Hornitscheks prepare to bid farewell Published May 9, 2012 By Karen Petitt 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- After serving nearly two years as 375th Air Mobility Wing commander, Col. Michael Hornitschek prepares to pass the torch to a new commander May 18 by taking some time with his wife, Polly, to reflect on what they considered to be their successes during their time here. His command has remained true to the theme of this being the Scott Campus of Leadership University in that every experience good or bad in the course of a military assignment is a leadership learning opportunity and he said he's pleased with how the ideas have resonated throughout the wing. "Even as wing commander I've learned more lessons about leadership in two years--my class 'Leadership 495'--than during my previous time in the Air Force," he said. "I feel much more equipped now as a leader than I did when we began this journey together. And, throughout the wing we've been able to characterize these 'leadership' experiences and paint them in the context of how everyone can develop their leadership skills both in terms of the challenges presented, the tools they need and the results they produce. Nothing has been more satisfying than personally watching hundreds of leaders, from senior airmen to colonels, discover and develop their own and teach others leadership skills." Leadership University was not only a foundational core for the active duty and civilian work force, but also for the spouses and family members, as Polly interacted with hundreds of spouses and senior leader mentors who "had their own school going on." She said her role in many of the programs was to help the activities and organizations stay progressive and keep up with modern challenges. Especially rewarding she said was helping to advocate for the Parent Advocates for Students and Schools, or PASS, program, and serving with the Officer's Spouses Club, which is a social and charitable organization. With Polly's leadership and advocacy, the organization reinstituted not only individual scholarship awards, but also funded grants to local schools. In her role and as one area that she considers a Leadership University success is the Key Spouse program--one of the hallmarks of the wing for its continued growth and outreach. "We have worked hard to expand the program and address a wide range of issues," said Polly, noting that a recent guest speaker was a widow who talked about bereavement. "I've worked with a panel of women who've worked to bring together the annual Key Spouse Appreciation Luncheon where we'll be focusing on resilience--another hallmark of the wing's successful initiatives." Resilience at Scott AFB is synonymous with the Hornitscheks as they've worked together to build upon Air Mobility Command's wellness culture of Comprehensive Airman Fitness. Every effort expended has been to promote the cultures of mental, physical, social and spiritual fitness and to reinforce positive behaviors of caring, committing, connecting, communicating and celebrating. "I had an epiphany early on that you can never have too much resilience," he said. "You never know when you're going to need it, so you need to invest in it when life is calm. It's as fundamental as needing food and water, and we've worked to sustain those core 'resilience' needs through all of our training efforts ... and we've seen our teams become more cohesive and better functioning. The response from everyone has been extremely positive, so I'm indeed very proud of our Wingman culture how everyone is participating and expanding the program within their own spheres of influence." The commander explained how these two areas alone have influenced many other aspects of wing life such as continuing to build on the Total Force Integration efforts with the Guard and Reserve units at Scott--the 932nd Airlift Wing (Reserve) and the 126th Air Refueling Wing (IL ANG). He said their collaborative efforts set the example for the Air Force and many aspects of their joint missions have been showcased as "the way to do business." Several other initiatives have also put Scott AFB and the wing in the spotlight within AMC and the Air Force, with the Air Force-wide Services transformation efforts as one example. Though much cannot be publicly discussed right now, the Scott AFB is one of eight installations designated as pilot base for how the Air Force will transform its Services functions into the future. "We are obviously facing fiscal constraints with the military and more manpower reductions, and we have an obligation to look at how we conduct business to ensure we are doing the responsible thing with how we operate. The Chief of Staff has already declared areas such as the dining facilities for our Airmen, child care centers, Airman and Family Readiness Centers, libraries, Outdoor Recreation and youth programs to be core services that support a strong, healthy work force and family life. So we are now discussing and looking all other support areas to see how that will look as we move forward, so there'll be more to come in the future as we take that journey." As part of that Services transformation, the idea of creating a "Student Union" on base came from the idea of consolidating several functions into one common area with proximity to the Base Education and Airman & Family Readiness Centers. The Student Union idea was approved and funded by AMC leadership and is currently under construction, due to open this June. When it opens it will be the first Student Union in the Air Force, designed as a campus-style meeting area with both indoor and outdoor areas in which people can gather to "connect and celebrate." The base has also thrived under Hornitschek's leadership as he led the team through the first-ever Consolidated Unit Inspection with "Excellent" ratings and a critical Command Cyber Readiness Inspection, also with "Excellent" ratings. Hornitschek's vision for the wing to "provide award-winning combat capability to the warfighter ... always" was also realized as the wing claimed more than 700 individual, team and unit awards. "There's nothing more rewarding than putting a team together and working with that team to accomplish great things! The words of Gen. George Patton ring true: 'Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.' I've seen that work on so many levels because we really have the greatest team assembled who have the ability and willingness to surpass all expectations! I'm very proud of this team and all that they've done individually and collectively ... and could not have asked for a better team!" Hornitschek's legacy will also live on as a result of his monthly commander challenge runs and the "trash talk award," the spirited new format for wing quarterly awards recognition, the numerous councils that gave many in the wing an opportunity for leadership such as the Wingman's Council, Customer Service Council, Energy Con"ver"sation meetings, the Student Union Council, and more. If there was a project to work, there'd be a council to lead it. Other visible legacies include the 145 trees that were planted recently in celebration of the history of the base and in recognition of Earth Week and Arbor Day. "I look forward to seeing those trees 20 years from now ... providing shade and beauty," he said. His most recent initiative is the launch of the new base activities/resiliency services smartphone application, My Military Communities, which saw over 800 downloads in the first 24 hours and is expanding to 25 other bases to date. The MyMC2 is a benchmark for the Air Force and is expected to expand to all military installations that choose to participate. "I think we've just begun to tap into the potential of this app and what it can do to keep us connected as a community," he said. "Again, what a great way to end a career with something that will benefit our families. It showcases the great things happening on base as well as directly connects people to the many helping agencies and services that are available." Looking forward to their future, the Hornitschek's decision to retire came as a surprise to many, but they said they plan to continue their Service-Before-Self lifestyle within the local community here so their teen-aged children can have stability, so they remain close enough to elderly parents and because they have always loved this area as a place to raise a family. Polly said, "While we would have been happy to continue our service to the Air Force elsewhere, I'm excited for what this means for us. Our family made willing sacrifices--our kids have been so supportive and understanding--but I'm glad that we will have more time to give back to them now. The main reasons we've been able to balance the demands have been due to the wonderful, wonderful friends who surprised us with meals or fed our kids when we were away from them, or unwound with us after a long week of work and responsibilities ... we will always be grateful and cherish those memories." The commander said that while it's not clear exactly what their future holds, they look forward to the adventure. "We've loved every minute of our 23 years in the Air Force, and we still plan to serve, just in a different capacity now," he said. "We feel comfortable handing off the reigns of leadership knowing that the wing--and the great team here is in good hands."