the purpose of our wing – to train the world’s best C-130 and C-21 crew members to fly, fight, and win. The vision sets an enduring context for our mission: what we are, what we want to be, and our legacy in the future – the foundation of combat airlift. Goals help us accomplish our mission and realize our vision. In short, our mission, vision, and goals are our objective as a wing.
Our objective, that point toward which we strive, is the first step on the road to success. In the book “Alice In Wonderland,” Alice asks the Cheshire cat which path she should take. The cat replied by asking where Alice wanted to go. Alice, unfortunately and similarly to many businesses and organizations, didn’t know. The Cheshire cat then replied that it didn’t matter which way she went. If we don’t know what we are trying to accomplish, then we cease to be an effective and successful team. Having an objective is the first step toward success.
The next requirement for achieving success as an organization is to continuously progress towards its objective. If we don’t have a common mission, vision, and goals, we will fail. Likewise, we can have an objective, but fail to move toward it.
Continuous improvement is the lifeblood of a military organization. Our success and the success of our students depend on it, but it is not enough. The improvement must lead us on a path which reaches our objective. That path is defined by metrics.
Metrics are the key to measuring where we are going and how we are progressing.
The 314th AW leadership met last week to work on our metrics. The balanced scorecard is the AETC tool we use to document our objectives and measure our progress toward attainment.
We refined our mission, vision, and goals and started to define the metrics we will use to chart our path as a wing. I have challenged each of our commanders to build good metrics and implement them in each flight and section. The reason is simple. In order to be successful, we must work together with a common objective and strive for continuous improvement.
Hopefully when you hear someone talk about the balanced scorecard and metrics, it won’t be a mystery. It’s simply a tool to keep us out of Wonderland and focused on training the world’s best C-130 and C-21 students to fly, fight, and win.
COMMENTARY>>Alice, balanced scorecard and Wonderland
By Col. Charles Hyde
314th Airlift Wing commander
I love military history and reading about the exploits of the warriors and units that left us with a rich legacy of character, service and heroic defense of our republic. A storied history, however valuable for learning and development of the warrior ethos, does not predict success on future battlefields. Future success depends on a well-understood objective and requires progress toward its attainment.
In previous articles, the 314th Airlift Wing’s mission, vision, and goals were presented. The mission is the purpose of our wing – to train the world’s best C-130 and C-21 crew members to fly, fight, and win. The vision sets an enduring context for our mission: what we are, what we want to be, and our legacy in the future – the foundation of combat airlift. Goals help us accomplish our mission and realize our vision. In short, our mission, vision, and goals are our objective as a wing.
Our objective, that point toward which we strive, is the first step on the road to success. In the book “Alice In Wonderland,” Alice asks the Cheshire cat which path she should take. The cat replied by asking where Alice wanted to go. Alice, unfortunately and similarly to many businesses and organizations, didn’t know. The Cheshire cat then replied that it didn’t matter which way she went. If we don’t know what we are trying to accomplish, then we cease to be an effective and successful team. Having an objective is the first step toward success.
The next requirement for achieving success as an organization is to continuously progress towards its objective. If we don’t have a common mission, vision, and goals, we will fail. Likewise, we can have an objective, but fail to move toward it.
Continuous improvement is the lifeblood of a military organization. Our success and the success of our students depend on it, but it is not enough. The improvement must lead us on a path which reaches our objective. That path is defined by metrics.
Metrics are the key to measuring where we are going and how we are progressing.
The 314th AW leadership met last week to work on our metrics. The balanced scorecard is the AETC tool we use to document our objectives and measure our progress toward attainment.
We refined our mission, vision, and goals and started to define the metrics we will use to chart our path as a wing. I have challenged each of our commanders to build good metrics and implement them in each flight and section. The reason is simple. In order to be successful, we must work together with a common objective and strive for continuous improvement.
Hopefully when you hear someone talk about the balanced scorecard and metrics, it won’t be a mystery. It’s simply a tool to keep us out of Wonderland and focused on training the world’s best C-130 and C-21 students to fly, fight, and win.
314th Airlift Wing commander
I love military history and reading about the exploits of the warriors and units that left us with a rich legacy of character, service and heroic defense of our republic. A storied history, however valuable for learning and development of the warrior ethos, does not predict success on future battlefields. Future success depends on a well-understood objective and requires progress toward its attainment.
In previous articles, the 314th Airlift Wing’s mission, vision, and goals were presented. The mission is the purpose of our wing – to train the world’s best C-130 and C-21 crew members to fly, fight, and win. The vision sets an enduring context for our mission: what we are, what we want to be, and our legacy in the future – the foundation of combat airlift. Goals help us accomplish our mission and realize our vision. In short, our mission, vision, and goals are our objective as a wing.
Our objective, that point toward which we strive, is the first step on the road to success. In the book “Alice In Wonderland,” Alice asks the Cheshire cat which path she should take. The cat replied by asking where Alice wanted to go. Alice, unfortunately and similarly to many businesses and organizations, didn’t know. The Cheshire cat then replied that it didn’t matter which way she went. If we don’t know what we are trying to accomplish, then we cease to be an effective and successful team. Having an objective is the first step toward success.
The next requirement for achieving success as an organization is to continuously progress towards its objective. If we don’t have a common mission, vision, and goals, we will fail. Likewise, we can have an objective, but fail to move toward it.
Continuous improvement is the lifeblood of a military organization. Our success and the success of our students depend on it, but it is not enough. The improvement must lead us on a path which reaches our objective. That path is defined by metrics.
Metrics are the key to measuring where we are going and how we are progressing.
The 314th AW leadership met last week to work on our metrics. The balanced scorecard is the AETC tool we use to document our objectives and measure our progress toward attainment.
We refined our mission, vision, and goals and started to define the metrics we will use to chart our path as a wing. I have challenged each of our commanders to build good metrics and implement them in each flight and section. The reason is simple. In order to be successful, we must work together with a common objective and strive for continuous improvement.
Hopefully when you hear someone talk about the balanced scorecard and metrics, it won’t be a mystery. It’s simply a tool to keep us out of Wonderland and focused on training the world’s best C-130 and C-21 students to fly, fight, and win.
COMMENTARY>>Not only our President, our Commander in Chief
By Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Qualls
19th Mission Support Group Superintendent
Now that the Presidential election is over, the dust has settled and the American people have spoken and soon we will have a new President. Regardless of your personal feelings concerning the outcome of this recent election, as military members we have a duty to the President that eclipses our civilian counterparts.
Why, you ask?
Assuming we took advantage of our right, responsibility and privilege to vote, we cast our ballot. We exercised our choice and our voice was heard. We did this as good and responsible Americans, but more importantly; we did this as private citizens.
As military members, officially we are to remain politically neutral. Partisan politics will not or at least should not effect or determine our willingness or ability to perform our mission.
In our Oath of Enlistment we swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States and obey the orders of the President.” In article II, section two of the Constitution, the President is appointed as our Commander in Chief. As Commander in Chief, the President is the Commander of our nation’s military forces.
This also works in accordance with our Constitution in ensuring civilian control of our military. In addition, as a result of a formal agreement between the DOD and United States Secret Service, individuals affiliated with the Armed Services have a special obligation to report information to the Secret Service pertaining to the protection of the President of the United States.
Ours is a great nation. We’re great because of our diversity. As loyal Americans and committed military members, we not only owe it to the American people, but again; we took an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.
While we progress with the Global War on Terrorism and numerous other issues facing us as a nation; our oath has never been more important than now.
19th Mission Support Group Superintendent
Now that the Presidential election is over, the dust has settled and the American people have spoken and soon we will have a new President. Regardless of your personal feelings concerning the outcome of this recent election, as military members we have a duty to the President that eclipses our civilian counterparts.
Why, you ask?
Assuming we took advantage of our right, responsibility and privilege to vote, we cast our ballot. We exercised our choice and our voice was heard. We did this as good and responsible Americans, but more importantly; we did this as private citizens.
As military members, officially we are to remain politically neutral. Partisan politics will not or at least should not effect or determine our willingness or ability to perform our mission.
In our Oath of Enlistment we swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States and obey the orders of the President.” In article II, section two of the Constitution, the President is appointed as our Commander in Chief. As Commander in Chief, the President is the Commander of our nation’s military forces.
This also works in accordance with our Constitution in ensuring civilian control of our military. In addition, as a result of a formal agreement between the DOD and United States Secret Service, individuals affiliated with the Armed Services have a special obligation to report information to the Secret Service pertaining to the protection of the President of the United States.
Ours is a great nation. We’re great because of our diversity. As loyal Americans and committed military members, we not only owe it to the American people, but again; we took an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.
While we progress with the Global War on Terrorism and numerous other issues facing us as a nation; our oath has never been more important than now.
VIEW FROM TOP>>This is not a dry run
By Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Brinkley
19th Airlift Wing command chief
As we endeavor daily to ensure that we sustain unrivaled Combat Airlift for America … always, it dawned on me that we never have a second chance to get our mission done right. We have one chance at life and what life holds for us. So my challenge to you, as well as myself, is not to function as though this is a dry run.
Those waiting for our support around the world are counting on us taking our mission seriously. We must apply our training, focus and resources to ensure that when called, we respond with pinpoint precision.
This is not a dry run. In your lives, do you apply this mindset or do you function as though you will be able to go back and start over again?
