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Show B October 4. 2001 Reservists must be ready to answer the call by Colonel Wayne F. Conroy 4 9ri FW vce coTmaoer V 1 T;vc utrJ ' Rescmf jui like during the Cuban Missile Storm and no has taken on a American ciucns. The eents of among meaning Sept II hae put a marked emphasis on resene forces and their readiness capabilities both at home and abroad It ill be a very long time before e see "business as usual" as a country or a military. The pri vess of remo mg the terrorist threat from our everyday life will be long and arduous It will require the relinquishing of many rights and luxuries thai we have grow n accustomed to enjo ing. The transition will require significant personal sacrifice and commitment on the part of every citien of the free world and most assuredly on the part of the American military both active and reserve. Our President has declared w ar on terrorism w ith the primary objective of removing this threat from the face of the earth. Terrorism is not massed armies waiting to attack. Terrorism is a network of small cells of fanatics spread in no less than 50 countries all over the world. Terrorists' targets consist of nxstly innocent people doing what they do everyday. Terrorists are immersed in our society and until they strike, look and act as every day people going about their daily activities. Therein lies the difficulty of combating such an enemy and why it will be a long, protracted battle. So what does all of this mean to reservists of the 419th Fighter Wing? The answer can be summed up in two words readiness and vigilance. The summation may he only two words, but in order to accomplish those objectives, we must undergo extensive Vietnam. Desert : Col. Wayne F. Conroy t Ik-ren- 419th Fighter Wing Vice Commander preparations. Training is more important now than ever. To ensure the highest degree of readiness, our training must be timely and effective. Core tasks must be accomplished and documented. CDCs must be studied and the tests passed Personal readiness is equally important. Wills, powers of attorneys, family care plans, survivor benefits, shot records and immunizations all need to be accurate and up to date. We may not get enough warning to take care of these items at a later date. Current personnel data is a must to include such items as phone numbers, addresses, marital status, and civilian employment information. Has this information changed recently? If so, have you provided the new information to the unit? Are you ready to deploy at a moment's notice? Just as important, are your family and loved ones ready for you to deploy? Most of all. are you prepared to perform vour military duties? Vigilance includes such steps as staving alert, avoiding danger, and being w atchfuL I can think of no better word that could describe how all members of the 419th should be conducting themselves at this point in history. Many members of the wing will depart the base as part of AEF 8 over the course of the next several weeks. Force protection and OPSF.CCOMSF.C are paramount regarding this deployment. The last thing we need is for one or several of our members to tell friends and neighbors about any present or future military operations or troop movements. No one outside of our circle needs to know w here or when we will be moving people and equipment If we are traveling to and from, we do not need to travel in a large group, w ith short haircuts and lots of olive green baggage. When we are at an intermediate stop on our journey, we do not need to gather up in a single group at an airport or all pile into the same vehicle while on a layover. We all must be very observant of our surroundings and guard against those who might want to harm our people and thwart the mission. When we least expect it, the next attack will come. Now is the time to deviate from our normal routines and vary how we conduct our business. A simple step like changing the route we take to w ork each day w ill serve as a good first start. Clearly, the road ahead w ill be difficult. However, I know the 4 19th is ready, willing and able to take on any tasking that comes our way. The men and women of this w ing have always risen to the occasion and have provided trained professionals whenever and w herever needed. We w ill do the same now and well into the future. General returns to Robins as Reserve vice commander WASHINGTON- - A former staff director is returning to Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., to serve as AFRC vice commander. Maj. Gen. John J. Balbie Jr.. director of mobilization and reserve component affairs for U.S. European Command in y Stuttgart, Germany, will start overseeing the He Jan. the command will in of 2002. serve I, operation active-dut- y status and will replace Maj. Gen. David R. Smith, who will retire effective Dec. 31. The Air Force General Of ficer Matters Office in the Pentagon announced the assignment actions Aug. 23. "Major General Batbie brings a tremendous wealth of experience with his assignment as our vice commander," said