Photo By Ryan Labadens | Col. Frank Amodeo, 403rd Wing commander, presents a command coin April 12, 2015, to...... read more read more
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KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Training missions don't always go off without a hitch, so it can help when both active-duty and reserve Air Force components work together to resolve an issue, or in some cases provide a necessary assist.
This was the case April 10 when active-duty Senior Airman Preston Mikesell, 81st Training Wing command post senior emergency actions controller, helped reservists from the 403rd Wing here accomplish a training mission that night.
That day, 403rd members flew several C-130J aircraft as part of a multi leg training mission. However, one of the aircraft developed a mechanical problem en route and had to be diverted to another airfield, which could have resulted in personnel being left behind at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
To prevent this, Mikesell helped coordinate for another 403rd aircraft to pick up the reservists at MacDill and initiated efforts to keep the Keesler control tower and runway open past closing time, allowing reservists to arrive here later that night. The Airman kept in constant contact with commanders at the 403rd Wing to appraise them of the developing situation and request the necessary permissions to carry out arrangements to pick up the reservists at MacDill.
Col. David Condit, 403rd Operations Group commander, praised Mikesell for the self-initiative he took to gather and coordinate information so that Condit could make informed decisions on how to proceed.
"In this particular case, I thought the command post controller did an excellent job of anticipating my next requirement, my next question, and having those items ready at his fingertips so that I didn't even have to ask for them," said Condit. "(Mikesell) not only coordinated this, but he did an excellent job of keeping us on track to make sure we had the right information (to accomplish the mission)."
Sunday of the April UTA, 403rd Wing commander Col. Frank Amodeo visited the Keesler command post to present Mikesell with a 403rd Wing command coin and to thank him for his efforts.
"This is an excellent example of how active and reserve members work together on a joint effort to accomplish the mission in an ever-changing environment," said Amodeo.
Mikesell said he was glad to be able to assist and that he appreciated the recognition.
"It feels great to have the commander take time out of his day to do this," said Mikesell. "I'm glad I was able to help."
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.30.2016 11:43 |
| Story ID: | 219052 |
| Location: | KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 89 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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