Beyond our vital mission, are you living your life as though this is your only opportunity to maximize your potential? I sometimes reflect on people who become frustrated because they wake up and realize they have not utilized time and opportunity to the fullest extent. Each one of us have gifts and talents, that if maximized, can benefit our workplace, families and communities. This is not a dry run.
One of our core values, excellence in all we do, demands that we attack each day as a chance to grow and improve. Are we exhibiting excellence in all we do? The first place to check is in the mirror in the morning. Consider how physically, mentally and spiritually fit you are. To live your life in an exceptional way requires you not to take a single day for granted.
To continue to be the best air force in the world, our military, civilians and families must understand that this is not a dry run.
Combat Airlift!
19th Airlift Wing command chief
As we endeavor daily to ensure that we sustain unrivaled Combat Airlift for America … always, it dawned on me that we never have a second chance to get our mission done right. We have one chance at life and what life holds for us. So my challenge to you, as well as myself, is not to function as though this is a dry run.
Those waiting for our support around the world are counting on us taking our mission seriously. We must apply our training, focus and resources to ensure that when called, we respond with pinpoint precision.
This is not a dry run. In your lives, do you apply this mindset or do you function as though you will be able to go back and start over again?
Beyond our vital mission, are you living your life as though this is your only opportunity to maximize your potential? I sometimes reflect on people who become frustrated because they wake up and realize they have not utilized time and opportunity to the fullest extent. Each one of us have gifts and talents, that if maximized, can benefit our workplace, families and communities. This is not a dry run.
One of our core values, excellence in all we do, demands that we attack each day as a chance to grow and improve. Are we exhibiting excellence in all we do? The first place to check is in the mirror in the morning. Consider how physically, mentally and spiritually fit you are. To live your life in an exceptional way requires you not to take a single day for granted.
To continue to be the best air force in the world, our military, civilians and families must understand that this is not a dry run.
Combat Airlift!
VIEW FROM TOP>>Thanks to our Wingmen
By Brig. Gen. Rowayne A. Schatz, Jr.
19th Airlift Wing commander
Today, Wingman Day, we are gathering together in small groups to talk about how to cope with all the different stresses we face every day. These stresses, unresolved, can degrade both our mission focus and quality of life. Wingman Day offers us the opportunity to address and resolve these stressors and talk about how we can best support each other.
Team Little Rock’s embrace of the Wingman concept and culture is a key component to the delivery of a peerless Combat Airlift capability. Great military powers throughout history have employed the Wingman concept to fight the greatest battles in history. The Romans, for example, used battle lines arranged with infantry in the center and cavalry on the wings. The infantry lined up face to face with the opponent while the cavalry protected the center from being outflanked by their enemies. Neither the cavalry nor the infantry stood a strong chance of defeating their enemy separately, but together, protecting each other, they were a formidable force. Likewise, Team Little Rock is a formidable force when we employ the Wingman concept in the delivery of Combat Airlift for our nation.
As Airmen, we are part of a larger team and the combined effect of each of our efforts makes us the greatest team in the world, capable of taking on any task or foe. We rely on our Wingman to know when we need help, and to be there to pitch in to fill the gap and make the mission successful. There is a great Wingman line in the latest “Iron Man” movie where Air Force Lt. Col. James Rhodes tells Tony Stark that when he puts on the uniform and he looks in the mirror, he recognizes that every person who wears the same uniform has his back. That is a great feeling, that is the Wingman culture.
Tomorrow our country celebrates a holiday proclaimed by President Lincoln, as a national day of prayer and thanks for our country’s prosperity. From the founding of our country to today, one constant thread throughout is the commitments and sacrifices great Americans like you have made to win and defend freedom here and around the world. You and your families will celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow with firsthand knowledge of the sacrifices required to protect the things we are most thankful for. Thank you for your service.
Kim and I wish you a happy Thanksgiving!
Combat Airlift!
19th Airlift Wing commander
Today, Wingman Day, we are gathering together in small groups to talk about how to cope with all the different stresses we face every day. These stresses, unresolved, can degrade both our mission focus and quality of life. Wingman Day offers us the opportunity to address and resolve these stressors and talk about how we can best support each other.
Team Little Rock’s embrace of the Wingman concept and culture is a key component to the delivery of a peerless Combat Airlift capability. Great military powers throughout history have employed the Wingman concept to fight the greatest battles in history. The Romans, for example, used battle lines arranged with infantry in the center and cavalry on the wings. The infantry lined up face to face with the opponent while the cavalry protected the center from being outflanked by their enemies. Neither the cavalry nor the infantry stood a strong chance of defeating their enemy separately, but together, protecting each other, they were a formidable force. Likewise, Team Little Rock is a formidable force when we employ the Wingman concept in the delivery of Combat Airlift for our nation.
As Airmen, we are part of a larger team and the combined effect of each of our efforts makes us the greatest team in the world, capable of taking on any task or foe. We rely on our Wingman to know when we need help, and to be there to pitch in to fill the gap and make the mission successful. There is a great Wingman line in the latest “Iron Man” movie where Air Force Lt. Col. James Rhodes tells Tony Stark that when he puts on the uniform and he looks in the mirror, he recognizes that every person who wears the same uniform has his back. That is a great feeling, that is the Wingman culture.
Tomorrow our country celebrates a holiday proclaimed by President Lincoln, as a national day of prayer and thanks for our country’s prosperity. From the founding of our country to today, one constant thread throughout is the commitments and sacrifices great Americans like you have made to win and defend freedom here and around the world. You and your families will celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow with firsthand knowledge of the sacrifices required to protect the things we are most thankful for. Thank you for your service.
Kim and I wish you a happy Thanksgiving!
Combat Airlift!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
TOP STORY > >LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE CAMPAIGN PLANS
Wednesday’s Wingman Day has been set aside for leadership and Airmen to stand down from the Team Little Rock’s mission to discuss important issues, give constructive feedback to leadership, develop the Wingman mentality and make Team Little Rock a great place to work. The theme for Wingman Day is “small course corrections make a big difference.” Our goal is to engage each Airman in an operational experience emphasizing responsible choices, team building and stress management to revitalize our culture of Airmen taking care of Airmen.
The feedback from previous Wingman days has shown where people are feeling stress and ideas for how to battle the signs of stress. Based on feedback like this, these campaign plans have been developed to address the problems our Airmen and families are facing due to being an Air Force at war.
The goal of the Building and Supporting Healthy Families campaign plan is to increase Air Force personnel awareness of the indicators and dynamics of family maltreatment including the emotional and financial costs resulting from family maltreatment and the negative impact family maltreatment has on the overall strategic mission of the Air Force. For more information, contact the Family Advocacy Officer at 987-7377.
The goal of the Education campaign plan is to build a partnership with parents, school administrators, private organizations and base leadership to champion world-class facilities, a safe learning environment and quality school performance for our dependent children. Through partnership, ensure public schools in our surrounding communities with Little Rock AFB dependent children enrolled rank in the top 25% of schools in the State of Arkansas as measured by standardized test scores.
As an end state, parents assigned to Little Rock AFB should be excited to live here due to the exceptional Central Arkansas public school opportunities available for their children. For more information, contact the Little Rock AFB School Liaison Officer at 987-6938.
The goal of the Fitness, Sports and Wellness campaign plan is to achieve 100 percent unit involvement in the Fitness, Sports and Wellness Advisory Council. Achieve and maintain 95 percent fitness assessment currency with increases in overall fitness levels. Maintain or exceed AFSVA 5-Star and Golden Eagle Standards for fitness and sports. Incorporate fitness, sports and wellness initiatives that involve Airmen and their families. For more information, contact the Fitness Center Director at 987-7716.
The goal of the Key Spouse campaign plan is to increase personal preparation for military members and their families before deployments, offer support to families during deployments, and assist in the identification of post-deployment stressors and provide avenues of release. Provide support to families of non-deployed members and serve as a valuable communication medium between squadron and wing leadership and family members on Quality of Life issues. For more information, contact the Airman and Family Readiness Flight chief at 987-6801.
The goal of the Personal Financial Management campaign plan is to increase Financial Readiness of Air Force members, Reservists, Guard, DoD civilians, and family members by providing personal financial management skills, on and off base resources, and alternatives to acquiring quick-fix high-interest loans to resolve money problems. For more information, contact the Airman and Family Readiness Flight chief at 987-6801.
The goal of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response campaign plan is to ensure that all victims of sexual assault receive the care and support they require and to use education and intervention as primary means of achieving an environment free of sexual assault. For more information, contact the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator at 987-2697.
The goal of the Deployment Preparation, Support and Return campaign plan is to increase personal preparation for military members and their families before deployments, offer support to families during deployments, and assist in the identification of post-deployment stress. For more information, contact the Airman and Family Readiness Flight chief at 987-6801.
The goal of the Family Housing campaign plan is to ensure that our families have the best possible housing while we’re deployed around the world supporting operations in the Global War on Terrorism. For more information, contact the 19th Civil Engineering Squadron Capital Asset Management Element Chief at 987-2358.
The goal of the Healthy Dormitory Life Quality of Life campaign plan is to provide the highest quality of life possible to the Little Rock AFB unaccompanied housing residents through professional leadership, teamwork and pride. Provide an environment that promotes pride and ownership at the group and unit levels. For more information, contact the 19th Civil Engineering Squadron Capital Asset Management Element Chief at 987-2358.
