Top ANG Leadership Visits 175th Wing

Photo By Tech. Sgt. Sarah McClanahan | Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice, the Director of the Air National Guard speaks to 175th Wing airmen next to Command Chief Master Sgt. Ronald C. Anderson Jr., Command Chief Master Sergeant of the Air National Guard, February 10, 2018 while touring Warfield Air National Guard Base, Middle River, Md. During the visit, Rice and Anderson spoke with various squadrons and handed out coins to Airmen for their contributions to the wing. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Sarah M. McClanahan)  

MIDDLE RIVER , MD, UNITED STATES

02.10.2018

Story by Airman 1st Class Sarah McClanahan 

175th Wing, Maryland Air National Guard

The top leadership of the Air National Guard met with Airmen of the 175th Wing February 10, 2018, during a visit to Warfield ANG Base during a day of their weekend training.
Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice, director of the Air National Guard, along with Chief Master Sgt. Ronald C. Anderson, command chief master sergeant of the Air National Guard, talked with the members of the Maryland Air National Guard and answered their questions during the tour of the facilities.
“It’s a good way for them to get a pulse of the worker bees, the people who are in the trenches every day,” said Tech Sgt. Joshua Winchell, a cyber warfare operator with the 276th Operations Squadron. “They were willing to talk about the tough issues we are facing and give us an idea of what they’re looking to do.”
When speaking to the Airmen, Rice discussed topics like the global and local importance of their work and how the family-dynamic of the ANG sets it apart.
“When we hire you, we hire you with the opportunity to become a guardsmen for the rest of your life,” said Rice. “I don’t care if you say your enlistment is up after your first term and you go out into the community to do other things. To me you will always be a guardsmen because you have made a difference for our country, our organization, and our unit.”
Anderson, who started his ANG career with the Maryland National Guard, said visiting the 175th Wing was like coming home.
“Much of who I am and what I bring to this position as the ANG command chief started right here,” said Anderson. “It’s great to walk around this organization and see so many friends who I’ve known for so many years.”
Over the course of the day, Rice presided over two enlistments and one reenlistment, as well as recognized individual Airmen for their outstanding contributions while serving.
Staff Sgt. Miriam Y. Jarvis was recognized for her contributions as the president of the 175th Wing’s Junior Enlisted Council and was surprised to receive the director’s coin.
“It’s everyone else in the JEC that makes it what it is, not just me,” said Jarvis, the customer service non-commissioned office (NCO) for the 175th Force Support Squadron. “I’m just the overseer of what they all do. I wish that everyone else could have gotten the coin too.”
In addition to the 175th Wing, Rice and Anderson have visited many bases since May 2016 with the intention of meeting as many of the nearly 100,000 guard members and civilians of the ANG as possible in action where they work.
“I’m grateful that they took the time to meet with us on a weekend and make the drive over to speak to us,” said Winchell, who had lunch with Rice, Anderson and other junior enlisted Airmen. “It’s great for them to get an idea of what our issues are and what our opinions are on certain things.”

• Date Taken: 02.10.2018
• Date Posted: 02.15.2018 16:19
• Story ID: 266204
• Location: MIDDLE RIVER , MD, US