Our country counts on us

By Col. Lynn Jobes, Commander, Mission Support Group, 932 AW / Published May 07, 2008

932nd Airlift Wing members stand before a 2007 model C-40C aircraft as they welcome Col. John (Jay) C. Flournoy, Jr. to Illinois. He comes in to lead the 932nd from 22nd Air Force at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., where he served as director of 22nd Air Force Operations. Twenty-Second Air Force is the largest of three numbered air forces in the Air Force Reserve, and manages more than 25,000 reservists. The mission of the 1,000 member 932nd AW is to provide first-class, worldwide, safe, and reliable airlift for distinguished visitors and their staffs on the wing's C-9C and C-40 aircraft for VIP special assignment missions. The wing reports to 4th Air Force at March Air Reserve Base, Calif. Officiating at the ceremony was Maj. Gen. Robert E. Duignan, commander of Air Force Reserve Command's 4th Air Force. "Maryanne (Colonel Miller) has done a wonderful job with this mission bringing us out of the past and into the future with this airplane," said General Duignan. "This mission is vitally important to this nation. This is a new mission for the reserves, and she jumped in with both feet." About Colonel Flournoy, General Duignan said, "He's had a great career. He comes to you at the 932nd as a very experienced aviator and somebody that understands the mission. I know he'll do a great job." Colonel Flournoy's arrival at Scott AFB is a homecoming of sorts. His father was assigned to the southern Illinois base three times. "When asked where I'm from, I tell people I was born in Alabama, but I consider Scott AFB my home town," said Colonel Flournoy. Throughout those assignments, he attended Scott AFB elementary schools and Mascoutah High School in Mascoutah, Ill., for much of his early life. He graduated from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Ill., where he also graduated from the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He entered the Air Force in 1986. While on active duty, he served as a B-52 pilot and as a T-37 instructor pilot. He
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932nd Airlift Wing members stand before a 2007 model C-40C aircraft as they welcome Col. John (Jay) C. Flournoy, Jr. to Illinois. He comes in to lead the 932nd from 22nd Air Force at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., where he served as director of 22nd Air Force Operations. Twenty-Second Air Force is the largest of three numbered air forces in the Air Force Reserve, and manages more than 25,000 reservists. The mission of the 1,000 member 932nd AW is to provide first-class, worldwide, safe, and reliable airlift for distinguished visitors and their staffs on the wing's C-9C and C-40 aircraft for VIP special assignment missions. The wing reports to 4th Air Force at March Air Reserve Base, Calif. Officiating at the ceremony was Maj. Gen. Robert E. Duignan, commander of Air Force Reserve Command's 4th Air Force. "Maryanne (Colonel Miller) has done a wonderful job with this mission bringing us out of the past and into the future with this airplane," said General Duignan. "This mission is vitally important to this nation. This is a new mission for the reserves, and she jumped in with both feet." About Colonel Flournoy, General Duignan said, "He's had a great career. He comes to you at the 932nd as a very experienced aviator and somebody that understands the mission. I know he'll do a great job." Colonel Flournoy's arrival at Scott AFB is a homecoming of sorts. His father was assigned to the southern Illinois base three times. "When asked where I'm from, I tell people I was born in Alabama, but I consider Scott AFB my home town," said Colonel Flournoy. Throughout those assignments, he attended Scott AFB elementary schools and Mascoutah High School in Mascoutah, Ill., for much of his early life. He graduated from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Ill., where he also graduated from the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He entered the Air Force in 1986. While on active duty, he served as a B-52 pilot and as a T-37 instructor pilot. He

Col. Lynn Jobes (right) accepts command of the 932nd Mission Support Group from Col. Maryanne Miller, 932nd Airlift Wing commander. Photo by TSgt. Dan Oliver.
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Col. Lynn Jobes (right) accepts command of the 932nd Mission Support Group from Col. Maryanne Miller, former 932nd Airlift Wing commander. Photo by TSgt. Dan Oliver.