The goal of the “Operationalizing” Safety campaign plan is to maintain safety awareness and effective risk management principles embedded in all that we do – on-duty and off-duty. For more information, contact the 19th Airlift Wing Safety Office ground safety officer at 987-3290
The goal of the Suicide Prevention campaign plan is to prevent suicidal behaviors through a community-based approach that emphasizes a culture of Airmen caring for Airmen. For more information, contact the 19th Medical Operations Squadron Mental Health Flight at 987-7338.
The goal of the Responsible Alcohol Use campaign plan is to reduce alcohol related incidents, to include DUIs, through a broad strategy which embraces education, awareness, teamwork, supervisory involvement, and the Wingman philosophy. For more information, contact the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator at 987-2697.
(Courtesy of the Community Action Information Board and the 19th Medical Operation Squadron Mental Health Flight.)
The feedback from previous Wingman days has shown where people are feeling stress and ideas for how to battle the signs of stress. Based on feedback like this, these campaign plans have been developed to address the problems our Airmen and families are facing due to being an Air Force at war.
The goal of the Building and Supporting Healthy Families campaign plan is to increase Air Force personnel awareness of the indicators and dynamics of family maltreatment including the emotional and financial costs resulting from family maltreatment and the negative impact family maltreatment has on the overall strategic mission of the Air Force. For more information, contact the Family Advocacy Officer at 987-7377.
The goal of the Education campaign plan is to build a partnership with parents, school administrators, private organizations and base leadership to champion world-class facilities, a safe learning environment and quality school performance for our dependent children. Through partnership, ensure public schools in our surrounding communities with Little Rock AFB dependent children enrolled rank in the top 25% of schools in the State of Arkansas as measured by standardized test scores.
As an end state, parents assigned to Little Rock AFB should be excited to live here due to the exceptional Central Arkansas public school opportunities available for their children. For more information, contact the Little Rock AFB School Liaison Officer at 987-6938.
The goal of the Fitness, Sports and Wellness campaign plan is to achieve 100 percent unit involvement in the Fitness, Sports and Wellness Advisory Council. Achieve and maintain 95 percent fitness assessment currency with increases in overall fitness levels. Maintain or exceed AFSVA 5-Star and Golden Eagle Standards for fitness and sports. Incorporate fitness, sports and wellness initiatives that involve Airmen and their families. For more information, contact the Fitness Center Director at 987-7716.
The goal of the Key Spouse campaign plan is to increase personal preparation for military members and their families before deployments, offer support to families during deployments, and assist in the identification of post-deployment stressors and provide avenues of release. Provide support to families of non-deployed members and serve as a valuable communication medium between squadron and wing leadership and family members on Quality of Life issues. For more information, contact the Airman and Family Readiness Flight chief at 987-6801.
The goal of the Personal Financial Management campaign plan is to increase Financial Readiness of Air Force members, Reservists, Guard, DoD civilians, and family members by providing personal financial management skills, on and off base resources, and alternatives to acquiring quick-fix high-interest loans to resolve money problems. For more information, contact the Airman and Family Readiness Flight chief at 987-6801.
The goal of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response campaign plan is to ensure that all victims of sexual assault receive the care and support they require and to use education and intervention as primary means of achieving an environment free of sexual assault. For more information, contact the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator at 987-2697.
The goal of the Deployment Preparation, Support and Return campaign plan is to increase personal preparation for military members and their families before deployments, offer support to families during deployments, and assist in the identification of post-deployment stress. For more information, contact the Airman and Family Readiness Flight chief at 987-6801.
The goal of the Family Housing campaign plan is to ensure that our families have the best possible housing while we’re deployed around the world supporting operations in the Global War on Terrorism. For more information, contact the 19th Civil Engineering Squadron Capital Asset Management Element Chief at 987-2358.
The goal of the Healthy Dormitory Life Quality of Life campaign plan is to provide the highest quality of life possible to the Little Rock AFB unaccompanied housing residents through professional leadership, teamwork and pride. Provide an environment that promotes pride and ownership at the group and unit levels. For more information, contact the 19th Civil Engineering Squadron Capital Asset Management Element Chief at 987-2358.
The goal of the “Operationalizing” Safety campaign plan is to maintain safety awareness and effective risk management principles embedded in all that we do – on-duty and off-duty. For more information, contact the 19th Airlift Wing Safety Office ground safety officer at 987-3290
The goal of the Suicide Prevention campaign plan is to prevent suicidal behaviors through a community-based approach that emphasizes a culture of Airmen caring for Airmen. For more information, contact the 19th Medical Operations Squadron Mental Health Flight at 987-7338.
The goal of the Responsible Alcohol Use campaign plan is to reduce alcohol related incidents, to include DUIs, through a broad strategy which embraces education, awareness, teamwork, supervisory involvement, and the Wingman philosophy. For more information, contact the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator at 987-2697.
(Courtesy of the Community Action Information Board and the 19th Medical Operation Squadron Mental Health Flight.)
COMMENTARY>>Diversity matters in the Air Force
By Chief Master Sgt. Richard Turcotte
314th Airlift Wing command chief
Hopefully everyone has had a chance to take a look at this week’s “Roll Call” on diversity. The Air Force has played a significant role in diversity and has championed many initiatives ensuring fair and equitable treatment throughout our history as a service. For most of us, we view diversity in general terms as age, race, ethnicity and gender. The Air Force, however, categorizes diversity into four dimensions to facilitate understanding.
The first dimension is demographic diversity – one most are familiar with – for example, what religious faith one belongs to or whether married or not. Conceptually, the Air Force is a dichotomy or slide of good old-fashioned America. This is, in my opinion, what makes us such a great service and a great nation – our ability to capitalize on individual strengths, different cultural backgrounds and personal experiences and values to form one cohesive body that fosters character of heart and mind while internalizing our Air Force Core Values of Integrity, Service and Excellence in completion of the mission.
The second dimension and the one least talked about is that of cognitive diversity. How one goes about a certain task or how one’s thought process differs depending on learned ability. You have all heard the sayings “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” or “that’s the way we have always done things.” Nothing can stifle innovation and creativity faster than the status quo or being satisfied with just doing your job. In today’s Air Force, we can ill afford to be just “OK.” We must continuously strive for improvement through this cognitive approach to diversity by exploiting all forms of thought, training technologies and diverse approaches to problem solving. There is no such thing as a bad idea; we just have to find a place to make it useful.
Our third dimension is defined as structural diversity which refers to organizational characteristics. As we continue to become more joint in our force make-up, we must capitalize on this area in terms of force multipliers and our ability to utilize training and services that were traditionally stovepiped in one particular service. We have seen great examples of this throughout our Joint Sourcing Solutions tasking to assist sister services and the combatant commanders in the Global War on Terrorism.
Traditional roles are now crossing into all service components – strengthening our ability to exploit the battle space.
The fourth and final dimension deals with global diversity. The world is a much smaller place, and as we continue to strengthen our world position, we must be ever vigilant in our relationship building with friendly nations. As the world’s only remaining superpower, we are charged with the protection, security and economies of the free world. We must rely on our allies and take an active role in understanding different cultural belief systems. We must expand how we view the world and strengthen how the world views us.
As you can see, diversity has many forms and all contribute to the total strength of our Air Force. I would challenge each of us to look within our workcenters, communities, cultures, professional organizations and cross-functional areas to champion those differences that enable us. I would also like to encourage all of us to step outside of our comfort zones from time to time to try and increase awareness and understanding of those things that we are unfamiliar with. It’s been said that we are either “green and growing or ripe and rotting.” Which one are you?
314th Airlift Wing command chief
Hopefully everyone has had a chance to take a look at this week’s “Roll Call” on diversity. The Air Force has played a significant role in diversity and has championed many initiatives ensuring fair and equitable treatment throughout our history as a service. For most of us, we view diversity in general terms as age, race, ethnicity and gender. The Air Force, however, categorizes diversity into four dimensions to facilitate understanding.
The first dimension is demographic diversity – one most are familiar with – for example, what religious faith one belongs to or whether married or not. Conceptually, the Air Force is a dichotomy or slide of good old-fashioned America. This is, in my opinion, what makes us such a great service and a great nation – our ability to capitalize on individual strengths, different cultural backgrounds and personal experiences and values to form one cohesive body that fosters character of heart and mind while internalizing our Air Force Core Values of Integrity, Service and Excellence in completion of the mission.
The second dimension and the one least talked about is that of cognitive diversity. How one goes about a certain task or how one’s thought process differs depending on learned ability. You have all heard the sayings “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” or “that’s the way we have always done things.” Nothing can stifle innovation and creativity faster than the status quo or being satisfied with just doing your job. In today’s Air Force, we can ill afford to be just “OK.” We must continuously strive for improvement through this cognitive approach to diversity by exploiting all forms of thought, training technologies and diverse approaches to problem solving. There is no such thing as a bad idea; we just have to find a place to make it useful.
Our third dimension is defined as structural diversity which refers to organizational characteristics. As we continue to become more joint in our force make-up, we must capitalize on this area in terms of force multipliers and our ability to utilize training and services that were traditionally stovepiped in one particular service. We have seen great examples of this throughout our Joint Sourcing Solutions tasking to assist sister services and the combatant commanders in the Global War on Terrorism.
Traditional roles are now crossing into all service components – strengthening our ability to exploit the battle space.
