Working together accomplishes the mission

Photo By Staff Sgt. Heidi Goodsell | Members from the 111th Attack Wing from Horsham Air Guard Station, Pennsylvania pose for a group picture at Aviano Air Base, Italy, May, 8. Members from the 111th AW had the opportunity to work alongside members from the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Heidi Goodsell)  

PORDENONE, ITALY

06.10.2019

Story by Airman 1st Class Ericka Woolever 

31st Fighter Wing

Members from the 111th Attack Wing at Horsham Air Guard Station, Pennsylvania had the opportunity to work alongside members from the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy, during the beginning of May.
Both units were granted the opportunity to gain experience and knowledge while working together.
Thirty-one members from the 111th AW Force Support Squadron, provided key support services to Airmen, families, civilians and retirees while working with the 31st FW.
Some of the 111th FSS members focused on home station training which was provided by the 31st FW FSS Readiness section.
The other 111th AW members focused on Air Force specialty code specific training. A total of 14 members worked in the dining facility, fitness centers, military personnel flight and squadron combat service support and the postal center.
The 111th AW opens their dining facility for guard weekends, which causes challenges on their part as far as ordering and accountability, said Tech. Sgt. Cassidy Damm, the 31st FW Dining Facility Manager. The 31st FW showed the 111th AW how they accounted for their entire facility’s food and waste with the NetChef online system.
Additionally, Anna Richar, the 111th AW Airmen Family Readiness Center Program Manager, worked closely with the 31st FSS AFRC. They compared and contrasted the vast differences between active duty bases and standalone Air National Guard bases.
As a team, the 31st FW and the 111th AW worked together to convert a room in the Child Development Center into an infant room.
Moreover, 13 members from the 111th Security Forces Squadron supported their active duty counterparts with extra security posting.
Approved Wet Lab training was provided to the 31st SFS by four full time Philadelphia police officers from the 111th AW. The members also taught a class on field sobriety testing and held a practical exercise with both the active duty and ANG members.
“I literally had no idea how to even start a sobriety test, so the whole experience was new for me,” said Airman Scarlett Vargas, response force member from the 31st SFS. “We learned a couple of methods to identify whether someone was drunk or not, like having them walk in a straight line. It was also great doing it with people who were actually drunk because you truly understood that their safety is your responsibility at that point. But you also have to hold them accountable.”
Finally, one of the 111th Chaplains and one of their Religious Affairs Airman integrated with the Wing’s Chaplain Office for training and provided additional support.
ANG units spend time training with active duty units each year. The training that the 111th AW and the 31st FW accomplished together is mutually beneficial because it deliberately invests in and develops highly skilled, professional Airmen.

• Date Taken: 06.10.2019
• Date Posted: 06.10.2019 09:18
• Story ID: 326358
• Location: PORDENONE, IT