Wing commander reflects on week’s happenings Published Aug. 7, 2009 By Col. Greg Tims 90th Missile Wing commander F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- More sad news to report. F. E. Warren lost another one of our team members last week. Nancy Wallace, 90th Security Support Squadron supply clerk, passed away after a long battle with cancer. She was a just shy of 22 years of civil service. Ms. Wallace was well respected and put the accountability back into lost and stolen equipment recouping 90 percent of those losses. She managed the second largest budget in the wing, accountable for $4.8 million in combat equipment and executing $8 million in end of year funds. Our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. Ms. Wallace will be dearly missed. People such as Ms. Wallace, are the cornerstone of what we do. Mission success would be harder to come by without professionalism, dedication and loyalty of the men and women of the Mighty Ninety. I had the opportunity to spend half a day with people who personify those qualities while at the 90th Maintenance group, lead by Col. Eric Batway and Chief Master Sgt. James Miller. There are lots of great things happening in this group. I received a pre-dispatch briefing by Master Sgt. Justin Workman, noncommissioned officer in charge of the missile maintenance team. Talk about an Airman with a warrior perspective and outlook ... wow! The buildup and maintenance of our strategic deterrence capability is in good hands with Justin and his team. Barry Kistler, 90th Missile Wing director of staff, invited me to hand out civilian appraisals, wing staff quarterly awards and to present an Air Force Commendation Medal to Staff Sgt. Stephanie Contreras, 90th MW protocol office. I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of recognizing those who go above and beyond the standard. It's people like these who understand that "good enough" isn't good enough when you are dealing with a strategic mission like we have at F. E. Warren. I find it very satisfying to be around warriors who get it. Another person who gets it is Master Sgt. Jeffrey Rosinski, Top Three president, whom I had the opportunity to meet last week. He asked me to stick around after the NCO induction/promotion ceremony and to say a few words to the Top Three members. Even though I've only been on base a month, I recognized half of the members in the room. I believe the reason for that is this is a very active group on base. In the past month, I've seen them out in the field doing the mission, training their folks, actively involved with the various changes of commands, and participating in a number of other events at our busy base. Basically, they're what I call engaged leaders. What I like about engaged leaders is they are dedicated to mission, eager to contribute, and motivate others to do the same. Building on our cornerstone of people, the 15th Munitions Squadron formally became a part of the F. E. Warren team as a mission partner. We had the pleasure of hosting Gen. Donald Hoffman, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, Tuesday. He came out to watch Maj. Jerrod Duggan take the 15th MUNS guidon in an activation ceremony. Colonel Dave Milner, 798th Munitions Maintenance Group, was the presiding officer for the ceremony. Maj. Gen. Kathleen Close, AFMC director of logistics, and Brig Gen. Everett Thomas, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center commander, accompanied Gen. Hoffman. While 15 MUNS will now report through the AFMC chain of command, I assure you this will be a seamless transition and we'll work closely with Jerrod and his team to ensure success on all fronts. I told Jerrod he and his family have an open invitation to attend any and all 90th MW events. When you see him, please be sure to welcome him, his wife Kim and their sons, Landon and Mason. I would like to extend a special thank you to Tech Sgt. Tony Bostic, and Airmen 1st Class Heath Goad and Luis Hernandez, all from the 90th Security Forces Squadron. These three Airmen did an excellent job processing Gen. Hoffman and his team to the weapons storage area. Well done! I wanted to personally thank Kay Bybee, 90th Security Forces Group secretary. While Nila Connors, 90th MW secretary, was on much deserved vacation this week, Ms. Bybee selflessly moved over for 10 days. The front office is not an easy place to work, believe me. But Kay, you did a wonderful job and I thank you. Again, our mission is successful because of the people we serve with side by side. Finally, we are in the midst of an Environment, Safety and Occupational Health Compliance Assessment and Management Program inspection as well as an Air Force Space Command Personnel Reliability Program staff assistance visit. ESOHCAMP inspections occur every three years, and it's important we're public stewards of the environment we work and live. I've been involved in these before and I can tell you from experience the inspection teams are thorough and they should be. However, with Lt. Col Mike Geer, 90th Civil Engineer Squadron, at the wheel, I have no worries. The PRP SAV is equally important. Many of you have heard me say this, but it's worth repeating. If the nuclear mission was a human body, then PRP would be the heart. If PRP isn't alive and well then neither is the body. Let there be no doubt that PRP is the heartbeat of a nuclear wing. Make no mistake, when it comes to PRP, perfection is indeed the standard. I continue to be impressed with the men and women of the Mighty Ninety. We have some of the Air Force's finest and with your continued professionalism, dedication and loyalty, we will continue to go above and beyond the standard. Go forth and conquer!