The fourth and final dimension deals with global diversity. The world is a much smaller place, and as we continue to strengthen our world position, we must be ever vigilant in our relationship building with friendly nations. As the world’s only remaining superpower, we are charged with the protection, security and economies of the free world. We must rely on our allies and take an active role in understanding different cultural belief systems. We must expand how we view the world and strengthen how the world views us.
As you can see, diversity has many forms and all contribute to the total strength of our Air Force. I would challenge each of us to look within our workcenters, communities, cultures, professional organizations and cross-functional areas to champion those differences that enable us. I would also like to encourage all of us to step outside of our comfort zones from time to time to try and increase awareness and understanding of those things that we are unfamiliar with. It’s been said that we are either “green and growing or ripe and rotting.” Which one are you?
COMMENTARY>>We can never say ‘thank you’ enough
By Maj. James Culpepper
19th Comptroller Squadron
One recent Sunday afternoon, I happened upon an inspirational scene as I arrived early to send off one of our deploying warriors at the Little Rock National Airport. I watched as another group of family and friends welcomed home their soldier from his tour of duty. I continued to watch as his two young boys handed their dad welcome home cards they had made. The pride on their faces as they looked up at their dad and the joy they displayed as they reached to take hold of his hand moved me.
Their dad had given the best years of his life for serving his country and his family had sacrificed much. As they walked past, all I could muster was a simple ‘thank you.’
Two words but two important words; during the Battle of Britain, Winston Churchill famously said that “never was so much owed by so many to so few.” The same words could be used for today’s Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers, Marines and Coast Guardsmen because we are an all-volunteer force that selflessly stands in the gap for more than 300 million Americans and billions of freedom-loving people.
I have the privilege of sending Airmen from my squadron on deployment taskings. I always end by thanking them for their sacrifice and letting them know how proud I am of their service to their country. As we begin this holiday season, please remember the many families who have a loved one deployed. My prayer is that saying thank you never gets old as we can never say thank-you enough.
19th Comptroller Squadron
One recent Sunday afternoon, I happened upon an inspirational scene as I arrived early to send off one of our deploying warriors at the Little Rock National Airport. I watched as another group of family and friends welcomed home their soldier from his tour of duty. I continued to watch as his two young boys handed their dad welcome home cards they had made. The pride on their faces as they looked up at their dad and the joy they displayed as they reached to take hold of his hand moved me.
Their dad had given the best years of his life for serving his country and his family had sacrificed much. As they walked past, all I could muster was a simple ‘thank you.’
Two words but two important words; during the Battle of Britain, Winston Churchill famously said that “never was so much owed by so many to so few.” The same words could be used for today’s Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers, Marines and Coast Guardsmen because we are an all-volunteer force that selflessly stands in the gap for more than 300 million Americans and billions of freedom-loving people.
I have the privilege of sending Airmen from my squadron on deployment taskings. I always end by thanking them for their sacrifice and letting them know how proud I am of their service to their country. As we begin this holiday season, please remember the many families who have a loved one deployed. My prayer is that saying thank you never gets old as we can never say thank-you enough.
VIEW FROM TOP>>What are you thankful for?
By Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Brinkley
19th Airlift Wing command chief
As we turn the page on another month and look forward, Thanksgiving is staring us right in the face. Can you believe it’s November already? It appears that time truly is flying. Typically, we look and reflect upon what we are thankful for during this period. Yet, I submit to you that each day gives us the opportunity to think about those things that give us comfort or relief.
Even as our wing finishes up an exercise that captures how well we perform, while highlighting things we can improve upon, I’m thankful for our wing commander. General Schatz is a leader who takes our vision for “unrivaled combat airlift for America…always” very seriously. He understands the significance of Team Little Rock’s readiness for national and international stability.
In an economy where people are having to tighten their belts, I’m thankful for a wing that takes care of its own. Over the past weekend our wing has raised enough food to sustain our food bank for several months. Also, the Little Rock First Sergeant council demonstrated great initiative in revamping operations at the Airman’s Attic. This facility provides vital items to our Airmen and their families across the base.
I am thankful to have the best medical benefits in the land. A recent survey that looked at the military and business industry stated that Tricare is the nation’s best medical program.
I am also thankful to be in an organization that promotes based on your merit and not popularity or favoritism. We have much to be thankful for, and these are things that don’t affect us on a periodic basis but are daily in impact. Each day our wing is trying to improve on how we work, live, rest and play, and for that I am thankful.
Combat Airlift!
19th Airlift Wing command chief
As we turn the page on another month and look forward, Thanksgiving is staring us right in the face. Can you believe it’s November already? It appears that time truly is flying. Typically, we look and reflect upon what we are thankful for during this period. Yet, I submit to you that each day gives us the opportunity to think about those things that give us comfort or relief.
Even as our wing finishes up an exercise that captures how well we perform, while highlighting things we can improve upon, I’m thankful for our wing commander. General Schatz is a leader who takes our vision for “unrivaled combat airlift for America…always” very seriously. He understands the significance of Team Little Rock’s readiness for national and international stability.
In an economy where people are having to tighten their belts, I’m thankful for a wing that takes care of its own. Over the past weekend our wing has raised enough food to sustain our food bank for several months. Also, the Little Rock First Sergeant council demonstrated great initiative in revamping operations at the Airman’s Attic. This facility provides vital items to our Airmen and their families across the base.
I am thankful to have the best medical benefits in the land. A recent survey that looked at the military and business industry stated that Tricare is the nation’s best medical program.
I am also thankful to be in an organization that promotes based on your merit and not popularity or favoritism. We have much to be thankful for, and these are things that don’t affect us on a periodic basis but are daily in impact. Each day our wing is trying to improve on how we work, live, rest and play, and for that I am thankful.
Combat Airlift!
VIEW FROM TOP>>ROCKEX lessons learned
By Brig. Gen. Rowayne A. Schatz, Jr.
19th Airlift Wing commander
This past week we completed our first ROCKEX under Air Mobility Command. Overall, it was a valuable learning experience for us all, and every Airman involved showed a tremendous ability to adapt and overcome challenges. In times of war, things don’t always go as expected. That is why we practice and test our processes and procedures with these exercises to streamline and create habitual responses to conditions we may face. However, when things go wrong, it is equally important to be able to analyze the problem, adapt our response to it, and overcome the problem through our critical and creative thinking. The exercise evaluation team members tested us and we did well, but we still have a ways to go. Remember, America is depending on us to deliver a Combat Airlift capability that is second to none; therefore, we must strive to continually improve.
One of the lessons we can learn from the ROCKEX is the importance of owning our processes. Each of us is the subject matter expert in our respective career fields. Every day, we do a specific job that no one else can do better. That means we take pride in our tasks when they are completed successfully, and we take ownership of our shortfalls when things don’t go as planned.
When these exercises or other inspections come, it’s important that we use these opportunities as a chance to grow, and we can only do that if we honestly and humbly accept our shortfalls as lessons learned. Here at the Rock, no one is expected to be perfect, but everyone is expected to be teachable.
Another lesson we can learn is how beneficial it can be to blend individuals of varying levels of experience. Supervisors - you carry the torch passed to you by your predecessors when they took the time to sit with you, turn a wrench with you, and provide valuable one-on-one training to help mold you into the experts you are. The torch will inevitably be passed to the young Airmen who need you to show them the way. The only way to accomplish this is to integrate both experienced and non-experienced personnel. Our teamwork is not only the backbone of our present success, but is the key to safeguarding the future of our Air Force and America.
Thank you for all your hard work during the ROCKEX, for your willingness to face and overcome challenges, and your demonstration of teamwork.
Combat Airlift!
19th Airlift Wing commander
This past week we completed our first ROCKEX under Air Mobility Command. Overall, it was a valuable learning experience for us all, and every Airman involved showed a tremendous ability to adapt and overcome challenges. In times of war, things don’t always go as expected. That is why we practice and test our processes and procedures with these exercises to streamline and create habitual responses to conditions we may face. However, when things go wrong, it is equally important to be able to analyze the problem, adapt our response to it, and overcome the problem through our critical and creative thinking. The exercise evaluation team members tested us and we did well, but we still have a ways to go. Remember, America is depending on us to deliver a Combat Airlift capability that is second to none; therefore, we must strive to continually improve.
One of the lessons we can learn from the ROCKEX is the importance of owning our processes. Each of us is the subject matter expert in our respective career fields. Every day, we do a specific job that no one else can do better. That means we take pride in our tasks when they are completed successfully, and we take ownership of our shortfalls when things don’t go as planned.
When these exercises or other inspections come, it’s important that we use these opportunities as a chance to grow, and we can only do that if we honestly and humbly accept our shortfalls as lessons learned. Here at the Rock, no one is expected to be perfect, but everyone is expected to be teachable.
Another lesson we can learn is how beneficial it can be to blend individuals of varying levels of experience. Supervisors - you carry the torch passed to you by your predecessors when they took the time to sit with you, turn a wrench with you, and provide valuable one-on-one training to help mold you into the experts you are. The torch will inevitably be passed to the young Airmen who need you to show them the way. The only way to accomplish this is to integrate both experienced and non-experienced personnel. Our teamwork is not only the backbone of our present success, but is the key to safeguarding the future of our Air Force and America.
Thank you for all your hard work during the ROCKEX, for your willingness to face and overcome challenges, and your demonstration of teamwork.
Combat Airlift!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
TOP STORY > >Hercules Dining Facility ribbon cutting ceremony, grand opening
By Airman Rochelle R. Clace
19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
The 19th Services Squadron held a ribbon cutting ceremony outside of the new Hercules Dining Facility Nov. 7 in honor of the grand opening of the building.
