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Congressional staff delegates visit Florida's Reserve wings

  • Published
  • By Capt. Joe Simms
  • 927 ARW Public Affairs
FLORIDA --  Congressional staffers from six states participated in a tour showcasing Florida's Air Force Reserve wings and missions, Nov. 5-8.

During the four-day tour, the congressional staffers from Washington D.C. visited four separate bases, received briefings by leadership from eleven different squadrons and flew on an air-to-air refueling mission aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker piloted by the 63rd Air Refueling Squadron, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

"As the Legislative Director for Florida's 14th district, I advise Congresswoman Kathy Castor on issues concerning MacDill, the military as a whole and the National Defense Authorization Act," said Elizabeth Brown. "MacDill is our primary focus in the 14th District so this tour was a great opportunity to learn about the other bases in the state of Florida."

"It was especially beneficial for someone in my position who does not have a military background," she continued.

The tour also allowed the staffers to interact with the military members that live and work in their district.

"We see policy and legislation regarding the bases within our district all the time and this trip allowed me to hear the issues directly from the commanders," said James Zumwalt, MLA to Rep. Jeff Miller Fl-1. "It was definitely a worthwhile trip."

All staffers on tour serve as either the Military Legislative Assistants or Legislative Directors for their respective representatives. Staffers in these roles serve as subject matter experts on all things regarding the military and advise their representatives prior to congressional hearings or voting on legislation.

The tour began Nov. 5 at Duke Field, Florida, with a briefing and demonstration by members of the 919th Special Operations Wing. The following day, the staffers were taken on a whirlwind tour across the state beginning at Hurlburt Field, Florida where the staffers boarded a flight to Patrick AFB to visit the 920th Rescue Wing, followed by another flight to Homestead AFB.

To maximize the time spent with the staffers between locations, a portion of the trip was spent aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker flown by a MacDill based crew. Prior to the flight from Hurlburt, the staffers were briefed on the 927th Air Refueling Wing's mission by Lt. Col. Adam McLean, the 63 ARS commander. During the flight the staffers witnessed an air-to-air refueling mission from the boom pod while the operators refueled a flight of A-10 Thunderbolts.

"This tour is a great opportunity to showcase the value the Air Force Reserve provides the Air Force and the nation, and why we are an indispensable, cost-efficient, fully integrated component of the Total Force" said Lt. Col. Will Vaughn, Air Force Reserve Policy Integration. 

The genesis of the tour grew from a proposal presented to Lt. Gen. James Jackson, Commander, Air Force Reserve Command and Chief of the Air Force Reserve, to bring staffers from Washington D.C. to Reserve wings across the country. 

Once approved, the Reserve Congressional Outreach staff looked for an opportunity to maximize the number of wings to visit during Congressional recess, keeping the goals of educating congressional staffers and building relationships in mind.

According to Vaughn, Florida was selected because it provided the opportunity to visit a variety of associate unit, unit equipped wings, and a cross section of mission sets in a relatively close geographical area.

The Air Force Reserve plans to hold similar tours in other locations throughout the country in the coming years. Plans for a congressional staffer tour were delayed in 2013 due to sequestration.