Lt. Gen. James li. Sherrard III, chief of Air Force Reserve and AI RC commander. "His record of excellence speaks for itself. His leadership and understanding of how our forces can best serve to support Air Force and joint commander requirements w ill be key to our future successes. "Major General Smith has served this command in an outstanding fashion in every assignment he has held. His dedication to service and deep caring for his assigned personnel are superb attributes that everyone should aspire to General Batbie has been advising and assisting the commander in chief of EUCOM since May 2000 in the r" day-to-da- achieve." SECURITY, Reserve Component Affairs for U.S. European Command employment of reserve component forces in joint operations throughout the unified command. He was director of plans and programs at Headquarters AFRC from June 1994 until little doubt that some of our own people will be impacted. Those individuals will need our and support understanding." COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - An Air Force reservist, who served as an Air Force Academy admissions liaison officer, was among those killed during one of the terrorist hijackings. -- Between Sept. There should be plenty hijacked 757 Johnstown, Pa., killing all seven crewmembers and 38 passengers aboard. Major Homer was a 1987 Air Force Academy graduate, from Cadet Squadron 31. He flew Starlifters at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., from 1988 to 1995. During that time, Major Homer served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and later supported operations in Somalia. While on active duty, he was named the 21st Air. Force aircrew instructor of the year for 1993, and was a flight examiner and jump-rate- d when he joined the Air Force Reserve in 1995. For the next five years, he served as a instructor at Wright-Patterso- n AFB, C-1- 41 Maj. LeRoy Wilton Homer Jr., 36, was the first officer aboard United Airlines Flight 93, , which took off the morning of Sept. 11 from Newark, N.J., bound for San Francisco, Calif. Flight 93 was one of four civilian airliners hijacked and crashed by terrorists. ; The Boeing 757 diverted from its filed flight The aircraft plan as it nearcd Pittsburgh. changed from its westerly course, turning on a vector directly toward Washington, D.C., without declaring an inflight emergency. One of the last communications from the plane reportedly was a request to air controllers for permission to turn toward Washington. "We know there was a struggle aboard that aircraft," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper. "We like to think that people in uniform tried to retake control of that aircraft and save many more lives on the ground," he told Air Force News Service Sept. 11. The aircraft later crashed in the countryside near be able to deploy early.' 419th recruiters logged 331 leads nearly double the amount the unit k averages over a period. The wing has already achieved it's quota of 343 accessions for Air Force Reserve Command. The recent surge of enlistments also enabled the wing to 11-2- 6, two-wee- of 419th members to offer "Not only were we that support thanks to the renewed receiving calls from public's commitment to patriotism civilians, but also from and military duty. members who had already Following the attacks, the enlisted wanting to know 419th Recruiting Office if they might be able to was deluged with civilians reach its own goal to gain 220 new members for calling or stopping in to deploy early." Fiscal Year 01. get information about Reserve participation. Air Force Reserve "Our were Command also phones ringing constantly after experienced a noticeable the tragic events of Sept. increase in the number of Senior Master Sgt. Sue Crosby, 11," said Senior Master calls and from 41 9th FW Senior Recruiter Set. Sue Crosby, 419th civilians interested in FW Senior Recruiter. joining the military. "Not only were we receiving calls from who us through the Internet contact "People civilians, but also from members who had can leave comments for our recruiters," said already enlisted wanting to know if they might Col. Kevin Reinert, deputy director of Air Force reservist killed on st Director of Mobilization and (CONT'D FROM PAGE A) confirm that information with the appropriate authority to preclude fallacies from spreading. The commander acknowledged there would be some ambiguity in the future considering the nature of the enemy and the unconventional tactics that are often employed by terrorists. "I expect some uncertainty as the outlines of this new conflict, and our place in it become clear," he said. "None of us like uncertainty, but we must realize in this case some schedule changes and course reversals are inevitable. In the midst of this, we must remain vigilant. We do not know when another attack may take place or what form it might assume." Nowhere has this trend of uncertainty been more obvious than in the financial markets and commercial aviation industry. Since more than three-fourtof 419th FW members hold jobs in the public sector, it