SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --
Located 180
miles south of the Arctic Circle, Eielson Air Force Base is home to the 372nd Training
Squadron’s Detachment 25. Det 25 is
responsible for providing the 354th Fighter Wing with the highest
quality instruction in both maintenance technical training for the F-16
aircraft as well as faculty development training, even when it is -50 degrees
Fahrenheit. With 26 different advanced training
courses in five different AFSCs, spread between five personnel, Det 25 may be one of
the 372nd’s smallest detachments but they have a massive impact on Eielson AFB
and Red Flag Alaska.
The mission
for Det 25 has evolved over the years in order to adapt to the needs of the 354
FW. In its early years, Det 25 was
teaching both A-10 and F-16 aircraft technical training, being reduced down to only
F-16s with the departure of the A-10s in 2007.
Now that Eielson AFB is slated to be the first base outside the
contiguous United States to receive the F-35, Det 25’s mission will again
change as they begin to make preparations for the arrival of the Air Force’s
newest fighter. Master Sgt. Jesse Wiseman is
the Detachment Chief for Det 25 and is heavily involved in the planning phase
for the 2020 standup of the F-35 program.
“As we gear up for the arrival of the F-35, the det will increase in
size going from 5 to over 30 personnel. Currently
we are a small detachment that is making a big difference in the further
education and training of maintainers for the F-16, but soon we will play vital
role in the training of F-35 maintainers,” states Wiseman.
This fiscal
year, Det 25 has taught 34 courses, providing 2,880 hours of instruction, and
graduating 109 students awarding 395 CCAF credits. The students that pass through Det 25 utilize
their training to help facilitate amazing feats during Red Flag Alaska with
international participation from Japan, Singapore, India, Canada and NATO
forces so far this year alone. By
receiving their training, these maintainers are able to keep the F-16
aggressors flying. The F-16 aggressors
play a very important role in these war games as simulated enemy aircraft and
ultimately strengthen the war capabilities of U.S and our allied forces.
Members at
Det 25 know the value of cause and effect, understanding that every opportunity
to extend themselves and their knowledge is chance to make a positive impact on
the base and throughout the community.
Master Sgt. Wiseman has created an environment where “service” is always at the
forefront of his instructors’ minds. As Wiseman says, “At Det 25 we are all reaching out to be involved in areas
around the base where we can use our professionalism and experience to help educate
others. We understand that our usefulness and effectiveness are only limited by
how much we are willing to give. This is why we have fostered a mentality of
selflessness and why our total impact expands well beyond the confines of
formal teaching hours.”
Furthermore,
the constant push for excellence and the continuous involvement in activities has
made the instructors of Det 25 not only ambassadors for the Air Force but also
for Air Education Training Command.
Being involved as JrROTC mentors, active participants in 5/6 and Top 3,
as well as instructors for the Tobacco Cessation Program, Green Dot training facilitators
and having two Master Resiliency Trainers for the base, these members exceed
every expectation of “service before self” by redefining what a detachment can
do.