Mighty Ninety personifies wingman concept

  • Published
  • By Col. Greg Tims
  • 90th Missile Wing commander
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  I hope everyone had a great Memorial weekend. I know I did.

I got to coach plenty of baseball, 19 innings to be exact, which I really enjoy doing. I also got to see a Rockies game, a Cheyenne Grizzlies game and my oldest son had a double header for 36 more innings of baseball. So, in total, it was 55 innings of coaching or watching America's favorite past time ... in 72 hours.

Speaking of Memorial Day, I want to thank those who participated in the various venues around our city and state honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to our nation.

Thank you for taking your time to ensure the sacrifices made by those before us are never forgotten.

I want to address a couple of new projects you'll see around base.

First, the disc golf course is now complete. I'm a fan of any new program or project that helps facilitate the morale and wellness of our Airmen and their families.

This base needs to be enjoyed by all, and I encourage you to get out during the warm weather and enjoy all of the programs the base offers.

Secondly, we have some more fences going up around base in particular, a row of fences by the golf course. While I'm not a huge fan of fences, these are placed to protect the new trees.

Quick story: When I first got here, I told the 90th Civil Engineer Squadron to take all the fences down because I thought they were an eye sore.

They told me if they didn't fence up our new seedlings, the wildlife would destroy the new trees and shrubs. I was skeptical so they took me out and showed me evidence of the destruction the wildlife had done.

Additionally, many of our trees act as a snow fence. Again, I'm not a fan of the fences, but I appreciate those who have come before us for having a vision and a plan.

Remember, when we plant trees, they are not for us, they are for those who come after us. I like that vision; it has turned our base into a model show place.

Last week, I was really pleased the way the Mighty Ninety handled our Wingman Day. Chief Master Sgt. Marty Anderson, 90th Missile Wing command chief, and I popped in on several of the small venues.

What I saw really impressed me. I saw Airmen at all levels engaged in serious dialogue on how to handle the many problems we face. These can be serious challenges, and it deserved a warrior focus. I appreciate our chiefs taking the time to prepare and deliver a serious message about where we have been and where we are going. Additionally, our 53 facilitators led the charge for ensuring our Wingman Day was a huge success.

However, Wingman Days are nothing new for us. This was our second of three Wingman Days scheduled for the year. We will do our final one in August. To me, our Airmen are just too important to have only one a year. Thank you all for your commitment and dedication to making these days the best that they can be.

This past weekend, I was thinking about Warren's role in today's world affairs. Many of you heard me say this before, but I think it worth repeating -- Warren is one of the few bases that is involved in two conflicts: the one we are engaging and the one we are deterring. While the later is unique to just us and a few others, the first one is not.

The first one intertwines us with all service members as only those relationships can be solidified in the profession of arms. We all raised are right hand and swore to serve and defend our great nation. We knew the dangers. Today those who are about ready to follow our footsteps know the dangers too -- just turn on your TV and you'll see it firsthand. To me, this selflessness is truly humbling.

Then, when you step back and take a look at this base, Warren has participated in every war our military has taken part in or supported, starting with the American Civil War and carried on to the sands of the Middle East, to the most desolate parts of the far East, to the war on drugs in South America, to the battlefields of Europe and everywhere in between.

This rich tradition our base plays in the annals of history will continue. Stealing the old adage from the British Empire, "in a way the sun never sets on the men and women of Warren." In 2009, we deployed 245 Airmen across the globe, and today we have 112 Airmen stationed at 30 different locations. That, along with our strategic deterrent role, is why we must be ready to fight anytime, anywhere.

Go Forth and Conquer!