Photo By Master Sgt. April Wickes | James A. Roy, chief master sergeant of the Air Force, and Mike Minahan, 380th Air...... read more read more
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James A. Roy, chief master sergeant of the Air Force, visited the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, June 26-28, as part of his tour of bases in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
The chief said it was important that he got to see the mission at this undisclosed location.
“I came here to view the mission and see how the Airmen are performing that mission,” he said. “We have to make sure we are adequately training Airmen for the mission here and are also making sure they are properly equipped.”
Roy started his day June 25th by participating in the dedication of the 380th AEW Explosive Ordnance Disposal building in honor of Tech. Sgt. Anthony Campbell. Campbell died in Afghanistan, Dec. 15, 2009, after forward-deploying from here.
In his speech at the event, Roy said that he has long admired the bravery of EOD technicians and that people like Sergeant Campbell are true professionals.
“He was a public servant that truly placed service before self,” Roy said at the ceremony. “His legacy and the profession of EOD continue on for us to reflect on.”
The chief spent the rest of the day meeting Airmen and getting a look at the diverse 380th AEW mission. Included in his tour was a tour of the KC-10 Extender, RQ-4 Global Hawk, and civil engineer projects and a trip in a chase car behind a U-2 Dragon Lady.
Roy said he came away impressed by how keyed in to the mission Airmen are here.
“There is a varied mission set here and every Airmen I spoke to knew exactly what the mission is and how the things they do effect the battlespace,” he said. “The Airmen here are providing the warfighter a sense of what the battle field looks like before they go out there and providing the necessary resources for the aircraft that fly into combat every day.”
The robust physical training program here caught the chief’s eye as well. He said that being deployed doesn’t mean you should stop working out. He said every deployed location has workout facilities because a lack of conditioning can be detrimental to the mission.
“In your deployed location you have to keep a good workout pace,” Roy said. “You’re working in climates of 100-plus degrees with very high humidity; if you are not in shape you won’t last long.”
Roy said a definite strength of the 380th AEW was how well everybody works together.
“Something I saw as soon as I walked off the plane here is the great teamwork,” he said. “Our mission partners enjoy working with our Airmen here, and the Airmen at the 380th are absolutely in the fight.”
| Date Taken: | 06.29.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 06.29.2010 04:21 |
| Story ID: | 52120 |
| Location: | (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION) |
| Web Views: | 235 |
| Downloads: | 157 |
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