is possible some of the unit's Reservists could be adversely affected. "The effect of this attack on our economy will be negative, to an extent yet to be determined," said General Williams. "There is south-southea- Maj. Gen. John J. Batbie Jr. September 1998, when he became commander of 22nd Air Force at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga. The next vice commander of AFRC joined the U.S. Army in 1966 as an armor officer and then served as a helicopter pilot before joining the Air Force Reserve in 1972. General Batbie's other assignments include command of the 434th Air Refueling Wing, Grissom AFB, Ind., from July 1991 to June 1994, and the 916th Air Refueling Group, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., from April 1988 to July 1991. General Smith has been the AFRC vice commander since January 1998, and served as commander of AFRC from June 1998 to September 1998 when General Sherrard's appointment to the job awaited Senate confirmation. Like General Batbie, General Smith has commanded a numbered air force, wing and group. He was commander of 10th Air Force from December 1990 to January 1998, First at Bergstrom Air Reserve Station, Texas, and later at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, when the headquarters relocated. He commanded the 482nd Tactical Fighter Wing, Homestead AFB, Fla., from July 1987 to December 1990, and the 917th Tactical Fighter Group, Barksdale AFB, La., from August 1983 to August 1986. C-1- Ohio, and flew commercially for United Airlines. Major Homer became an additional-dut- y Academy admissions liaison officer in October 1999 and later gave up flying in the Air Force Reserve Command to become a primary-dut- y ALO in May 2000. As an ALO, he was a member of the Individual Ready Reserve, recruiting for the Air Force Academy and the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. Major Homer was responsible for 30 schools in central New Jersey, mostly around the city of Trenton. recruiting at AFRC headquarters. "Usually, we receive questions about available benefits or particular job oportunities. That's a lot different now; many people just want to know how they can serve the United States in any capacity." Some of the comments recruiters have received include, "The time for thinking is over; it's time for action." Another person said, " I want to serve my country to prevent forever what happened on September 11th." The nationwide toll free number for Reserve recruiting, which usually averages 150 leads per day, is now averaging almost 1,600 calls. The week prior to the attacks, the airforcereserve.com website yielded 286 leads y over a period. A similar analysis conducted Sept. 6 showed the Reserve command garnered 1,873 leads from the same website, an increase of 655 percent. Editors note: Members of the Reserve who want to volunteer for recalls should fill out a volunteer at reque http: two-da- 14-1- arpc.afrc.af.mildparVR320Form.htm Survey postponed as AF prepares for combat - The 2001 Air WASHINGTON, D.C. Force Chief of Staff Survey, a poll to gain of understanding quality of life and organizational climate was issues, scheduled to launch Oct. 1. But due to launch of the survey we can let Air Force members focus on the task at hand, and not jeopardize getting the open, honest and candid feedback we in the expect survey." When the new launch date has been the determined, be will survey available on the Internet and will take approximately 30 - 40 minutes to complete. The emphasis on the survey is to p r o v i d e (141 recent events, the has been poll postponed. The biannual which survey, benchmarks Air Force people's about perceptions their organizations and leaders, will be launched at a more time, appropriate survey officials said. "The terrorist attacks and the Air Force's response to these attacks has the service focused on preparing to fight a war," said Lori Marcum, one of the survey's project managers. "By rescheduling the commanders straight-forwar- d information about their organization's current state of being. Details on a new launch date for the survey will be released as soon as they become official. HeadsUp Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the 41 9th Fighter Wing public Affairs Office. DEADLINE for submission of articles is 1 0 working days before each scheduled wing unit training assembly. Articles should be typed and double-space- d on a line. HeadsUp is a Reserve supplement to the Hilltop times, published by Mor Media, Inc., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air force, under exclusive written contract with the Ogden ALC Public Affairs Office, this commercial enterprise Air Force newspaper is an authorized publication for Air Force Reserve members of the U.S. military services. Contents of HeadsUp are not necessarily the official views of or endorsed by the U.S. government the Department of Defense or the Air Force. 419th Brig. Gen. F.C. Williams Capt. James R. Wilson Senior Airman Lara Gale Stephanie Johns FW STAFF Commander Chief of Public Affairs Staff Writer Editor |