Mighty Ninety members do great things: Keep it up Published April 23, 2010 By Col. Greg Tims 90th Missile Wing commander F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- A couple of weeks ago an, announcement came out that I want to be sure you are all aware of: The 90th Missile Wing didn't just pass their lodging accreditation from the Air Force Services Agency; we smoked it with an outstanding 93.7 percent rating. Kudos to Lt. Col. Shelly Strong, 90th Force Support Squadron commander; Tom Kuhn, 90th FSS; and their team for the hard work and effort. This score combined with the 85 percent from last year puts us into an every-other-year inspection cycle vice an annual cycle. Last week, we experienced a moment that got our hearts beating. A lot of you may not know it, but any time we have a big truck, payload transporter, transporter erector, crane, movement planned, we put a road check team on standby in case the weather deteriorates overnight. Putting experienced drivers and squadron leadership on the roads ahead of teams is the right thing to do. It gives us situational awareness and a current, eyes-on assessment before we put these high-value assets at risk. On the morning of April 2, the road-check team consisted of Senior Master Sgt. Mike Whittaker, 90th Missile Maintenance Squadron generation flight superintendent, and Senior Airman Patrick Brooks, 90th MMXS. At 5:29 a.m., they departed base to check road conditions before releasing other maintenance group teams to travel. All was well until they arrived just east of Cheyenne, near the Archer exit. Airman Brooks had slowed to 45 mph, because roads were getting bad. Sergeant Whittaker was on the phone with the missile maintenance operations center, requesting the transportation control center put the roads into travel condition yellow, cautioning drivers of increased hazards. Around that time, a tractor-trailer that had passed them a few miles back started fishtailing in front of them, going completely sideways in the east-bound lanes of Interstate-80. Miraculously, the driver kept the rig upright but ended up crossing through the median and travelling east in the I-80 west-bound lanes. As the truck exited the interstate, still going the wrong way, using the on-ramp to depart the freeway, Sergeant Whittaker and Airman Brooks noticed a car in the median. After requesting TCC downgrade to travel condition red, they parked their truck and went to render assistance. As they approached the car, they noticed extensive damage, its trunk was crumpled and the roof was smashed down to the point it was touching the rear seats. The roof had a slash through which you could see into the car's interior. The rear and side windows were also busted out. Amazingly, the driver had some bumps and scrapes, but neither he nor the passenger had any obvious significant injuries. Sergeant Whittaker and Airman Brooks moved the couple into their vehicle to keep them warm and await emergency assistance. Once the ambulance and highway patrol arrived and took statements, Sergeant Whittaker and Airman Brooks got permission to travel and returned to base. My sincere thanks to Mike and Patrick for their road probes to ensure our folks traveling in the missile field have the absolute perfect situational awareness and to taking care of those in need. Well done to you both. When I put on the uniform and go downtown, people thank me for my service. While not expected, the comments sure make me feel good. These were my opening remarks to our veterans who joined us for Retiree Appreciation Day on base April 10. I also told this distinguished group of folks that we will never forget who has come before us and who paved the way to where we are today. It was my turn to thank our retirees for their service and to thank them for the trials and tribulations they overcame to ensure our country's liberties and way of life. There were 130 who joined us for this absolutely splendid event. Master Sgt. Ronald Detillion, 90th FSS, was the event coordinator and was aided by 1st Lt. Thomas Ostby, 90th Mission Support Group; 2nd Lt. Brian Kingcade, 90th FSS; and 2nd Lt. Joseph McIntosh, 90th FSS. Additionally, Mike Archer, 90th MW Retiree Activities Director; Kathy Beatty, Commissary Manager; and Col. Fran Vasta-Falldorf, 90th Medical Group commander; and her folks were key to ensuring our retirees received first-class care. Thank you, again. If you missed the article I wrote in the April 2 edition of this paper, please take a moment and read the first part about ostrich-like behavior. I got an anonymous letter the other day from a spouse complaining about an issue on base. Thankfully, I don't get many of these. The problem with an anonymous letter is I can't fix the problem until I fully understand both sides. Most problems can be very easily fixed when the two parties come together and talk. I have also found that 99 percent of all problems on this base can get fixed by squadron leadership when they become aware of an issue. I also don't like anonymous letters, because I think it is the epitome of ostrich-like behavior. One of the values we pride ourselves on here, is confronting and fixing problems. Anonymous letters do not allow for this to happen. Lesson here, if you have a legitimate issue, let's hear it -- and let us know who you are. Also noteworthy regarding the antithesis of ostrich behavior, I have to take a moment and brag on our gate guards. I was coming through the gate April 6 when I came upon Senior Airman Christian Cabague, 90th Security Forces Squadron. He asked me if I wanted to hear our nine-word mission brief. I said, "Sure," because I always enjoy watching our Airmen perform. He rattled it right off. A few days later on April 10, I came upon Senior Airman Tara Horvat, 90th SFS, standing very proudly out in front of Gate 1. She saluted smartly and gave me the mission brief without even asking. The reason I wish to share this with you, is that our Mission and Vision statements allow us to all march toward a common objective. Christian and Tara get it. I take the nine-word mission brief so seriously that I use it to establish funding priorities, which is critical in these days of more wants and needs than cash available. It also drives the way we lead this wing. Simply put, it provides us a road map. It's a confident statement that demands perfection in order to accomplish it: "Provide Preeminent Combat Capability Across the Spectrum of Conflict." Let us also remind ourselves of the vision statement -- that one is even easier. It's only five words: "Ready to Fight ... Anytime, Anywhere." This is who we are, and this embodies the underlying meaning of being in the profession of arms. Today, I will return from my third temporary duty in the last four weeks. While I do not like to be away, these TDYs have been very productive in getting the attention we needed on certain programs to enhance our mission. I am confident things move along in my absence -- they need to. There should be no single-point failures in this wing. As I was sorting through a few items on my desk that had collected in my absence, the article in last week's Sentinel really caught my attention. On page 11, it recognized the annual Air Force, Air Force Space Command and Air Force Global Strike Command winners we have had from our wing. It was a very long list. After reading through the names and accomplishments, it's obvious to me that the influence of the Mighty Ninety continues to go way beyond the establish perimeter of our base. Go Forth and Conquer!