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The Patriot Flight is intended to prepare new members for transition from civilian life to military culture. Additionally, Student Flight provides a practical means to provide consistent unit oversight ensuring enlistees remain qualified and eligible for military service while they await their departure for Basic Military Training.
“We hope it gives our student flight members a sense of belonging,” said Master Sgt. Bridgett Harper, NCO in charge of Military Personnel in the Force Support Squadron at the 122nd Fighter Wing.
“Often times a new enlistee spends anywhere from three to six months in the Patriot Flight program,” said Harper. “Up to this point new enlistees at the wing had been moved from location to location and often received little to no core training while in the program. Due to this they become uninterested and show displeasure in attending RSDs.”
With a newly remodeled facility and a newly structured curriculum in place, the FSS hopes to better prepare the trainees for Basic Military Training while also showing them they are valued members of the Blacksnake team.
The FSS team had been planning the move for some time. The building was old, beat down and in desperate need of care. The entire transition was made within a month’s time.
After a walk-thru with the wing’s senior leadership prior to the RSD it was immediately apparent how much work the FSS team had accomplished in a short time span, said Chief Master Sgt. James “Sal” Salway, FSS Superintendent at the 122nd.
“We did everything from cleaning carpets to replacing ceiling tiles,” said Harper. “We requested furniture from end of year funds and from there we painted, did patchwork, purchased blinds and decorations.”
The FSS team even added a break room, complete with a number of donated items including a television, fridge, and microwave and popcorn machine.
“Student Flight members left November RSD with a neglected building and showed up December RSD with a new name and a whole new area to call their own,” said Harper.
Salway said the vision that the FSS team sparked to transform a dilapidated facility into a resource that looks brand new is truly a testament to their desire to improve processes for those that will follow in their trails.
One trainee, Andrew Seber, a member of Patriot Flight when it was still without a home, is excited about the changes in Patriot Flight.
“We didn’t feel like a part of the base because we didn’t have a designated location,” said Seber about Patriot Flight before the transition.
Having the Patriot Flight gives us a spot to report to every drill. Someone from leadership is always there to help us, said Seber. It made it a lot more organized and made us feel more of a part of the base and what’s going on here.
The Airmen that will follow in the trails of present Blacksnakes are what the revitalization is all about. The program not only works as an educational piece, but as a recruiting and retention tool that the entire base can be a part of.
“The Blacksnake Patriot program is a team effort and we’re always looking for Blacksnake members to help mold our future Airmen,” said Harper.
The trainees looked on with eyes full of excitement as the wing commander, command chief and members of FSS stood before them with encouraging and empowering words about the future of the Patriot Flight program. They were both comforted and re-invigorated by the show of solidarity from the wing’s command staff. They were reassured that the base stood with them as they prepared to become 122nd Fighter Wing Blacksnakes. As the command staff looked out into the audience they saw the future.
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| Date Taken: | 08.22.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2017 16:13 |
| Story ID: | 245643 |
| Location: | FORT WAYNE, IN, US |
| Hometown: | FORT WAYNE, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 122nd Patriot Flight finds a home, by TSgt Rana Franklin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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