The Hercules Dining Facility had been built to serve Little Rock personnel who support Combat Airlift. The facility is more than 1,900 square feet and was designed to meet the current and future needs of Little Rock. Many organizations helped with the design and construction of this facility. It has an enhanced serving area with a larger salad bar, improvements to the grab and go program and expanded seating by 60 percent.
The 19th SVS is proud to offer an outdoor dining area for its customers and coming soon, wireless internet. With its open ceiling and spacious layout the facility provides a true dining pleasure to the Airmen.
“We’re here to celebrate what is really improving the quality of life for our Airmen and we’re doing that through the opening of this Hercules Dining Facility,” said Col. James Johnson, 19th Airlift Wing vice commander.
“I think it’s important to keep in perspective that we’re leaving a facility that’s over 50 years old and all the challenges you have with maintaining a facility that’s [that old],” said Colonel Johnson.
“It’s like putting on a new addition to your house and then inviting your friends and family over to celebrate it,” said Colonel Johnson. “So let’s continue celebrating this beautiful facility.”
The Hercules Dining Facility is one more reason Airmen are proud to live and serve on Little Rock Air Force Base.
“I congratulate you for this facility and I want you to know, once again, how much we all value the service and contribution of you and your families,” said Congressman Snyder.
19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
The 19th Services Squadron held a ribbon cutting ceremony outside of the new Hercules Dining Facility Nov. 7 in honor of the grand opening of the building.
The Hercules Dining Facility had been built to serve Little Rock personnel who support Combat Airlift. The facility is more than 1,900 square feet and was designed to meet the current and future needs of Little Rock. Many organizations helped with the design and construction of this facility. It has an enhanced serving area with a larger salad bar, improvements to the grab and go program and expanded seating by 60 percent.
The 19th SVS is proud to offer an outdoor dining area for its customers and coming soon, wireless internet. With its open ceiling and spacious layout the facility provides a true dining pleasure to the Airmen.
“We’re here to celebrate what is really improving the quality of life for our Airmen and we’re doing that through the opening of this Hercules Dining Facility,” said Col. James Johnson, 19th Airlift Wing vice commander.
“I think it’s important to keep in perspective that we’re leaving a facility that’s over 50 years old and all the challenges you have with maintaining a facility that’s [that old],” said Colonel Johnson.
“It’s like putting on a new addition to your house and then inviting your friends and family over to celebrate it,” said Colonel Johnson. “So let’s continue celebrating this beautiful facility.”
The Hercules Dining Facility is one more reason Airmen are proud to live and serve on Little Rock Air Force Base.
“I congratulate you for this facility and I want you to know, once again, how much we all value the service and contribution of you and your families,” said Congressman Snyder.
COMMENTARY>>The value of the 314 AW brand
By Col. Mark Vlahos
314th Airlift Wing Vice commander
For more than four decades now, the 314th Airlift Wing and Little Rock Air Force Base have been home to the world’s premier C-130 Flying Training Unit. When people around the world talk or think about the mission of Little Rock AFB, they mention the world-class classroom, simulator, flying and maintenance training that goes on every day — this is the value of the 314th Airlift Wing brand. Recently, a contingent from the United Arab Emirates visited the base; why? To see how we train our C-130 force. Their final comment was simple: “we want to build a Little Rock AFB — meaning training center of excellence— in our country.” We routinely hear these comments from our allied partners, and they validate the value of the 314 AW brand.
The 314 AW plays a key role in the Air Education and Training Command continuum of training. We are the final stop in the flight training continuum for all students before they check into their operational C-130 units. The 314 AW provides graduate-level flight training for all crew positions, in both the C-130E and C-130J. When the 314 AW graduates a student, with that graduation comes a brand or seal that the crewmember is certified as combat ready. I like to think of it as a stamp on the forehead of every graduate, the C-130 FTU seal of approval — our brand. For any crewmember, the very next flight after graduating from the FTU could very well be on a deployment in support of the global war on terrorism. The 314 AW is a true force multiplier for every combatant commander; we provide combat-ready crewmembers to sustain the force. Every C-130 mission supporting the global war on terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan saves American lives by taking convoys off the road.
Every C-130 mission flown in the world can trace its roots to the 314 AW and Little Rock AFB.
As Gen. Lorenz stated, the mission and importance of Little Rock AFB is bigger than the mission of its component wings. Even though base ownership has changed, the mission of Team Rock and the 314th Airlift Wing has not. As a separate wing, the 314th AW can focus on our critical mission of training the world’s best Combat Airlifters to fly, fight and win. With the support of the host wing and our Air National Guard partners in the 189th Airlift Wing, our importance is essential and growing. The 314 AW brand or FTU seal of approval that we provide for all services and 34 nations reverberates around the world. Our stock has never been higher — training is essential to winning the GWOT and future conflicts. Like I said in paragraph one, when people talk or think about Little Rock AFB they think about the C-130 Training Center of Excellence, not just in our Air Force, but in air forces around the globe. That’s the value of the 314 AW brand.
314th Airlift Wing Vice commander
For more than four decades now, the 314th Airlift Wing and Little Rock Air Force Base have been home to the world’s premier C-130 Flying Training Unit. When people around the world talk or think about the mission of Little Rock AFB, they mention the world-class classroom, simulator, flying and maintenance training that goes on every day — this is the value of the 314th Airlift Wing brand. Recently, a contingent from the United Arab Emirates visited the base; why? To see how we train our C-130 force. Their final comment was simple: “we want to build a Little Rock AFB — meaning training center of excellence— in our country.” We routinely hear these comments from our allied partners, and they validate the value of the 314 AW brand.
The 314 AW plays a key role in the Air Education and Training Command continuum of training. We are the final stop in the flight training continuum for all students before they check into their operational C-130 units. The 314 AW provides graduate-level flight training for all crew positions, in both the C-130E and C-130J. When the 314 AW graduates a student, with that graduation comes a brand or seal that the crewmember is certified as combat ready. I like to think of it as a stamp on the forehead of every graduate, the C-130 FTU seal of approval — our brand. For any crewmember, the very next flight after graduating from the FTU could very well be on a deployment in support of the global war on terrorism. The 314 AW is a true force multiplier for every combatant commander; we provide combat-ready crewmembers to sustain the force. Every C-130 mission supporting the global war on terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan saves American lives by taking convoys off the road.
Every C-130 mission flown in the world can trace its roots to the 314 AW and Little Rock AFB.
As Gen. Lorenz stated, the mission and importance of Little Rock AFB is bigger than the mission of its component wings. Even though base ownership has changed, the mission of Team Rock and the 314th Airlift Wing has not. As a separate wing, the 314th AW can focus on our critical mission of training the world’s best Combat Airlifters to fly, fight and win. With the support of the host wing and our Air National Guard partners in the 189th Airlift Wing, our importance is essential and growing. The 314 AW brand or FTU seal of approval that we provide for all services and 34 nations reverberates around the world. Our stock has never been higher — training is essential to winning the GWOT and future conflicts. Like I said in paragraph one, when people talk or think about Little Rock AFB they think about the C-130 Training Center of Excellence, not just in our Air Force, but in air forces around the globe. That’s the value of the 314 AW brand.
COMMENTARY>>Simple techniques to have a happy and safe holiday
Simple techniques to have a happy and safe holiday
By Col. David Stanczyk
19th Medical Group commander
It’s Nov. 14. Halloween’s past. The election’s past. The World Series has passed. Now, all eyes are looking forward to the holidays. It’s a wonderful, traditional time to get together with family and friends. However, it’s also a time where injuries increase, usually due to a lack of situational awareness and not applying risk management practices to the home life.
Since 2000, the average annual number of fatalities on the road over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is 573. Half of these victims were not wearing seatbelts. Nationwide, seatbelt usage is about 80 percent. It doesn’t take a genius to take the last two sentences together and realize that you are far more likely to survive an automobile crash if you wear your seatbelt.
Plenty of accidents can also happen in the home. To avoid burns in the kitchen, do not wear tops with long, baggy sleeves.
Also, always use potholders and treat every dish as if scalding hot. If you do suffer a burn injury, immediately run cool tap water over the affected area and then cover it with a sterile dressing or dry cloth. This will both reduce the discomfort and help prevent infection. If the burn is more severe and blistering occurs, seek immediate medical attention. Fires can also happen, so do not leave cooking food, fires or candles unattended.
Choking is another important hazard for both children and adults. Some main causes are inadequate chewing and also talking or laughing while eating. Remember your mother scolding you as a child for talking with your mouth full? This is why. So take your time, chew thoroughly and of course supervise your children. One other point is that alcohol inhibits the nerves that assist swallowing, making choking more likely if inebriated, so drink responsibly and not at all if driving.
Using such simple techniques to mitigate risk can help ensure everyone has a happy and safe holiday. Enjoy!
By Col. David Stanczyk
19th Medical Group commander
It’s Nov. 14. Halloween’s past. The election’s past. The World Series has passed. Now, all eyes are looking forward to the holidays. It’s a wonderful, traditional time to get together with family and friends. However, it’s also a time where injuries increase, usually due to a lack of situational awareness and not applying risk management practices to the home life.
Since 2000, the average annual number of fatalities on the road over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is 573. Half of these victims were not wearing seatbelts. Nationwide, seatbelt usage is about 80 percent. It doesn’t take a genius to take the last two sentences together and realize that you are far more likely to survive an automobile crash if you wear your seatbelt.
