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The 375th FSS never stops

  • Published
  • By Maj. Tommasina Grant
  • 375th Force Support Squadron commander
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  One never knows what the future holds. Six months ago I was the operations officer for the newly formed 375th Force Support Squadron.

The 375th Mission Support and Services Squadrons merged April 3, 2009 and within two months, the commander, Maj. Billeye Juarez, deployed and in a blink of an eye, I was given the gift of command. This is actually nothing new, as commanders of old have had to deal with this exact issue of taking care of their people and mission without sacrificing one for the other. However, when coupled with the birth of a completely new organization with 600-plus personnel, it did cause me to stop breathing--just for a second. The 375th FSS is young, and we are still finding our footing and growing into our own identity as an integrated squadron. We have flourished because of the great people we have. From the employee with 40-plus years experience to the Airman who in-processed just last month, they have proven themselves indispensable, undaunted and undeniably the right people for the job at hand!

The 375th FSS never stops ... whether we're issuing Common Access Cards to members who need the card in order to accomplish their mission, conducting wing or base accountability during a national disaster, creating a Thanksgiving feast for Airmen and their families, or planning and executing base events for 3,000 to 12,000 people.
We have unequivocally proven we can handle and do the mission regardless of what comes our way. The 375th FSS never stops ... but we pause ... or at least I pause, when I have to handle the part of my duties which brings me the greatest dread--conducting casualty and mortuary assistance. Regardless of whether it's a fallen warrior or the result of some tragic accident, it causes all of us to stop and reflect. These are the occasions that create jarring reminders to take time to do that extra check on my Airmen and people to make sure they are well and their families are well.

So where do I end? I end with the same pledge my commander has made and other commanders before her, and that's to spend the remaining time I've been given in this leadership position doing a better job of taking care of my people, our people, as they continue to do their Herculean effort of completing the mission.