Command Chief's point of view Published May 1, 2011 By Staff Sgt. Stephen Razo 944th Fighter Wing Public Affairs LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Chief Master Sergeant Thomas J. Brandhuber recently assumed the position of 944th FW Command Chief. In that position, he is the primary adviser to the commander on all matters affecting readiness, training, professional development, force utilization, operations tempo, welfare, morale, and leadership of assigned enlisted personnel. The chief serves as the commander's representative on councils, boards and selected military functions. The 944th FW public affairs staff recently interviewed the Command Chief on matters of interest to the enlisted force. What are your immediate short-term goals for the Airmen of the 944 FW? My short term goals are to get out and talk with wing members to find out what they are thinking and to ensure they understand Col. Monteagudo's expectations and goals for the 944th Fighter Wing which are the following: · The ultimate goal is that every Airmen is ready to perform their/the mission effectively · Ensure our Airmen know that they are valued, respected and appreciated · Know that wing leadership works for the Airmen · Ensure our SNCO's are mentoring and taking care of our younger airmen and ensuring that enlisted personnel have what is needed for their success · Ensure that all enlisted personnel comprehend the unwavering expectations of them to perform at high professional standards and to stretch themselves through education/PME/experience for new roles and opportunities · Understand that the physical fitness standards are not changing. Long term goals? This is a two way street. Our enlisted personnel need to understand their responsibility to be a member of the Reserve as mentioned above. Our leadership responsibility is to ensure that they are given the tools/support/experience/education to reach these expectations as well as their own military goals. I didn't make it to this position on my own, there are countless people who trained/mentored/helped me. I will work so that all Airmen have the same opportunities. CMSAF Roy recently stated that there are no excuses for improper training or lack of care for our Airmen and families. How do you plan on supporting his position on these two issues? The Air Force Reserve is built upon the triad: Family-Civilian Job-Military. I believe family, and that is a broad all encompassing term, comes first. You need that strong foundation to ensure you can be successful in your civilian and military career. If the proper programs are not there for the reservist then they can't focus on the mission. Our families have many wonderful opportunities whether the individual is deployed or not: Chaplin Service, Yellow Ribbon, Military One Source, and the Family Readiness Center. All of these opportunities can be explained in detail by the unit's First Sergeant. People are what make this wing, and on up to the DoD level, function at the incredible level that it does. Our mission is to "train and deploy assigned Reservists and Civilians in support of any Department of Defense mission." Obviously there are challenges to accomplishing the taskings Reservist are given. We constantly shuffle CBT's, mandatory functions, short notice deadlines, EPR's and sprinkle in some training. We need our all of the enlisted force to help with that mix, make good decisions on time management and ensure that we are sending people mission ready out the door. The people at the unit level often have the best and most creative ideas and we need to ensure those ideas are being communicated and passed up the chain. According to AF statistics, approximately 43% of the force is supporting some type of operation around the world. How do we not forget the airmen that diligently report for duty day to day as well as once a month here at the 944th? We can't and won't forget the sacrifices that we all make whether deployed or not. All of us who have made the decision to serve know and understand the sacrifices that we make. I have four daughters under the age of 11 so I am acutely aware of what we as reservists sacrifice on a monthly basis. It seems that the annual drill schedule and fun family events always coincide on the same dates. If we lose sight or take for granted our airmen's dedication then we risk losing our must valuable resource... people. That being said our members must realize that they are here and they have volunteered for duty and we must commit to our mission and ensure it is completed to the standards we have collectively agreed to abide by. In regards to the alarming rate of suicides among AF airman, Chief Roy stated that we need to be good Wingmen for others and also need to develop and maintain trusted relationships and friendships where we can talk openly and honestly about things happening in our own lives. Does that climate exist in the 944th? Trusted relationships are invaluable in taken care of others as well as ourselves. Communication is something that all organizations can improve upon. Communication needs to occur often and be multidirectional. There is no shame in needing help; some doors need to be opened. The very first step is awareness, and if needed, intervention to help reduce the suicide issue. Commanders, First Sergeants, SNCO's, supervisors, and peers need to take an active role in being a good wingman. Everyone must understand that taking care of a wingman starts at the lowest and closest level. In addition there are chaplain services and military and family life consultants available to members and their families. There is also the AFRC "Wingman Project" program. Every branch of the service better understands the pressures that are placed upon all components of the service and we need to do a better job providing the skills needed to cope with before, during and after stress for our members and their families. --------------------------------------------- Wingman Project link: http://afrc.wingmanproject.org/warfighters.html National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255