GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James met with 434th Air
Refueling Wing Airmen and leadership during a visit to Grissom Air Reserve Base,
Ind., Dec. 15-16.
During the visit, the Secretary learned about the
base's history and gained a more in-depth understanding of Grissom's mission
capabilities and the local communities that support the base.
"My first
impression of Grissom was wow!" said James. "You've been involved with every
major operation for the past two decades; it's unbelievable the importance of
your mission."
"The visit went extremely well," added Col. Doug Schwartz,
434th Air Refueling Wing commander. "This was a great opportunity for her to
meet the men and women of the Hoosier Wing and see first-hand the outstanding
facilities that we have here as well as learn more about our mission and
capabilities."
James' visit began with a dinner in Wabash, Ind. at the
historic Honeywell House where she met with Grissom's leadership and local civic
leaders.
"This is an amazing community," said James. "You can really tell
that the base has their support."
The following day, James was given a
mission briefing and tour of the north-central Indiana base that included visits
to a KC-135 simulator and Grissom's new boom operator weapon system trainer.
James also had an opportunity to share the tour with Sen. Joe Donnelly and a
couple of his staff members as well as U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski's military
legislative assistant.
"This is very realistic," said James as she took
the controls of the KC-135 simulator. "What a valuable asset to the pilots [who
fly these aircraft]."
Donnelly echoed those words as he took over the
controls of the simulator.
"These [simulators] are amazing," concurred
Donnelly "I'm honored to have the opportunity to meet [Secretary James] and see
first-hand the mission at Grissom."
The tour moved from simulator to the
real thing as the wing showcased one of Grissom's 16 KC-135R Stratotankers.
Crewmembers and maintainers showed her around the aircraft and answered
questions.
"I am blown away by the condition of your aircraft!" explained
James. "They truly are a testament to pride your maintainers take in their
work."
As the visit progressed, James met with Hoosier Wing Airmen during
a luncheon. She highlighted several key topics with the Airmen in attendance
including resiliency, innovation and career development.
"I couldn't
have gotten where I am today without good mentors and a lot of resiliency," she
said. "Be prepared to zig-zag in life; you will have your ups and downs, but
when you are down you have to bounce back."
James also discussed the
importance of every Airman and what they bring to the mission.
"There is
no substitute to engaging with Airmen in person," said James. "Each of you
brings valuable assets to the mission."
Airmen asked questions and
listened to the advice she had to offer.
"Meeting the SecAF was a great
opportunity for me and gave me an insight of how the Reserve and our mission fit
into the big picture," said Senior Airman Courtney Dotson-Essett, 434th
Maintenance Squadron hydraulics specialist. "It really shows that what I do in
the Air Force matters and makes a difference."
James concluded her visit
by reassuring Airmen that reservists will continue to play a vital role in the
defense of our country in the future.
"We continue to rely on reserve
units more and more, and we are going to continue to build up their end
strength," she said. "Continue to keep up the good work; everyone is proud of
what you are doing with the KC-135 and its mission."
The 434th ARW is the
largest KC-135R
Stratotanker in the Air Force Reserve
Command. Airmen and aircraft from the 434th ARW routinely deploy around the
world in support of the Air Force mission and U.S. strategic
objectives.
Stay connected with the 434th ARW on Facebook and Twitter.
USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)