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Wing hosts honorary commanders' 'Dobbins Day'

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Elizabeth Van Patten
  • 94th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. --  As people took their seats at the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action park near the center of Dobbins Air Reserve Base, eyes constantly strayed towards the base honor guard as they stood at parade rest, ready for the ceremony. Each member held a wheel cap in their hand - one for each service - five in all. A sixth honor guardsman had the script, which he would read to honor those that have not come home.

Col. Timothy Tarchick, 94th Airlift Wing commander, opened the POW/MIA ceremony with a simple, yet powerful reason for having such a ceremony.

"This is for the Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and the Coast Guard who continue to serve our nation," said Tarchick. "We owe it to them, and their family members, to never give up and never forget. That is the least America can do for their sacrifice."

In addition to the presentation of the caps, the honor guard would present a wreath of white and black flowers. They would present the wreath to honor all POWs, including the ceremony's key note speaker, retired Col. Lee Ellis, a Georgia native and POW.

Ellis was a fighter pilot who was shot down and captured over North Vietnam.

"I was no longer a fancy pilot," said Ellis. "I was in a cell that was six and a half by seven feet. I was in that cell with three other guys, and the main thing on our minds was, 'I need others to know I'm here.' We didn't want to get left behind."

Ellis was in captivity for more than five years, and he and his fellow captives in the camp, through great risk, were able to learn each other's names.

Due to activity here in the states, and the death of Ho Chi Min, Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader, in 1969, conditions in the POW camp did improve, according to Ellis. He stressed to those in the crowd about the importance of POW/MIA awareness, from bracelets to prayers to rallies, remembering does make a difference.

Many in the crowd were civilians taking part in the Honorary Commanders Association, and were witnessing their first live POW/MIA ceremony. As they sat or stood in silence, with their military counterparts, even a casual observer could pick up on the somber tone of the occasion.

The Honorary Commanders Association is a Cobb County Chamber of Commerce entity, whose main purpose is to take local civic leaders and introduce them to the military. The HCA annually selects these civic leaders and pairs them with military commanders in a year-long program, giving those leaders the opportunity to learn more about local military activities, their impact on our economy and various aspects of the national defense system. The military commanders are not just selected from the Air Force Reserve, but also the Army National Guard, Marine Corps and Navy leadership, representing a truer cross-section of Dobbins ARB.

The civic leaders concluded their multi-service, year-long tour of Dobbins ARB with their last stop at the 94th Airlift Wing, the host unit of Dobbins ARB and owner of the C-130H's that are often viewed from Cobb Parkway.

Throughout the day, aptly named "Dobbins Day," the honorary commanders were treated to several different sites. Reactions to those sites ranging from somber and sad, as with the POW/MIA ceremony to awe and disbelief as cargo was dropped onto the flightline by a C-130H just before lunch.

The day began at the Dobbins Consolidated Club with breakfast and a welcome by Maj. Gen. Wallace Farris, 22nd Air Force commander, and Tarchick. The commanders gave an overview of the structure of the Air Force and how the 94th AW Airmen fit into the Department of Defense picture.

Following breakfast, HCA members were given several tutorials and demonstrations at the Eastern Regional Flight Simulator on base, to include flying lessons in the C-130 simulators, night vision goggle demonstrations and mission oriented protective posture gear displays. Laughter filled the halls as the honorary commanders tried on equipment or had near-misses in virtual C-130s.

From the simulator, HCA members observed the honor guard in action and learned partially what life is like through a POW's eyes.

A waiting bus took everyone, civilian and military, to Base Operations, where they watched a live air drop and toured a C-130H.

Lunch was served, courtesy of the Force Support Combat Training Center, at a Single Pallet Expeditionary Kitchen, or SPEK, which Airmen can set up and begin serving nutritious, multi-course meals to Airmen in remote location in about an hour.

The last demonstration was likely the most dynamic in nature. HCA members watched a fire-suppression demonstration by the Dobbins Fire Department.

To cap off the day, the tour returned to the base club, where Travis Ellis, Honorary Commander Association chairman, reiterated the importance and impact of supporting our nation's military.

"I look to a quote from Olympic hero Wilma Rudolph who said, 'Never underestimate the power and influence of the human spirit.' We all have an opportunity to make a difference," said Travis Ellis.

For more information on the Honorary Commanders Association click here or please contact Katie Edfeldt at 770-859-2334 or kedfeldt@cobbchamber.org.