AETC Command Chief comments on developing today’s Airmen during his visit to Sheppard

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Vernon J. Cunningham
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Chief Master Sgt. Robert Tappana, command chief master sergeant of Air Education and Training Command, took a few minutes during his recent visit to Sheppard to comment on some of Sheppard and AETC's contributions to today's Air Force.

During his tour through Sheppard, Chief Tappana visited many of the facilities that house Sheppard's training and operational missions.

Near the end of the tour, Chief Tappana expressed how Sheppard is helping Airmen maintain their warrior focus.

"Sheppard's Combat Fitness program is giving people fitness skills that they can use anywhere," Chief Tappana said. "It doesn't require a big gym. It just requires knowing the right exercises."

He also noted that AETC Airmen are utilizing the skills they learn in technical training, in their deployed locations. Some Airmen are doing their normal jobs and some are expanding outside their normal duties.

"We sent [military training instructors] that went and set up basic training for the Iraqi air force," Chief Tappana said. "We have classroom instructors who are conducting technical training [for the Iraqi air force and Afghani Army Air Corps]. We are building an air force in both countries, literally, from scratch. I think we can all take great pride in what AETC is doing for warrior focus."

The chief also said that Airmen who are in technical training right now may be deployed within a year, using the skills Sheppard has given them.

"The technical skills they learn in the classroom, they will take with them," Chief Tappana said. "The combat fitness skills you are teaching them, they will take with them. The wingman culture that you instill here, they will take with them. They will know how to care for one another. And everything that you do here adds to that."

He said he was impressed with the things Sheppard does to help take care of the Airmen; such as having facilities like the Solid Rock Cafe. The chief said all of those things lead towards producing warriors for the fight.

Chief Tappana said, "And it is important for us to remember, in the tech training business, that we are not just producing warriors for the war we know now. We are producing warriors for the wars that will come next."

Chief Tappana is working on communicating with Airmen through the AETC Command Chief Master Sergeant Facebook Webpage. He wants to have this medium for communicating with Airmen using the technology that many utilize today. This webpage will allow him to answer questions, and post content, to any web user that subscribes to it. The site will also allow subscribers to post to the AETC Command Chief Master Sergeant Facebook page and be viewed by other subscribers.