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Show October 19, 2006 B Commentary: "Ready to go on day one" BY LT. COL. JOE JEZAIRIAN For almost a decade the Air Force has been supplying combatant commanders with Airmen and equipment to fight and win our nation's wars through the Air and Space Expeditionary Force concept. Organized into ten near-equivalent groups, or buckets, each AEF brings specific combat capability to the fight, made-up from hundreds of specialties. Though being expeditionary is nothing new to the Air Force, deploying four times more than we did during the Cold War with one-third fewer Airmen is a unique challenge we face in the 21st century. In recent years, our smaller Air Force has been driven to a record high op tempo due to continuous deployments. Today, it's more critical than ever that we spread this responsibility among all Airmen. Yet currently, only 85 percent of the Air Force is deployable, and only half have deployed since 9/11 - numbers far too low to make the* AEF work. Our Chief of Staff is committed to making every Airman "expeditionary." To get there, we have to do far more than just be "assigned" to an AEF. We have to make the AEF the starting point from which all preceding efforts drive toward. The Air Force can get there, but a shift in mindset is required - a transformation of our culture. The AEF must become as much a part of the fabric that identifies our Airmen as their rank, service number, and specialty codes do today. Our vulnerability period must be tied to every decision we make - from unit training plans, to exercise participation, professional military education attendance, and even family leave. Anything and everything that may get in the way of our ability to deploy, if and when we are tasked, must be subordinate to our "on call" window. Though commanders are ultimately accountable for unit readiness, AEF preparation is an individual responsibility. It takes personal commitment to ensure you're ready to go on day one. If not, the tasking gets pushed onto someone Continued from A else—someone who has made the commitment, and likely someone who has already served their fair share. So, be ready! If there's a class you need to "green up" your mobility status, get scheduled for it. If your annual PHA or dental exam expires during your period, call your -- U. Col. Joe Jezairian primary care manager 388th OSS commander and make an appoint====== ment. If you're hot for in-residence PME, get a class date outside of you AEF window. Don't jeopardize the greatest opportunity of your career to serve. . Soon after you arrive in theater it will become clear why you're there, what your mission is, and how you fit into the big scheme of things. For many veterans, operational deployments are the most cherished memories they have long after they've hung up the uniform. The reason is simple - they executed the mission, they knew their importance, and they took pride in their contributions. Not many careers, if any outside of the military, can top that. If you're called to deploy, then serve with pride. Thank you for your continued service, sacrifice, and commitment. "Deploying four times more than we did during the Cold War with one-third fewer Airmen is a unique challenge we face in the 21st century." 388th Operations Support Squadron commander JSF our decision-making process as these locations are evaluated," said General T. Michael Moseley, Air Force Chief of Staff. The Total Force integration between the 388th and 419th FW at Hill Air Force Base will combine active duty and Reserve Component personnel to maximize flexibility and combat capability, allowing both units to fly the JSF. The F-35A Lightning II basing plan will create a synergistic 'Total Force" mix of Active, Guard and Reserve units operating the newest, 5th generation fighter aircraft The Total Force mix provides the best possible team to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States in the war on terrorism. The Air Force is expected to start taking delivery of V35A aircraft in 2009 with planned deliveries continuing beyond 2025. The initial Joint Strike Fighter locations include Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. for primary maintenance and flight training; Nellis AFB, Nev. and Edwards AFB, Calif, for flight-testing; and Hill AFB, Utah, Kadena Air Base, Japan, and Shaw AFB/McEntire ANGB, S.C. for operational squadrons. (Parts of this story are compiled from Air Force Print News) Citizen Airman joins firefighting efforts: 419th reservist assists emergency crews in off-base fire BY SENIOR AIRMAN CHRISTINA WRIGHT 419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Looking east from pretty much any spot on base, you can still see the charred hillside of Layton's east bench from a Sept. 14 fire. The fire produced a giant cloud of smoke on an already overcast day, and U.S. Highway 89 was closed in addition to the forced evacuation of three neighborhoods. The lire was eventually squelched through efforts from seven lire agencies, including Hill's own, and the fortuitous rain. But not before Airman 1st Class Jenna Roueche, an emergency management specialist with the 419th Civil Engineer Squadron, was able to represent a true Citizen Airman to the endangered community. "I was headed home that afternoon on Highway 89 when I saw the fire off to the side of the road," recalled Airman Roueche. 