Local civic leaders get broad look at operational AF

  • Published
  • By Dan Hawkins
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Civic leaders from around the Wichita Falls area completed a joint tour of three Air Force bases May 16-18 with their civic counterparts from Altus, Okla., and Enid, Okla.


The tour was designed to broaden the civic leaders perspective of the global Air Force mission by witnessing operational Air Mobility Command and Air Combat Command units in action and by seeing how civic leaders in different communities interact with the installations in their areas. Civic leaders paid their own expenses for the three-day trip.


After a morning tour of Sheppard that included stops at the 366th Training Squadron's Explosive Ordinance Disposal preliminary course, the 361st Training Squadron's parachute packing course and the base tower, the Sheppard contingent departed for Altus Air Force Base, Okla. Once there, they met up with civic leaders from Altus and Enid.


The Altus tour consisted of a mission brief at the 97th Air Mobility Wing headquarters and a windshield tour of the installation.


Day two of the trip began with a C-17 Globemaster flight to Dover Air Force Base, Del. on a scheduled flight training mission, with tours of the base tower facility, a C-5 isolation dock, the 436th Aerial Port Squadron and finishing at the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Center.


The final day included travel to Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Neb., which was highlighted by visits to U.S. Strategic Command Headquarters and several command and control aircraft areas, including the E-4-B Nightwatch, which serves as the National Airborne Operations Center, and the RC-135V/W Rivet Joint, which has had at least one aircraft deployed every single day since 1990.


Col. Om Prakash, 82nd Training Wing vice-commander, stressed the importance of exposing civic leaders to a wide range of Air Force operational missions to better highlight the reason Sheppard exists and the vital role the base plays in training the men and women who eventually move on to other bases to execute the daily operational tempo of the Air Force around the globe.


"We want everyone in our community to know what we do for them," Prakash said. "We hope to put things into context for them. Sheppard, our slogan, "Combat Capability Starts Here", says that for a reason. Our Airmen start out at Sheppard and get the skills they need, then go off to other parts of the Air Force and help execute combat capability."


Tim Chase, Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce president, enjoyed the chance to take what he knows about Sheppard and its training mission and see how the finished product of the training environment goes and impacts the operational mission world.


"This is the first time I've been able to go out and see other mission capability bases," Chase said. "It really helps put the pieces of the puzzle together. We see the men and women at Sheppard training and now we have gotten to see them putting that training to use out in the field."


For Mark Yowell, United Supermarkets regional vice president of retail operations, the technical abilities of the Airmen at such a young age was inspiring.


"It was just amazing to see how young and tech-savvy they are," Yowell said. "The pride they have in their jobs and the commitment to our country was easy to see in the way they conducted themselves and how they presented their briefings."


Getting the chance to interact with community leaders from the other cities was a rare treat and helped kick-start ideas on ways to keep improving the bond between Sheppard and the city of Wichita Falls.


"Every community does it a little bit differently," Chase said. "We can always learn from how other communities do it...it's been very enlightening to hear how Altus and Vance are interacting with their bases."


Barry Mahler, Wichita County commissioner, was impressed with the mission-ready attitude of all the Airmen he encountered.


"The coolest thing I saw on the tour, outside of the high-tech equipment, is the spirit of the people of the United States Air Force," Mahler said. "The people we have encountered are gung-ho, proud of their mission, proud of their country, proud of their service...they are ready to go on a moment's notice."


The relationship between Sheppard and the local community is continually strengthened through events like the tour. Showing the civic leaders other aspects of the Air Force helped reinforce those feelings.


"They (the community leaders) are a reflection of all the great things of America," Prakash said. "It was an honor and a pleasure to show them what their Air Force does for them."