Air Force Reserve: Diversity is more than skin deep

Published Nov. 3, 2006
By Bo Joyner
Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- More than 200 Air Force Reserve people converged on Colorado Springs Oct. 25-27 and then headed back to their home bases with ideas for improving their local Human Resources Development Councils.

Air Force Reserve Command's HRDC hosted a three-day workshop in downtown Colorado Springs, which attracted participants from around the country. The councils advise commanders and make recommendations on anything related to their people.

"I have four goals for our participants this week," said Maj. Gen. Peter K. Sullivan, mobilization assistant to the assistant secretary of the Air Force, manpower and reserve affairs, in the Pentagon and chairman of AFRC's HRDC, as he kicked off the conference. "We want to provide updates on current Air Force human resources initiatives and efforts. We want to provide tools and practices you can take back to improve your unit HRDCs. We want to provide networking opportunities so you can learn from other councils' successes and failures. And, we want you to have fun."

Judging from the reaction of the participants, all of General Sullivan's goals were met.

"We had some challenges with the weather that kept some of our guest speakers away, but I think all of our participants will be taking useful information back to their local HRDC," General Sullivan said.

A blizzard on the next-to-last day of the conference blanketed Colorado Springs with more than a foot of snow and wreaked havoc on air travel in the Colorado area.

At the end of the conference, General Sullivan passed the reigns of the command HRDC to Maj. Gen. Linda S. Hemminger, deputy joint staff surgeon and director, Joint Reserve Medical Readiness Operations and Affairs, Joint Staff, Logistics Directorate, J4, Health Service Support Division at the Pentagon.

"I'm excited about the opportunity to serve as chairperson of AFRC's Human Resources Development Council," General Hemminger said. "It's a great honor to follow in the footsteps of General Sullivan and all of our previous HRDC chairs. I'm eager to build on the momentum we generated here at the workshop as we strive to take care of all of the people who serve in today's Air Force Reserve."

"This was a great workshop with a lot of good information," said Lt. Col. David E. Herndon of the 916th Air Refueling Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. "Most importantly for me, it was an excellent opportunity to network and benchmark. We got a lot of good ideas we can take back and get our local HRDC back up to speed."

"It was great to get the big picture of what is happening throughout the Air Force, but I think it was even more important to have the opportunity to meet and talk to people one-on-one," said Senior Airman Nicole Cyrus from the 446th Airlift Wing, McChord AFB, Wash. "Everyone here was very open and willing to share their experiences."

Airman Cyrus was a member of the First-Term Airman's Panel - seven young Airmen who shared their thoughts on the workshop's final day. The Airmen spoke candidly on topics ranging from diversity to mentoring to finding enough time to complete all of their necessary training.

From their comments, it appears AFRC is on its way to achieving its goal of having a diverse work force where everyone has the same opportunities for advancement and to reach their goals.

"When I look at this room, I don't see black, white, Hispanic or whatever, I just see Airmen in the same uniform working together to get the job done," said Staff Sgt. Eric Pena from the 349th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif., and one of the Air Force's 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year. "And my leadership sees things the same way. At my base, the leadership doesn't look at race. It all comes down to who can get the job done."

Other members of the panel were Senior Airman Adnan Ramadani, 439th AW, Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass.; Staff Sgt. Lily Guo, 940th ARW, Beale AFB, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Earnest Hicks, 73rd Aerial Port Squadron, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Carswell Field, Texas; Senior Airman Albert Spencer-Wise, 419th Fighter Wing, Hill AFB, Utah; and Senior Airman Joseph Cervantes, 934th AW, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Air Reserve Station, Minn.

"I think the First-Term Airman's Panel was the highlight of the conference," General Sullivan said. "It's exciting to see the caliber of young people we have in the Air Force Reserve today, knowing that they will be our leaders of tomorrow."

In addition to the first-term airmen, the workshop also featured a chief's panel and a senior leader's panel.

Another highlight of the conference was a presentation from Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, AFRC commander. General Bradley presented the McNeil Award to the 445th AW, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, representing 4th Air Force, for having the best local HRDC program in the command. The award is named in honor of retired Maj. Gen. Joseph A. McNeil, a former command HRDC chairman.

Other numbered air force winners were 10th Air Force's 340th Flying Training Group, Randolph AFB, Texas, and 22nd Air Force's 914th AW, Niagara Falls IAP ARS, N.Y. The Tanker Airlift Control Center, Scott AFB, Ill., was honored for having the best HRDC program within the individual mobilization augmentee community.

After presenting the awards, General Bradley explained his vision for AFRC: One Air Force, Same Fight ... An Unrivaled Wingman and talked about how diversity fits into that vision.

"It's important that we reflect our country from a race and gender standpoint, but having a diversity of ideas is what's really important," the general said. "That's what will make us stronger. Having a diverse appearance is wonderful, but what's really important is having people who look at the world differently and bring different ideas to the table. We need these fresh ideas."

Robert J. Goodwin, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for force management integration who is performing the additional duties of assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, agreed with General Bradley.

"There are all kinds of diversity, but intellectual diversity is what we really need in today's Air Force," Mr. Goodwin said during his presentation at the workshop. He said the Air Force is currently in the middle of what he called "the perfect storm:" a time when personnel costs are going up, costs to operate the fleet are rising, aircraft are aging and funding is being cut.

"Costs are rising faster than the budget," he said. "But we still have to build an Air Force that can win future wars. And taking care of our people is a vital part of that."

"Taking care of people" was a recurring theme throughout the workshop.

"This is probably the most tumultuous time we've ever seen in the Air Force Reserve," General Sullivan said, referring to recent base realignment and closure actions and other transformation initiatives. "As our Air Force becomes leaner, it's imperative that we treat our people with compassion and honesty."

As the commander of the 928th Airlift Wing at O'Hare International Airport Air Reserve Station, Ill., when it was closed by BRAC in 1996, General Sullivan had some advice for the leaders of bases that are undergoing BRAC actions today.

Recognize that people will go through denial, anger and acceptance as they deal with a BRAC action, he said, adding that leaders must learn the big picture from the AFRC, Air Force and DOD perspective to help their people deal with the change.

"The most important thing leaders can do is communicate often and by all means possible," he said. "Present the facts as you know them, as soon as you know them. You can't withhold information, no matter how unpopular it may be."

Lt. Col. Jerry Herbel of the commander's action group at AFRC headquarters, Robins AFB, stressed the importance of effective communication in his breakout session on strategic communication.

"An absence of information will be filled by misinformation," he said. "That's why it's vital that all commanders are communicators and that they get the information out sooner as opposed to later."

He said it's also important that Airmen of all ranks realize that they are communicators as well.

"Strategic communication means building communication into everything we do at every level," he said.

Mentoring was another popular topic of discussion at the workshop. Col. Mary Hittmeier, an IMA assigned to Air War College at Maxwell AFB, Ala., spoke about the importance of mentoring a diverse work force.

"We tend to seek out mentors and mentor to people who look like we do," she said. "But to learn, grow and stretch, we need to surround ourselves with people who aren't like us. Mentoring is the glue that keeps force development on track. It can last 60 seconds or it can last 60 years, but it's vital that every member of the Reserve team find mentors they can trust and that they pass on what they know to others around them."

That's what this HRDC workshop was all about: Airmen sharing what they know and looking for better ways to take care of their people when they get back to their base. AFRC held its first HRDC workshop in 1997 and has an HRDC workshop about every two years.

Master Sgt. Rodney Hage, manager of Human Resources Development at AFRC headquarters, can provide more information about HRDC and this year's workshop. He receives e-mails at HRDC@afrc.af.mil. (AFRC News Service)