Plenty of accidents can also happen in the home. To avoid burns in the kitchen, do not wear tops with long, baggy sleeves.
Also, always use potholders and treat every dish as if scalding hot. If you do suffer a burn injury, immediately run cool tap water over the affected area and then cover it with a sterile dressing or dry cloth. This will both reduce the discomfort and help prevent infection. If the burn is more severe and blistering occurs, seek immediate medical attention. Fires can also happen, so do not leave cooking food, fires or candles unattended.
Choking is another important hazard for both children and adults. Some main causes are inadequate chewing and also talking or laughing while eating. Remember your mother scolding you as a child for talking with your mouth full? This is why. So take your time, chew thoroughly and of course supervise your children. One other point is that alcohol inhibits the nerves that assist swallowing, making choking more likely if inebriated, so drink responsibly and not at all if driving.
Using such simple techniques to mitigate risk can help ensure everyone has a happy and safe holiday. Enjoy!
VIEW FROM TOP>>Can you hear me now?
By Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Brinkley
19th Airlift Wing command chief
I believe that many of our challenges and opportunities are tied to one important component, and that is our ability to effectively communicate. I attempt to go to a different part of the base everyday to better understand how our leadership can better support our people and their families. Yet, it amazes me how many things come to my attention that I believe could be worked at lower levels.
I don’t say this as a complaint, because I’m happy that people feel like they can bring concerns to me. Although I do recognize that this is not the best way to get concerns addressed. There are many layers between the wing and those at the execution level of our operation who have opportunities to respond to issues affecting those around them. So what I’m asking everyone to do is to take a look at how they can connect and communicate better with those around them.
People typically are more concerned about getting their point across and often sacrifice their ability to listen. Some listen just to determine when they can jump in to offer a rebuttal versus trying to understand why the other person has the articulated point of view.
Battles have been lost, marriages compromised, business deals faltered, and friendships broken due to poor communication. Someone once said we were given two ears and one mouth as a sign that we should listen twice as much as we speak. Good listening skills let the other party know that you value them and what they have to say. It does not have to mean you agree with everything they say; but it shows you are at least trying to understand them.
As we continue to be the best for our nation, family, and community take the time to listen to better understand one another.
Combat Airlift!
19th Airlift Wing command chief
I believe that many of our challenges and opportunities are tied to one important component, and that is our ability to effectively communicate. I attempt to go to a different part of the base everyday to better understand how our leadership can better support our people and their families. Yet, it amazes me how many things come to my attention that I believe could be worked at lower levels.
I don’t say this as a complaint, because I’m happy that people feel like they can bring concerns to me. Although I do recognize that this is not the best way to get concerns addressed. There are many layers between the wing and those at the execution level of our operation who have opportunities to respond to issues affecting those around them. So what I’m asking everyone to do is to take a look at how they can connect and communicate better with those around them.
People typically are more concerned about getting their point across and often sacrifice their ability to listen. Some listen just to determine when they can jump in to offer a rebuttal versus trying to understand why the other person has the articulated point of view.
Battles have been lost, marriages compromised, business deals faltered, and friendships broken due to poor communication. Someone once said we were given two ears and one mouth as a sign that we should listen twice as much as we speak. Good listening skills let the other party know that you value them and what they have to say. It does not have to mean you agree with everything they say; but it shows you are at least trying to understand them.
As we continue to be the best for our nation, family, and community take the time to listen to better understand one another.
Combat Airlift!
VIEW FROM TOP>>Revving up for the ROCKEX
By Brig. Gen. Rowayne A. Schatz, Jr.
19th Airlift Wing commander
It’s another great week for Team Little Rock. On Wednesday, we received word that six senior master sergeants on base will be promoted to the highest enlisted rank. To Chief Master Sgt. Select Fred Graves, 314th Operations Group; Greg Kollbaum, 53rd Airlift Squadron; Valeria Richardson, 19th Medical Operations Squadron; John Spillane, 29th Weapons Squadron; Timothy Standish, 19th Security Forces Squadron; and Michael Edwards, 19th Mission Support Squadron, congratulations! This is a direct testament to your hard work throughout your career. This promotion means you are being recognized for your unique talents and the personal characteristics required to lead Air Force people and programs.
When Congress established the rank of chief master sergeant in 1958, they set a ceiling of 1 percent for promotion. There are currently less than 3,000 chief master sergeants serving in the Air Force. This year, only 520 eligible E-8s were selected for promotion. I encourage all of you to congratulate the six selectees on base for their success in this great accomplishment.
I will be calling on these newest promotees and all members of the 19th Airlift Wing to buckle down in the week ahead. We are heading into our first ever ROCKEX as members of Air Mobility Command. How we exercise our capabilities has changed, but how we conduct business has not. This ROCKEX is an opportunity for us to showcase once again what I know you’re all capable of – fly, fight and win Combat Airlift-style.
A lot of hard work and planning has already gone into making this ROCKEX a success. I ask that you do the job you were trained to do in the safe, efficient way you were trained to do it. Now is not the time to “make it pretty” to impress evaluators. This is an opportunity for us to get it right. This exercise comes on the heels of an operational readiness inspection in which we excelled. We should take the lessons learned from that exercise and apply them now.
Your senior leaders and I have asked a lot of you in 2008 – the ORI, the host base transfer, 4-star visits, real world deployments and this ROCKEX – and you have demonstrated time and again that we have what it takes to succeed. Every time we exercise, we’re developing ways to take Combat Airlift to the next level. The warfighters on the ground in places like Iraq, Afghanistan and the newly-formed Africa Command count on us to provide them with the most professional and proficient Combat Airlift on the planet. Getting it right here allows us to get it right out there.
Thank you again for your dedication and enthusiasm. I am motivated by your service and proud to serve with you every day.
Combat Airlift!
19th Airlift Wing commander
It’s another great week for Team Little Rock. On Wednesday, we received word that six senior master sergeants on base will be promoted to the highest enlisted rank. To Chief Master Sgt. Select Fred Graves, 314th Operations Group; Greg Kollbaum, 53rd Airlift Squadron; Valeria Richardson, 19th Medical Operations Squadron; John Spillane, 29th Weapons Squadron; Timothy Standish, 19th Security Forces Squadron; and Michael Edwards, 19th Mission Support Squadron, congratulations! This is a direct testament to your hard work throughout your career. This promotion means you are being recognized for your unique talents and the personal characteristics required to lead Air Force people and programs.
When Congress established the rank of chief master sergeant in 1958, they set a ceiling of 1 percent for promotion. There are currently less than 3,000 chief master sergeants serving in the Air Force. This year, only 520 eligible E-8s were selected for promotion. I encourage all of you to congratulate the six selectees on base for their success in this great accomplishment.
I will be calling on these newest promotees and all members of the 19th Airlift Wing to buckle down in the week ahead. We are heading into our first ever ROCKEX as members of Air Mobility Command. How we exercise our capabilities has changed, but how we conduct business has not. This ROCKEX is an opportunity for us to showcase once again what I know you’re all capable of – fly, fight and win Combat Airlift-style.
A lot of hard work and planning has already gone into making this ROCKEX a success. I ask that you do the job you were trained to do in the safe, efficient way you were trained to do it. Now is not the time to “make it pretty” to impress evaluators. This is an opportunity for us to get it right. This exercise comes on the heels of an operational readiness inspection in which we excelled. We should take the lessons learned from that exercise and apply them now.
Your senior leaders and I have asked a lot of you in 2008 – the ORI, the host base transfer, 4-star visits, real world deployments and this ROCKEX – and you have demonstrated time and again that we have what it takes to succeed. Every time we exercise, we’re developing ways to take Combat Airlift to the next level. The warfighters on the ground in places like Iraq, Afghanistan and the newly-formed Africa Command count on us to provide them with the most professional and proficient Combat Airlift on the planet. Getting it right here allows us to get it right out there.
Thank you again for your dedication and enthusiasm. I am motivated by your service and proud to serve with you every day.
Combat Airlift!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
TOP STORY > >Freedom Isn’t Free
By Lt. Col. Nathan Allerheiligen
62nd Airlift Squadron Director of Operations
In his book “End of the Spear”, missionary Steve Saint describes his life with an Amazonian tribe in which every person was completely free to do as they wished and completely equal in every aspect. Although that sounds like a great society to be in, free and equal, in truth that tribe was documented as the most violent society known to man. There wasn’t a single person in the tribe who hadn’t been affected by the rampant killings and vendettas. That tribe was killing itself into extinction in spite of their freedom and equality.
The foundations of liberty, freedom, equality and justice, that are the underpinnings of our great nation, have grown from centuries of thought, trial and the great leadership of men who could see that the fundamental purpose of the government is not to hand out a free lunch. Instead, the ultimate role of the government is to provide the foundational definitions of accepted behavior, the appropriate repercussions and consequences for violating those rules and to execute the punishments justly, fairly, equitably and quickly. In short, the freedoms of all are limited in order to maximize liberty, promote peaceful living and enhance the prosperity of everyone.
As Steve Saint wrote, “On some level, every society has to be willing to kill in order to exist. During my lifetime, there have been five international conflicts in which American soldiers havebeen required to kill and die under the assumption that they were doing it so the rest of us could live. The perpetuation of a society requires that some have to be willing to give up all their liberty so that others can go on living and be free and happy.”
