Commander visits several shops within 90th MW

  • Published
  • By Col. Greg Tims
  • 90th Missile Wing commander
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  The vision for the 90th Missile Wing is "Ready to fight. Anytime, Anywhere." You will soon see posters around the base that display our mission and vision. It is important to understand both, as they provide a strategic pathway for us to move together to new heights and garner more successes. In order to provide the safe, secure and credible nuclear deterrent, every one of us must be committed to the vision for the 90th MW.

I get to see many members of our wing staff weekly, but I like to go visit our folks where they actually work -- so Mr. Barry Kistler, 90th MW director of staff, and I headed out last Thursday to pop in on them to just say thank you for a job well done.

Kicking off our visit was the Equal Opportunity office. Mr. Jim Hunt does a great job for us ensuring all cases are thoroughly reviewed, and I caught Master Sgt. Torrie Pettaway in the middle of one of her weekly briefing sessions to new Airmen who arrived to Warren. Torrie is always wearing a smile and has such a positive attitude. Great job to you both.

I got to meet the base union President Mr. Fran Shive and the Information Protection office headed up by Mr. John Karabetsos, to include Ms. Carrie Michaels, Mr. Paul Norman, Mr. Van Clough, Mr. Wes Pyle and Mr. Wes Greene. Both of these shops are full of professionals that take their job seriously and it shows.

Lt. Col. Chris Nutting's Comptroller squadron was our next stop. The squadron's superintendent, Senior Master Sgt. Chance Glascock, and the secretary, Ms. Emily Dyer, were out in the front office. Emily had made a plate of sausage balls that I couldn't pass up -- they sure were good. I stopped and spoke with the other sections and got a chance to meet many hard-working folks to include: Staff Sgt. Jeremy Rinehart, Senior Airman Royce Johnson, Airman 1st Class Timothy Eaken, Airman 1st Class Nancy Ervin, Airman 1st Class Tyler Freeney, Senior Airman Jonathan Fraher, Capt. Lewis Barasha, Lt. Celina DuVall, Mr. Jim Dockter, Ms. Trudy Fralick, Ms. Barb Herron, Ms. Janet Trantham, Ms. Sharon Skinner, and Ms. Alisha Riles. I just can't say enough about this impressive group. They enjoy their jobs and it shows. Thanks for all you do providing customers with professional and accurate financial service in a timely manner. Our readiness depends on their management of the wing's money. If you haven't been by the museum lately please do. Every time I visit I learn something new about F.E. Warren's rich and colorful history. Did you know Ms. Paula Taylor, Mr. Larry Sprague and Master Sgt. Dan Lyon got more than 22,000 visitors last year? Don't worry about the high numbers, when you go there you will be treated like you are the only one visiting.

The Chapel staff was next. I can't say enough about our Chapel staff -- they rock! Lt. Col. Bob "Chappy" O'Dell, Chaplain (Capt.) John Sackett, Fr. Tom Kadera, Mater Sgt. Phil Watson, Staff Sgt. Johnny Duncan and Ms. Dixie Hawk keep the spiritual needs of this base in proper order.

We then dropped into the Judge Advocate office headed up by Lt. Col. Catherine Fahling, to include Ms. Patricia Navarrete. I got to briefly say hello to Capt. Nichole Torres and Capt. Michelle Clark. I met Master Sgt. Dan Perge who had just returned from deployment the previous night and his wife Christina. Welcome back Dan! One thing about our JAG, every product that comes across my desk has been scrupulously examined and all the i's dotted and t's crossed. They certainly get that perfection is the standard.

While our government continues to negotiate a follow-on agreement with Russia, our START office members, Mr. Rex Ellis and Mr. Marty Whalen, keep a close eye on the numbers that appear in the press and keep me updated on the progress of the negotiations. While they are waiting for the outcome, they stay informed and stand ready to do their jobs when called upon. They continue to ensure we adhere to the Department of Defense's guidance and policies.

Capt. (Major Select) Mary Danner-Jones and her Public Affairs team were next. Capt. Rodney Ellison, Staff Sgt. Mike Tryon, Staff Sgt. Chad Thompson, who recently returned from a Honduras deployment, Senior Airman Daryl Knee and Airman 1st Class Jennifer Viveiros comprise a team of professionals who produce the weekly base paper and keep our Web site updated among other things. They are busy not only telling people what's going on around base, but also keeping friends, family members and interested people across the globe informed.

Mr. Mike Byrd runs our history section, and his office is being augmented by Senior Airman Vince Russell, who is a member of the Wyoming Air National Guard. Ensuring our history is properly documented is no easy task-it is very time consuming and requires a very meticulous pen to ensure our heritage is correctly preserved.

While most of the Safety office was out in the field, I did get to speak with Mr. Dave Clark and Mr. Keith Koenig. We have a phenomenal safety record here. The reason is simple: we have leadership engagement at all levels, and we have a first-class safety office.

I also visited the very busy Plans and Program shop. Also known as XP, this office is full of talented members of our wing committed to ensuring we maintain the highest levels of readiness and adhere to the standards of perfection at every level in every organization. Mr. Bob Kodis, Master Sgt. Jim Stanley, Tech. Sgt. Clayton Schoepflin, Staff Sgt. LeeJuan Davis, and Mr. Tom Deville stay very busy. We have asked the XP shop to develop a year-long exercise plan to weave in complex and integrated exercises. This is no easy task, but I know their product will be exactly what we need to ensure we are "ready to fight, anytime, anywhere."

Our Antiterriorism shop is manned by Tech. Sgt. Troy Grubaugh and Mr. Kelly Young. While you may not hear much about this shop, don't be mistaken. These two do a wonderful job ensuring our base is secure and well informed of any potential threats. Their vigilance is key to our success.

My last stop was Protocol. Our protocol folks are the true "behind the scenes" heroes. It takes a special person to function in this shop and we sure are blessed to have Lt. Donnie Whitt, Tech. Sgt. Heather Lowry, Staff Sgt. Stephanie Contreras and Senior Airman Ryan Williams. They make every visit look easy, but those of us in the know understand clearly that it takes precise planning and coordination. Did you know that since July 1, we had 123 general officers, retired general officers, or senior executive service member on this base last year? Some bases only see a fraction of this level of VIP. Well done to you all.

I also had a chance to go visit Alpha-01. The facility manager, Tech. Sgt. John McCallum had the place in spit-polish order and the chef, Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Touhey's kitchen looked mission ready. Lt. Hunter Gallien, the crew commander, and his deputy, Lt. Katy Luttrell were extremely professional and full of energy despite finishing up a 24-hr alert. I received post briefings from the flight security controller, Staff Sgt. Duane Bradway, the security response team leader Airman 1st Class Cody Dumarce and his team member Airman 1st Class Anthony Black. All three had their post briefs down pat, and they also ended it with our nine-word mission statement. Very impressive!

I also ran into Staff Sgt. Ray Smith at Uniform-01. He was providing a tour and I was very impressed with Ray's passion for his job and our mission. I like it when I can hear the enthusiasm and confidence when our Airmen speak. Well done Ray for a first-class tour and your commitment to our mission.

Finally, we said goodbye to Chief Master Sgt. Matt Miller on Friday. The presiding officer was Col. Eric Batway and the emcee was Senior Master Sgt. Mike Whittaker. It was certainly a well executed event. To say the least, Chief Miller will certainly be missed. What a great chief. What a greater leader. As Chief Miller would say, "Nuff said."

Go Forth and Conquer!