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Showcase Wing puts 'ICE' on display for 18th AF

  • Published
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
Members of the 375th Air Mobility Wing welcomed the 18th Air Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Sam Cox and his wife, Tammy, along with the 18th Air Force Command Chief, Chief Master Sergeant Todd Petzel and his wife, Brandy, to the "Showcase" Wing on March 4.

During the 18th AF leadership team's first official base visit since Gen. Cox took command in October, the Wing shared the initiatives and support they provide to higher headquarters.

Collectively, they visited with Airmen from the operations, medical, communications, and mission support groups as well as those assigned to the wing staff agency. In addition, they met with active duty personnel and their Reserve and Guard counterparts who serve together as part of the Air Force's Total Force construct. Later, Gen. Cox and Chief Petzel shared their message with the wing and encouraged Airmen to be the best at the jobs they do.

"We are not just focused on the operational aspect of flying airplanes," said Gen. Cox during an all-call with the Airmen. "We're focused on all the mission sets of our Air Force because it all comes together to provide a capability for the joint fight. You have to know where you fit into the mission and every day you should be coming to work with a positive attitude because you get to do something that's special and contributes to what our nation needs ... don't ever forget that."

Chief Petzel added that he is focused on ensuring there's an "airpower culture of excellence" and foot-stomped that now, more than ever, the Air Force is a team sport. Gen. Cox stressed, "It's our Active Duty, it's our Guard, it's our Reservists, and it's our civilians and contractors who collectively work each day to enable rapid global mobility across the enterprise. While we may not be perfect at everything, we can achieve excellence. And of course none of us can do any of this without our dynamic families who support our Airmen both deployed and at home."

In describing the Air Force team, Gen. Cox recalled the words of Vince Lombardi who once said that perfection is unattainable, but "if you chase perfection often enough, you will catch excellence."

"Excellence" is what Col. Laura Lenderman, 375th AMW Commander, said the wing showcased during the visit by highlighting Airmen whose initiatives demonstrated "innovation, communication and excellence" across the installation.

"There is no other wing in the Air Force with our unique and crucial capabilities. Not only are we the center of excellence for aeromedical evacuation, operational support airlift, and Total Force Associations, but we also provide the security, communications, medical, and installation support for over 30 mission-critical partners. Our motto is 'Help From Above' and those simple words mean that we have the responsibility to lift up our work and lift up each other in ways that enable us and those we support to successfully complete critical missions here at Scott and around the globe. I'm extremely proud of our team and our commitment to lifting up our wing and our installation by embracing innovation, communication, and excellence every day."

Viewing those capabilities, Gen. Cox and Chief Petzel met with Airmen from the dental clinic who demonstrated computer-aided technology that enables dentists to fabricate crowns quicker and with more precision. This directly improves the overall oral health of Scott's population and results in increased deployability rates. In addition, the bioenvironmental professionals highlighted their recent rapid response to a contaminated water situation in the Air Mobility Command headquarters building. Their quick reaction ensured the health and safety of many hundreds of Team Scott members. Later, the wing's physical therapists demonstrated techniques and technology they leverage to optimize performance and promote healing and a speedy recovery for injured Airmen.

Additionally, Gen. Cox and Chief Petzel visited the Communication Group's data center that is the command and control backbone for all global air and logistics transportation for AMC and U.S. Transportation Command. They were also briefed on our partnership with the local community to establish a Cyber Center of Excellence.

On the military personnel front, the wing explained how they used the Continuous Process Improvement model to revamp its customer service and mobile customer service support cells.

While visiting the Base Defense Operations Center, Staff Sgt. Chris Balderas informed Gen. Cox and Chief Petzel how integrated systems and technology assist the defenders in improving the base's defense, ops tempo, training and readiness posture.

Later, Gen. Cox and Chief Petzel had the opportunity to meet with several Air Traffic Controllers who have developed initiatives to bring more air operations to our local traffic pattern and airfield. Their creative efforts have helped increase aircraft operations and readiness more than 25 percent in 2015.

After meeting with the Air Traffic Controllers, Gen. Cox and Chief Petzel met with several Airmen who briefed them on the wing's executive airlift, aeromedical evacuation, and combat flight inspections capabilities.

General and Mrs. Cox and the Petzels also visited the Child Development Center, where Gen. Cox pointed out that having quality care centers and providers is not a luxury--it's a necessity to ensure mission success.

At the Wing Headquarters, Gen. Cox appeared particularly interested in learning more about the Air Force's Green Dot initiative and Team Scott's leadership in the endeavor. He described Green Dot as a "proactive aspect of our culture to positively influence behaviors to prevent violence." He added that the AF was moving in the right direction with Green Dot, and he appreciated Scott AFB being ahead of the curve on getting people trained.

The itinerary of Mrs. Cox and Mrs. Petzel included meeting with Key Spouses while also hearing from the Airmen & Family Readiness Center, where many programs reside to help the military family. Master Sgt. Rob Kilburn showcased the Hearts Apart Program which provides assistance to spouses and family members of deployed service members. The spouse team also visited the Chapel, Youth Center and the Airmen's dorms to get a sense of the support the wing provides Scott Airmen. Mrs. Cox and Mrs. Petzel later learned about the Single Airmen Program, which provides recreational activities at tremendous discount to our single Airmen population. It is a great way for Airmen to meet others and expand their network at Scott.

One of the highlights of the visit was showcasing the reason behind the wing's success ... the incredible Airmen, who were represented by 12 superior performers recognized for their outstanding accomplishments. "We have amazing Airmen who have innovative and creative ideas to improve our operations," Col. Lenderman said.

During the afternoon's "all-call," Gen. Cox and Chief Petzel highlighted that diversity and inclusion are crucial to our success. "It's not about a quota, it's about talent," stated Gen Cox. "We must cultivate the talent of those around us and acknowledge what each unique person brings to the team. We need diversity of thought to make better decisions...and we can only do that in an inclusive environment. I want people outside the Air Force to look in and want to be part of our All-Star team. When we bring in these great people and leverage this diversity, we make better operational decisions because we have this inclusive environment."

Gen. Cox added that retention is also key. "We spend a lot of time training Airmen to get to a certain level, and we need to retain these quality Airmen. That's why the Air Force is looking at policies like the extended maternity leave and other programs to keep people on our team."

He proceeded to share the important role our team fulfills in America. "We are fortunate to have been born in a country that is free," stated Gen. Cox. "But being born here was simply luck. It is a great privilege to live in freedom, and it's our responsibility to die in freedom.

Chief Petzel added, "So thank you for raising your hand to support and defend the Constitution. It's what we've all signed up to do, and the 375th showcases that every day."

Gen Cox concluded the visit by telling the Airmen that what they do here matters and to be proud of their service. "The highlight of my day was meeting with Airmen at breakfast. I asked what they were most proud of and one individual responded by saying, 'I am most proud to be a part of the greatest Air Force on the earth.' I think all of you should be proud too."