The United States has also extended that protection of the liberty of all through the defense of all. The U.S. military services stand as the nation’s guardian from those who would wish to exercise their freedoms, and try to harm our great country. We have declared war on terrorism in order to carry out two fundamental tasks: protect our liberty from those who seek to destroy it and to extend the protection of our liberties to other people who have the same unalienable rights that we feel that every man, woman and child are granted.
This long war is so much more than a regional conflict. Rather, it is a test of the fundamental fabric of society. To ignore the issue is to give up your liberty. The sacrifice of the men and women who serve in the world’s greatest Air Force is far more than an occupational hazard. Our dedicated service is truly a calling to the transcendental cause of liberty. We gladly give of our time, talents, treasure and our lives in order that those we love and adore are protected. Our hearts also extend to the camaraderie of our fellow warriors and the ideals of our great nation.
To those who have answered that great and difficult calling, the defense of liberty, we give the highest honor and respect. Yet, it is we who wear the uniform and march, sail and fly into battle who are the ones who are blessed, for we see that the cost is small compared to the prize: It is our privilege, our honor and our reward to serve.
62nd Airlift Squadron Director of Operations
In his book “End of the Spear”, missionary Steve Saint describes his life with an Amazonian tribe in which every person was completely free to do as they wished and completely equal in every aspect. Although that sounds like a great society to be in, free and equal, in truth that tribe was documented as the most violent society known to man. There wasn’t a single person in the tribe who hadn’t been affected by the rampant killings and vendettas. That tribe was killing itself into extinction in spite of their freedom and equality.
The foundations of liberty, freedom, equality and justice, that are the underpinnings of our great nation, have grown from centuries of thought, trial and the great leadership of men who could see that the fundamental purpose of the government is not to hand out a free lunch. Instead, the ultimate role of the government is to provide the foundational definitions of accepted behavior, the appropriate repercussions and consequences for violating those rules and to execute the punishments justly, fairly, equitably and quickly. In short, the freedoms of all are limited in order to maximize liberty, promote peaceful living and enhance the prosperity of everyone.
As Steve Saint wrote, “On some level, every society has to be willing to kill in order to exist. During my lifetime, there have been five international conflicts in which American soldiers havebeen required to kill and die under the assumption that they were doing it so the rest of us could live. The perpetuation of a society requires that some have to be willing to give up all their liberty so that others can go on living and be free and happy.”
The United States has also extended that protection of the liberty of all through the defense of all. The U.S. military services stand as the nation’s guardian from those who would wish to exercise their freedoms, and try to harm our great country. We have declared war on terrorism in order to carry out two fundamental tasks: protect our liberty from those who seek to destroy it and to extend the protection of our liberties to other people who have the same unalienable rights that we feel that every man, woman and child are granted.
This long war is so much more than a regional conflict. Rather, it is a test of the fundamental fabric of society. To ignore the issue is to give up your liberty. The sacrifice of the men and women who serve in the world’s greatest Air Force is far more than an occupational hazard. Our dedicated service is truly a calling to the transcendental cause of liberty. We gladly give of our time, talents, treasure and our lives in order that those we love and adore are protected. Our hearts also extend to the camaraderie of our fellow warriors and the ideals of our great nation.
To those who have answered that great and difficult calling, the defense of liberty, we give the highest honor and respect. Yet, it is we who wear the uniform and march, sail and fly into battle who are the ones who are blessed, for we see that the cost is small compared to the prize: It is our privilege, our honor and our reward to serve.
COMMENTARY>>Wingman: Protection against unseen danger
I am an American Airman. Wingman, Leader and Warrior
By Col. Charles Hyde
314th Airlift Wing commander
Fixed wing aircraft entered combat in World War I, but first encounters between rival Airmen brought chivalrous waves rather than direct hostilities. As the impact of airpower’s potential was felt on the battlefield, combatants realized the enormous advantage that control of the air provided, and chivalry turned into a life-or-death struggle in the skies. Single aircraft in combat quickly learned they had blind spots in their six o’clock position and that an unseen enemy was deadly. Wingmen developed out of a necessity to protect against unseen danger.
The role of a wingman is the same today. A good wingman helps us avoid unseen dangers by watching our six. For example, a wingman protects his fellow Airman when their judgment is impaired by alcohol and makes sure they don’t drink and drive.
We are all familiar with this description of being a good wingman, but I would like to offer two other types of unseen danger that a wingman must combat—complacency and “being liked.”
The first unseen danger is complacency and stagnation—the enemies of continuous improvement. As you’ve heard me say before, we face a thinking and adaptive enemy, and we must continually improve to be successful in future battles that we and our students will fight. We are either “green and growing, or ripe and rotting”; the difference is often a wingman that sees our blind spots and challenges us to improve by getting us out of our comfort zone.
The second unseen and insidious danger is the false assumption that “being liked” is equivalent to leadership. Many supervisors fail to correct substandard performance because they believe the individual won’t think as highly of them. In fact, the opposite is true; leaders who care about their troops will insist on high standards and adherence to technical order procedures and directives. In our profession, the standards we set will be measured in mission success during future operations and contingencies. There is a high price for low standards. Good wingmen and professional Airmen show leadership by setting high standards and are usually rewarded by watching their Airmen exceed all expectations. Similarly, units with high standards—uniform, facilities, behavior, professionalism—generate high morale and superior mission performance.
Be a good wingman and don’t let a fellow Airman fall to the unseen enemies of complacency and “being liked.”
By Col. Charles Hyde
314th Airlift Wing commander
Fixed wing aircraft entered combat in World War I, but first encounters between rival Airmen brought chivalrous waves rather than direct hostilities. As the impact of airpower’s potential was felt on the battlefield, combatants realized the enormous advantage that control of the air provided, and chivalry turned into a life-or-death struggle in the skies. Single aircraft in combat quickly learned they had blind spots in their six o’clock position and that an unseen enemy was deadly. Wingmen developed out of a necessity to protect against unseen danger.
The role of a wingman is the same today. A good wingman helps us avoid unseen dangers by watching our six. For example, a wingman protects his fellow Airman when their judgment is impaired by alcohol and makes sure they don’t drink and drive.
We are all familiar with this description of being a good wingman, but I would like to offer two other types of unseen danger that a wingman must combat—complacency and “being liked.”
The first unseen danger is complacency and stagnation—the enemies of continuous improvement. As you’ve heard me say before, we face a thinking and adaptive enemy, and we must continually improve to be successful in future battles that we and our students will fight. We are either “green and growing, or ripe and rotting”; the difference is often a wingman that sees our blind spots and challenges us to improve by getting us out of our comfort zone.
The second unseen and insidious danger is the false assumption that “being liked” is equivalent to leadership. Many supervisors fail to correct substandard performance because they believe the individual won’t think as highly of them. In fact, the opposite is true; leaders who care about their troops will insist on high standards and adherence to technical order procedures and directives. In our profession, the standards we set will be measured in mission success during future operations and contingencies. There is a high price for low standards. Good wingmen and professional Airmen show leadership by setting high standards and are usually rewarded by watching their Airmen exceed all expectations. Similarly, units with high standards—uniform, facilities, behavior, professionalism—generate high morale and superior mission performance.
Be a good wingman and don’t let a fellow Airman fall to the unseen enemies of complacency and “being liked.”
COMMENTARY>>Am I having a drink or drinking?
By Col. George Risse
19th Mission Support Group commander
I vividly remember my mother’s sharp intake of breath as the completely dark car pulled across our headlights. It seemed like slow motion as our car slammed into the side of the emerging vehicle, the impact sending both vehicles spinning. The five children, my brothers and sisters, in our car were tossed like ragdolls. I watched in horror as the force threw my mother’s door open and she lost her grip on the steering wheel. She disappeared into the darkness of the road as the car continued to spin. We were fortunate that evening, neither car rolled over, following traffic stopped quickly and although my mother sustained a head injury and severe bruises, none of us were seriously hurt. I remember walking over to look at the other car, sitting like a grey hulk in the darkness. Even though I was 10 years old, as I looked at the man passed out in the front seat, the overwhelming smell of booze was unmistakable. We were another victim of a drunk driver.
Francis and Janet couldn’t have been happier. Their only daughter, the light of their lives, was due with their first grandchild in less than a month. As they drove home that evening, the speeding car coming over the hill in the wrong lane killed them on impact. When they pried the wreckage apart, their bodies were discovered with their arms wrapped around each other in a last loving embrace. They were two more victims of a drunk driver. That first grandchild, that they never had a chance to see, is now my wife.
Those are my personal connections to the dangers of drinking and driving. Virtually everyone has a family member, relative or close friend whose life has been changed by a drunk driver. You would think that I would be hard over on the subject, but occasionally I do have a glass of wine with dinner at a restaurant or a beer with a friend at a bar. The truth is I don’t have a cab waiting outside. I believe the most important part of the issue is personal responsibility. There is a difference between having a drink and drinking. Most people can have a drink or two and be nowhere near the legal limit for driving under the influence, but by the time you decide to have that third drink, you’re no longer having a drink, you’re drinking. That’s the point where personal responsibility is critical, and it shouldn’t take a wingman to stop you or make other plans for your transportation.
