AETC Commander's Group, Linda Beltchev

AETC Commander's Group member Linda Beltchev tries on a night vision goggles helmet used by special operations combat controllers Sept. 29, 2011, while visiting Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Beltchev represents Sheppard Air Force Base, and has been a member for two years. The AETC Commander's Group visited both Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field during their conference in late September. (U.S. Air Force photo/Collen McGee)

AETC Commander's Group, Danny Cremeens

AETC Commander's Group member Danny Cremeens gets guidance from an instructor with the 96th Ground Combat Training Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Sept. 28, 2011. Cremeens represented Sheppard Air Force Base for three years and is now an emeritus member of the group. The AETC Commander's Group visited both Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field during their conference in late September. (U.S. Air Force photo/Collen McGee)

AETC Commander's Group visits newest joint training center

Published Oct. 26, 2011
By AETC Public Affairs

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The commander of Air Education and Training Command, Gen. Edward A. Rice Jr., took 25 civic leaders from 16 different base communities recently to observe training at Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field, Fla.

Linda Beltchev and Danny Cremeens, representatives for Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, along with 23 members of the AETC Commander's Group, visited the newest joint training center for F-35 Lightning II pilots and maintainers at Eglin AFB. The group saw first-hand how the state of the art facility and training systems will advance how people learn and standardize procedures. They then visited the 33rd Fighter Wing to see the fifth-generation aircraft in its new home.

At Eglin, they also toured the largest and only climatic laboratory in the Air Force where the group experienced 165 degree heat. They also visited the Taconi Room, where the Air Force Research Lab showcases its success stories in weapons development. The Commander's Group then moved into an undeveloped portion of the base where the 96th Ground Combat Training Squadron trains security forces. The squadron is only one of only four in the Air Force. The group fired weapons, experienced a Humvee rollover, and learned about improvised explosive devices.

A day later at Hurlburt Field, the AETC Commander's Group received an Air Force Special Operations Command mission briefing from AFSOC commander Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel. They also had hands-on experience with night vision goggles and simulator time as an MC-130 gunner and a CV-22 Osprey pilot. At the end of the tour, they visited the Special Tactics Training Squadron and saw how these Airmen train in water, keep physically fit and fight in hand-to-hand combat.

The group is composed of one or two civilian leaders from each community surrounding a major AETC wing or group across the nation. Members engage with senior AETC leaders and Airmen throughout their term to better enable them to understand the missions of the Air Force men and women serving in their cities.