'There was a police officer that was standing in the middle of the road directing traffic, and I simply told him I was Emergency Management with the Air Force and asked if I could help." With no direction from anyone on scene, Airman Roueche assessed the situation and began directing traffic, weeding out the. local traffic from the diverted traffic, and trying to bring order to the mess. "As I watched everything going on, I noticed people going every which way and somewhat panicking about the situation," she said. "So, I just helped direct people where to go." Soon, evacuated residents were also part of the hubbub and needed assistance. "I was able to go around and help people get where they needed to be and gather belongings," Airman Roueche commented, as though her actions were something any citizen with training would do. She is a recent graduate of the Readiness Apprentice course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and is working hard toward completion of her five-skill level, said her supervisor, Staff Sgt. Michael Monson, the wing emergency management program manager. "When Airman 1st Class Roueche offered to assist'the local authorities, she was offering her local friends and neighbors much more than simply a person willing to help," Sergeant Monson added. "She was offering the services of a highly trained emergency responder." Though many are praising her actions, Airman Roueche simply saw it as a good training experience. "We don't cover too many peacetime skills in the reserve aspect," noted Airman Roueche. That is why 1 offered to help. Mainly to get a real time experience in seeing how [an emergency situation] is handled versus what we were taught" Not only did her action reflect highly on her character, it also helped portray reservists as having a more neighborly role. "It brings to light what a great asset we are to the surrounding community," said Chief Master Sgt. Elizabeth Atisme, command chief of the 419th Fighter Wing. MEMORIAL Continued from A fights in "MiG Alley" in the skies over Korea. There were the "Wild Weasels" of Vietnam, whose mission it was to deliberately draw enemy surface-to-air missiles so their fellow Airmen could pass through and bomb North Vietnamese positions. And we had the spectacular performance of our Air Force during Desert Storm. Many of us have been engaged in some scale of conflict for over 16 years. Beginning with the first aircraft deployed into Saudi Arabia in August of 1990, our Air Force has also participated in operations in Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq to name a few. In fact, many people forget Air Force-led, Coalition forces flew over 650,000 sorties enforcing the no-fiy zones during Operations Northern and Southern Watch in the 12 year period following Desert Storm. Since the start of Operations Enduring Freedom in October 2001, followed by Iraqi Freedom in March 2003, Airmen have performed and adapted in a manner that should make everyone marvel. We have filled more than 380,000 deployment requirements and have 85% of our forces 388th FW Editorial Staff Col. Robert Beletic, Commander 2nd Lt. Beth Woodward, Chief of Public Affairs Airman 1st Class Stefanie Torres, Editor The Total Force Viper is a supplement to the the U.S. military services. Contents of Fighter Hilltop Times, published by Ogden Publishing Country are not necessarily the official views Corp., a private firm in no'way connected with of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the the U.S. Air Force, under exclusive written Department of Defense or the Department of contract with the 75th ABW Public Affairs Office. the Air Force. Unless otherwise indicated, all This civilian enterprise Air Force newspaper photos are U.S. Air Force photos. is an authorized publication for members of Advertisements contained herein do not Photo by Christina Wright Airman 1st Class Jenna Roueche receives a coin from 419th FW Commander Col. Gary Batinich for her outstanding efforts during a real world emergency. "This is for the great job that she did that is very typical of our people: offering their service wherever and whenever they are needed." The competence of the Airmen she commands and Airman Roueche's selfless actions were not news to her, though. "Honestly, I'm not surprised," she commented. "The caliber [of Airmen] in this wing is outstanding. I'm proud to serve with them. They are all very unselfish." postured to deploy. There are many more examples, but in each case a constant remains - wherever our interests are threatened, the U.S. Air Force is always there to answer the first call. All of us should be extremely proud as we celebrate our accomplishments over the past 60 years and use that momentum to shape our Air Force to meet the nation's needs well into the 21st Century and beyond. Many of your units will celebrate our 60th Anniversary with air shows and other community events. I encourage every Airman to take the time to say "thank you" to our community neighbors. They take care of our families when we deploy and welcome us when we return, because they, too, are part of our Air Force family in every sense of the word. They share our losses and victories, show their love and support in war and peace and deserve our gratitude and promise that we will continue to keep them secure and free. In closing, remember no other service in our nation has come so far and done so much in such a short time. In the Air Force culture of innovation - YOU - our Airmen consistently take ownership of change and continue to prove that there is no limit to our potential - Happy 60th Anniversary! 419th FW Editorial Staff Col. Gary Batinich, Commander Kari Tllton, Acting Chief of Public Affairs Senior Airman Christina Wright, editor Senior Airman Nathan Greer, staff writer constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense, the U.S. Air Force or Hill AFB. Everything advertised isavailable without regard to race, color, religion, sex, or other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. The Total Force Viper is edited, prepared and provided by the 388th and 419th FW Pub- tic Affairs Offices. To discuss submissions or content, contact the appropriate Public Affairs office at the following numbers: 388th FW/PA 777-3200; 419th FW/PA 777-2713. Deadline for submissions is no later than Monday, noon, two weeks prior to publication. For more information, call the public affairs office at 777-3200. |