The public trusts us with their most important things: their sons and daughters, nuclear weapons and the defense of our nation. Responsibility is the most basic tenet of our profession as servicemembers. When I became thecommander of the mission support group, I had the misfortune of having three DUIs occur within my first two weeks of command. In every single case, a wingman never had a chance to intervene. These were bad personal decisions that fortunately were stopped by police rather than by an accident. It’s important to go back to the basics, just like we are throughout our Air Force, and emphasize that there are some things we don’t do. Drinking and driving needs to be one of them. You notice I didn’t say having a drink, because I simply don’t believe most people will find another way home after just having a drink. But for most people, I don’t care how much they weigh, if they’re having more than two, they’re no longer having a drink, they’re drinking and they shouldn’t drive. That needs to be part of your mindset. So I’ve asked my Airmen to set a personal line and mantra, three gets my keys. Some people may be a little lighter and need to have a stricter line, but no one should be thinking that they’re still just having a drink when they reach for that third beer. That should be the point at which they make the personal decision and if they decide to have three, then three gets my keys!
19th Mission Support Group commander
I vividly remember my mother’s sharp intake of breath as the completely dark car pulled across our headlights. It seemed like slow motion as our car slammed into the side of the emerging vehicle, the impact sending both vehicles spinning. The five children, my brothers and sisters, in our car were tossed like ragdolls. I watched in horror as the force threw my mother’s door open and she lost her grip on the steering wheel. She disappeared into the darkness of the road as the car continued to spin. We were fortunate that evening, neither car rolled over, following traffic stopped quickly and although my mother sustained a head injury and severe bruises, none of us were seriously hurt. I remember walking over to look at the other car, sitting like a grey hulk in the darkness. Even though I was 10 years old, as I looked at the man passed out in the front seat, the overwhelming smell of booze was unmistakable. We were another victim of a drunk driver.
Francis and Janet couldn’t have been happier. Their only daughter, the light of their lives, was due with their first grandchild in less than a month. As they drove home that evening, the speeding car coming over the hill in the wrong lane killed them on impact. When they pried the wreckage apart, their bodies were discovered with their arms wrapped around each other in a last loving embrace. They were two more victims of a drunk driver. That first grandchild, that they never had a chance to see, is now my wife.
Those are my personal connections to the dangers of drinking and driving. Virtually everyone has a family member, relative or close friend whose life has been changed by a drunk driver. You would think that I would be hard over on the subject, but occasionally I do have a glass of wine with dinner at a restaurant or a beer with a friend at a bar. The truth is I don’t have a cab waiting outside. I believe the most important part of the issue is personal responsibility. There is a difference between having a drink and drinking. Most people can have a drink or two and be nowhere near the legal limit for driving under the influence, but by the time you decide to have that third drink, you’re no longer having a drink, you’re drinking. That’s the point where personal responsibility is critical, and it shouldn’t take a wingman to stop you or make other plans for your transportation.
The public trusts us with their most important things: their sons and daughters, nuclear weapons and the defense of our nation. Responsibility is the most basic tenet of our profession as servicemembers. When I became thecommander of the mission support group, I had the misfortune of having three DUIs occur within my first two weeks of command. In every single case, a wingman never had a chance to intervene. These were bad personal decisions that fortunately were stopped by police rather than by an accident. It’s important to go back to the basics, just like we are throughout our Air Force, and emphasize that there are some things we don’t do. Drinking and driving needs to be one of them. You notice I didn’t say having a drink, because I simply don’t believe most people will find another way home after just having a drink. But for most people, I don’t care how much they weigh, if they’re having more than two, they’re no longer having a drink, they’re drinking and they shouldn’t drive. That needs to be part of your mindset. So I’ve asked my Airmen to set a personal line and mantra, three gets my keys. Some people may be a little lighter and need to have a stricter line, but no one should be thinking that they’re still just having a drink when they reach for that third beer. That should be the point at which they make the personal decision and if they decide to have three, then three gets my keys!
VIEW FROM TOP>>An ounce of prevention
By Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Brinkley
19th Airlift Wing command chief
Many of us have heard the term “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Lately, I have really been reflecting on how much work, pain, frustration and aggravation we endure when we don’t apply this adage.
An ounce of prevention when going out, such as having a good plan to execute, can save much damage to one’s life and livelihood when drinking. I can’t tell you how many people express remorse when they have been in my office when I was a first sergeant after a DUI. They clearly knew the simple steps that could have been taken to ensure safety of those around them as well as preventing the loss of career and finances.
An ounce of prevention can lead to better quality of life. Yet many people don’t apply this principle. The ill effects of smoking or carrying excess weight can lead to a poor quality of life down the road. I can reflect on family members who battled through tough times due to not practicing proper health considerations. If you are fortunate enough to have good health, it’s important to do all you can to maintain it through proper diet and exercise.
In our professions we can save time and efforts by following established procedures. When we violate safety or checklist discipline we all end up stopping our work because we have injured someone or compromised a mission. Yet, if we approach our daily tasks with attention to detail, we will not have to repeat the same task twice.
In our families showing you care and clearly communicating can limit the amount of stress you endure due to misunderstandings. At the end of the day I truly believe if we take the daily dose of an ounce of prevention that we will all lead better and more prosperous lives.
Combat Airlift!
19th Airlift Wing command chief
Many of us have heard the term “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Lately, I have really been reflecting on how much work, pain, frustration and aggravation we endure when we don’t apply this adage.
An ounce of prevention when going out, such as having a good plan to execute, can save much damage to one’s life and livelihood when drinking. I can’t tell you how many people express remorse when they have been in my office when I was a first sergeant after a DUI. They clearly knew the simple steps that could have been taken to ensure safety of those around them as well as preventing the loss of career and finances.
An ounce of prevention can lead to better quality of life. Yet many people don’t apply this principle. The ill effects of smoking or carrying excess weight can lead to a poor quality of life down the road. I can reflect on family members who battled through tough times due to not practicing proper health considerations. If you are fortunate enough to have good health, it’s important to do all you can to maintain it through proper diet and exercise.
In our professions we can save time and efforts by following established procedures. When we violate safety or checklist discipline we all end up stopping our work because we have injured someone or compromised a mission. Yet, if we approach our daily tasks with attention to detail, we will not have to repeat the same task twice.
In our families showing you care and clearly communicating can limit the amount of stress you endure due to misunderstandings. At the end of the day I truly believe if we take the daily dose of an ounce of prevention that we will all lead better and more prosperous lives.
Combat Airlift!
VIEW FROM TOP>>Honoring our Veterans
By Brig. Gen. Rowayne A. Schatz, Jr.
19th Airlift Wing commander
I would like to thank everyone who made Gen. Arthur J. Lichte’s, Air Mobility Command commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Barron’s, Air Mobility Command command chief, visit a success. They were both very impressed by all the Airmen of Team Little Rock.
During their visit, General Lichte had a chance to attend our Community Council luncheon and accepted a check for $5 million from the Honorable Tommy Swaim, City of Jacksonville mayor, on behalf of the Air Force. The citizens of Jacksonville raised the money to help us build a joint education center.
The general and I were also afforded the opportunity to meet members of the 306th Bombardment Group. It was an honor and a privilege to dine with these living legends. They were the first U.S. Army Air Force unit over Germany during World War II.
One member of their unit, Maynard Harrision Smith, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic deeds during their bombing missions.
On Monday, we will honor these great men and the tens of millions of Americans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces at a Veteran’s Day retreat ceremony at Heritage Park. I ask you all to take the opportunity on Veteran’s Day to reflect on the contributions of the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces. Their role and the role you fulfill today, have been vital to maintaining our freedoms and the way of life enjoyed by the people of our great nation.
We are an all-volunteer force. Our military men and women serve eagerly and willingly, displaying a quiet courage and exemplary service. This Veterans Day, it’s important to remember these heroes for their loyalty, dedication and valor. Let the sacrifices and courage of all who have served before you inspire you today as we work, as a military and as a nation, toward advancing peace and extending freedom around the world.
I am proud to serve with you, and I thank you and your families for your dedication and sacrifice to our team, our mission and our country. Combat Airlift!
19th Airlift Wing commander
I would like to thank everyone who made Gen. Arthur J. Lichte’s, Air Mobility Command commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Barron’s, Air Mobility Command command chief, visit a success. They were both very impressed by all the Airmen of Team Little Rock.
During their visit, General Lichte had a chance to attend our Community Council luncheon and accepted a check for $5 million from the Honorable Tommy Swaim, City of Jacksonville mayor, on behalf of the Air Force. The citizens of Jacksonville raised the money to help us build a joint education center.
The general and I were also afforded the opportunity to meet members of the 306th Bombardment Group. It was an honor and a privilege to dine with these living legends. They were the first U.S. Army Air Force unit over Germany during World War II.
One member of their unit, Maynard Harrision Smith, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic deeds during their bombing missions.
On Monday, we will honor these great men and the tens of millions of Americans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces at a Veteran’s Day retreat ceremony at Heritage Park. I ask you all to take the opportunity on Veteran’s Day to reflect on the contributions of the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces. Their role and the role you fulfill today, have been vital to maintaining our freedoms and the way of life enjoyed by the people of our great nation.
We are an all-volunteer force. Our military men and women serve eagerly and willingly, displaying a quiet courage and exemplary service. This Veterans Day, it’s important to remember these heroes for their loyalty, dedication and valor. Let the sacrifices and courage of all who have served before you inspire you today as we work, as a military and as a nation, toward advancing peace and extending freedom around the world.
I am proud to serve with you, and I thank you and your families for your dedication and sacrifice to our team, our mission and our country. Combat Airlift!
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