By Meredith Vincent
Public Affairs Intern
Wyoming National Guard
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Col. Bradley Swanson’s career has taken him not only all around the country, but around the world. From Oklahoma to England to Washington, D.C., to Saudi Arabia, he has flown in every hemisphere of the globe. And considering that, he is still trepidatious about his new home’s notorious weather. A new Wyoming transplant, Swanson says his experience here has been very positive and welcoming, but added in October, “The winter’s not here yet.”
By the time this story runs, the winter weather will have indeed moved in and Swanson, the new commander for the Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing, will have experienced a new culture shock to add to his growing repertoire. Thankfully, new surroundings are nothing new to the well-versed pilot.
Swanson’s career as a pilot and officer for the U.S. Air Force began in his home state of Oklahoma in 1989, when he commissioned out of Oklahoma State University and went on to pilot training at Vance Air Force Base. For the last 25 years, he served in the Air Force in one way or another. He was a reservist while living in California, but following Sept. 11, 2001, Swanson decided he wanted to get back into flying and joined the Oklahoma National Guard. Eventually, he would work for the National Guard Bureau in Washington, an assignment that ultimately led to his appointment in Cheyenne as wing commander.
Although his background is tinged with fighter experience versus C-130s, Swanson believes at the heart of every command is the people. While the mission changes, Swanson says, the people do not.
“I think in the end, the position is all about people,” he said. “And people aren’t that much different. Whether it’s an airlift wing, tanker wing, fighter wing, reconnaissance wing, intel wing – we all put our uniform on every day wanting to serve our country.”
The colonel does admit there are differences in the mission, but says the subtleties are miniscule when compared with the larger picture.
“There are cultural differences, and a lot of that is because the missions are so different,” he explained. “And what it takes to prepare for that mission is different. In the end, all the responsibilities are the same ... your primary job as an aviator is to be ready to deploy, is to be ready to do the mission, in whatever shape that takes.”
Wing command chief, Chief Master Sgt. Mike Abbott, met Swanson before the colonel was selected to become the new wing commander, when Swanson was still with the National Guard Bureau. Abbott says Swanson brings a new, proactive way of thinking to the wing.
“He understands the big strategic picture that’s out there,” Abbott said. “Not only from a wing standpoint but from an NGB standpoint and a National Guard standpoint, he brings that kind of experience here to the wing.”
Swanson’s main focus for the wing is mission readiness for deployments. The wing’s primary mission is supporting the state and the nation in the event of any emergencies, so ensuring his airmen are ready for possible deployments is a priority.
“We just sent four aircraft out the door recently, so we’re actually deploying,” he said. “We’re doing that mission. I think that’s always been a strength about the 153rd Airlift Wing – being able to deploy combat airlift. That’s a strength, that our Airmen step up to the job and when they get in theater, they do the job right.”
The deployment sent more than 100 airmen to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, to support U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq by providing tactical air missions.
Swanson took command in July, back when the skies were blue and the sun was abundant. Thankfully, only the weather has turned chilly as his new command and new community remain warm.
Swanson brought with him his two youngest children – a daughter at Central High School and a son in sixth grade – and his wife, Lynn, a homemaker. Their oldest, a freshman at the University of Virginia, stayed behind on the East Coast.
“The family’s really enjoying it,” he said. “They’re all settled in and moved in. The wing has been very welcoming.”
Swanson attributes the smooth move to the relationship between the 153rd and the local community.
“It’s been an easier transition because the 153rd and the city of Cheyenne have a great relationship,” he said. “Cheyenne supports the military and is a very military-friendly community, so no matter where you’re going in town, people recognize the uniform and they appreciate your service.”
Swanson says the Air Force lifestyle has been very good to his family.
“We’ve been very fortunate in some of our assignments,” he says. “Having been in the Guard and being able to be stable in one or two locations for a while has really helped. We haven’t been the typical military family on active duty that’s moving every three years.”
Still, the family has seen many different Air Force bases, and Swanson says so far, Cheyenne is unique among them.
“That’s the advantage of the 153rd is that we’re here in Cheyenne, we’re all in one place,” he says. “Other places we’ve been, the wing and the personnel have been spread out. For example, when we were in D.C., people lived in Maryland and Virginia and all over the place. So here it’s more (centralized) and life revolves around the wing, so it’s been nice. It has more of a community feel.”
Deployment readiness is at the top of Swanson’s priority list, but it’s not alone. Going hand-in-hand with that is preparing for capstone inspections this month. Fortunately, Swanson said, if you’re meeting one, you’re meeting the other.
“In the new Air Force inspection system, mission-ready means being inspection-ready,” he explained. “So priority No. 1, if you’re mission ready, you should be meeting priority two, inspection ready.”
Priority three, says Swanson, is focusing on the wing’s overall recruiting numbers. The next generation of airmen must be prepared and focused, and Swanson believes if the mission still inspires his crew, that’s half the battle.
“My advice (to recruits) is that you really have to find something that you want to do, that you love doing and stick with it,” he said. “As young airmen coming in, we all join for different reasons. But I think underlying all that, is that we all want to serve.
“As long as that drives you and you remember that we’re doing it, not just for ourselves, but for the nation,” he continued. “I’ve been really happy in the Guard, and I think part of that is the feeling that we’re all in this together. That we all have a higher calling of serving our nation. When you come in, pick out something that you want to do, stick with it, pursue that, don’t let anything deter you from your goals.”
As Swanson becomes more comfortable in his new role, the weather around will inevitably come full circle. Snow will melt, the wind will subside and eventually temperatures will begin to climb again. As the year progresses, Swanson is confident he will make a positive mark on the wing, as well as on the community that is now his home.
“It’s been a rewarding experience,” he said. “We’ve only been here for a few short months, but we hit the ground running. The men and women of the wing have done an outstanding job.
“A lot has went on the last couple of months – with getting people ready for deployment, getting people out the door, getting prepared for inspection and just trying to do their day-to-day job, I think overall that the men and women of the 153rd are outstanding, I think they’ll continue to rise to the challenge no matter what and support both our nation and our state.”
Underneath all the work, responsibilities and transitions, Swanson is most passionate about his calling to serve his country. Just as he encourages younger airmen to stay invested in their careers, he says the same goes for someone like him, well into his career.
“I told my family, ‘As long as I’m enjoying what I’m doing, then I will continue to serve.’ So as long as it doesn’t feel like a job,” he said.
Then again, winter’s not really here yet.
| Date Taken: | 01.07.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 02.12.2015 19:11 |
| Story ID: | 154369 |
| Location: | CHEYENNE, WY, US |
| Web Views: | 43 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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