Commander addresses Mighty Ninety during commander's call

  • Published
  • By Airman Jason Wiese
  • 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs
F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  Between April 23 and 25, the 90th Missile Wing commander spoke to the Mighty Ninety Airmen during several commander's calls held in the F. E. Warren Base Theater.

While the message was the same for each of the four commander's calls -- two for those holding the rank airman basic through senior airman, officers of all ranks and those holding the rank of master sergeant through chief master sergeant, and one for those holding the rank of staff sergeant or technical sergeant -- the delivery was tailored to the respective audiences.

Col. Christopher Coffelt, 90th Missile Wing commander, spoke about risk management, sexual assault prevention and Consolidated Unit Inspection preparation.

First, he introduced Mike Woods, 90th Missile Wing ground safety manager, who spoke about base safety policies.

Pedestrians on base near areas of vehicle traffic are now required to wear reflective items during hours of darkness, Woods said.

He also reaffirmed that motorcyclists are still required to wear reflective vests and have reflective items on their backpacks, and that cell phone use is still unauthorized while driving except when using hands-free devices.

However, using hands-free devices while driving is frowned upon, he added.

When Woods finished his safety discussion, Coffelt began discussing the issue of sexual assault.

Statistics show when Airmen are sexually assaulted, it is usually a case of "blue on blue," an Airman assaulting another Airman, Coffelt said.

Coffelt added that when discussing cases of sexual assault, many people ask "what was the victim doing?" This does not make sense, he said, because nothing anyone does gives anyone else the right to assault them.

"Nobody deserves to be assaulted," he said. "Nobody deserves to have a crime committed against them.

Coffelt stressed the importance of actively working to prevent sexual assaults.

"I expect you to be a wingman," he said. "I expect you to intervene as a bystander."

Finally, Coffelt spoke about the upcoming CUI.

"Every one of us has a stake in this inspection," Coffelt said. "The reputation of the Mighty Ninety is on the line."

He said, since he has been an inspector before, he can offer insight into how to perform well during the inspection.

"Their job is to assess how we perform our mission," he said. "We don't hide stuff. We're an open and honest organization."

Coffelt stated all Warren Airmen must keep up their dress and appearance and be confident in what they say. He also stressed the importance of actually performing all tasks instead of simulating them.

"Think about how important your role is in this inspection," Coffelt said. "They need to know we're awesome. It takes every one of you to do that."