Scott Air Force Base, ILL. -- The 932nd Airlift Wing command post recently received the Air Force Reserve Command C2 (Command & Control) Large Operations Unit Award for 2021.
This is the first time the 932nd Command Post has received the award, which spans from October 2020 to September 2021.
“The command post is the hub for all emergency communications that occur throughout the base,” said Airman 1st Class Ethan Vince, 932nd Command Post junior emergency actions controller. We ensure the various agencies throughout Scott [Air Force Base] have the communications they need to get the mission done.
“We serve as the bases’ nerve center,” Vince continued. “We track who, what, when, where, and the how during emergency situations, guiding people where to go, and what they should be doing.”
The 932nd AW Command Post credits part of their success to the support they received from the Air Mobility Wing’s 375th Command Post, who helped the team overhaul their Total Force Integration, or TFI, structure.
“Not every Total Force relationship is a successful one and that was the road we were going down a couple of years ago,” said Master Sgt. Jessica Roberts, C2 operations and reports noncommissioned officer in charge. “However, our leadership made the deliberate effort to strengthen the teamwork between the two Command Posts, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One person couldn’t have done this alone, “Roberts continued. “It takes a collective effort, tenacity, and true comradery to achieve a milestone like this.”
Tech. Sgt. Emely Shore, Air Mobility Wing senior C2 controller, echoed Roberts sentiment, stating that, “the benefits of working with the Citizen Airmen is that we get to see their missions and priorities, allowing us to provide support wherever they may need it.
“At other units, a full time Airman may never interact with a traditional reservist, so it’s refreshing to see that we can actually support each other.”
The Airmen noted the two accomplishments that stick out the most is when they coordinated the Colombian Presidential movement and oversaw the C2 response to the F-15 Eagle ground ejection.
Reflecting on the command post’s role in the F-15 Eagle ground ejection, Roberts said, “we had to coordinate with a lot of civilian and military agencies, stand up a crisis action team, and a lot more to ensure leadership had the necessary support. Seeing the two pilots come out unharmed and being able to control that situation and managing the media--that was pretty big deal.”
The award also recognized the command post for managing 2.5 thousand sortie missions, 4.9 thousand flight hours, 286 emergency responses, and supporting 1.3 thousand distinguished visitor flights and 740 passengers.
Additionally, the award commended the Command Post for authoring the C-130 staging alert procedures, managing five crews, eight aircraft and 37 missions, which safely transported 3.6 thousand Afghan refugees.
Despite the cumulative numbers, the command post team is most proud of their role in helping those in need.
“One of the most exciting things we do here is handle crazy weather or active security situations,” Vince said. “I feel like we are really making an impact to the mission while helping save lives.”