The sun reflected brightly off the newly painted Air Force Reserve Command aircraft belonging to the 932nd Airlift Wing. Maintanence guided the newest C-40C plane to the spot outside base operations. The C-40 plane has a paint design similar to Air Force One. General C40 Characteristics Primary Function: High-priority personnel transport Power Plant: Two GE CFM 56-7B27 turbofan engines Thrust: 27,000 pounds static thrust each engine Length: 110 feet, 4 inches (33.6 meters) Height: 41 feet, 2 inches (12.5 meters) Maximum Takeoff Weight: 171,000 pounds Wingspan: 117 feet, 5 inches (35.8 meters) Speed: 530 mph (Mach 0.8) Ceiling: 41,000 feet (12,727 meters) Fuel Capability: 60,000 lbs Maximum Range: 4,500 to 5,000 nautical miles (based on payload) unrefueled range Maximum Load: C-40C: 42 passengers Crew:10 (varies with model and mission) As part of the Air Force Total Force Integration initiatives, the Air Force established an active associate unit with Air Force Reserve Command's 932nd Airlift Wing at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., earlier this year. This means some of the flight attendants and pilots on the 932nd AW's aircraft will be active duty Air Force members from the 375th Operations Group. Col. Maryanne Miller, 932nd AW commander is proud of Airmen, both active duty and reserve. "This was a total effort by the 932nd and the 375th crews from the beginning," she said. "Being fully integrated in the DV mission has been and will continue to be the most effective way to provide full support to the customer." From 1969 to 2003, personnel from the 932nd and 375th airlift wings worked side by side performing aeromedical evacuation missions aboard the now retired C-9A Nightingale. When the 932nd changed its mission to DV airlift in 2003 with three new C-9C aircraft, the close relationship between the two wings was put on hold. With the C-40C, Air Force Reserve and active duty crews will once again work together performing
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The sun reflected brightly off the newly painted Air Force Reserve Command aircraft belonging to the 932nd Airlift Wing. Maintanence guided the newest C-40C plane to the spot outside base operations. The C-40 plane has a paint design similar to Air Force One. General C40 Characteristics Primary Function: High-priority personnel transport Power Plant: Two GE CFM 56-7B27 turbofan engines Thrust: 27,000 pounds static thrust each engine Length: 110 feet, 4 inches (33.6 meters) Height: 41 feet, 2 inches (12.5 meters) Maximum Takeoff Weight: 171,000 pounds Wingspan: 117 feet, 5 inches (35.8 meters) Speed: 530 mph (Mach 0.8) Ceiling: 41,000 feet (12,727 meters) Fuel Capability: 60,000 lbs Maximum Range: 4,500 to 5,000 nautical miles (based on payload) unrefueled range Maximum Load: C-40C: 42 passengers Crew:10 (varies with model and mission) As part of the Air Force Total Force Integration initiatives, the Air Force established an active associate unit with Air Force Reserve Command's 932nd Airlift Wing at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., earlier this year. This means some of the flight attendants and pilots on the 932nd AW's aircraft will be active duty Air Force members from the 375th Operations Group. Col. Maryanne Miller, 932nd AW commander is proud of Airmen, both active duty and reserve. "This was a total effort by the 932nd and the 375th crews from the beginning," she said. "Being fully integrated in the DV mission has been and will continue to be the most effective way to provide full support to the customer." From 1969 to 2003, personnel from the 932nd and 375th airlift wings worked side by side performing aeromedical evacuation missions aboard the now retired C-9A Nightingale. When the 932nd changed its mission to DV airlift in 2003 with three new C-9C aircraft, the close relationship between the two wings was put on hold. With the C-40C, Air Force Reserve and active duty crews will once again work together performing

Tech. Sgt. April Tarbill and Senior Airman Bob Fourman, both flight attendants with the 73rd Airlift Squadron, 932nd Airlift Wing, speak to other Air Force Airmen about opportunities in the Air Force Reserve Command flight attendant program. Behind them is the C-40C plane painted white, blue and gold. The flight attendants meet a wide variety of people. "They love this job and work hard, but enjoy worldwide travel, and we are now requested by name by higher level Department of Defense leaders," said Col. Tom Kirkendall, the 932nd Operations Group commander. It takes a special person to make service for high-level passengers -- to include the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the First Lady of the United States, the secretary of State, secretary of the Interior, the CIA director and the speaker of the House, just to name a few. Tech. Sgt. Elizabeth Wszalek just celebrated her one year anniversary as a 932nd AW flight attendant. She didn't always have food preparation skills. "I used to do the bare minimum cooking at home and was an experimental salad girl in high school. I then transferred from the Mission Support Flight and went to flight attendant training, and now I cook all the time. "The biggest challenge for me is making contact with the head of the VIP party we are dealing with to make sure they select the menu items in a timely manner so we (flight attendants) can grocery shop for the mission. This involves mission prep, checking ice requirements at each stop, getting enough pillows and blankets, and checking air stairs availability. We do a lot more than basic airline attendants. We even load luggage, cook full meals and are responsible for emergency procedures," she said.
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Tech. Sgt. April Tarbill and Senior Airman Bob Fourman, both flight attendants with the 73rd Airlift Squadron, 932nd Airlift Wing, speak to other Air Force Airmen about opportunities in the Air Force Reserve Command flight attendant program. Behind them is the C-40C plane painted white, blue and gold. The flight attendants meet a wide variety of people. "They love this job and work hard, but enjoy worldwide travel, and we are now requested by name by higher level Department of Defense leaders," said Col. Tom Kirkendall, the 932nd Operations Group commander. It takes a special person to make service for high-level passengers -- to include the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the First Lady of the United States, the secretary of State, secretary of the Interior, the CIA director and the speaker of the House, just to name a few. Tech. Sgt. Elizabeth Wszalek just celebrated her one year anniversary as a 932nd AW flight attendant. She didn't always have food preparation skills. "I used to do the bare minimum cooking at home and was an experimental salad girl in high school. I then transferred from the Mission Support Flight and went to flight attendant training, and now I cook all the time. "The biggest challenge for me is making contact with the head of the VIP party we are dealing with to make sure they select the menu items in a timely manner so we (flight attendants) can grocery shop for the mission. This involves mission prep, checking ice requirements at each stop, getting enough pillows and blankets, and checking air stairs availability. We do a lot more than basic airline attendants. We even load luggage, cook full meals and are responsible for emergency procedures," she said.

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SCOTT AFB, Ill. -- Integrity First, Service Before Self,
Excellence in All We Do - our core values
are the institutional foundation of all
Air Force activity. 

As members of the Air Force Reserve, we are unique to our
active duty counterparts in that we continually
step in and out of military status.
As a result, it's easy to develop the
mindset that some things are only important
when in uniform. However, the Air
Force Handbook reminds us that these
values are to guide the way Air Force
members live as well as perform. They
need to be internalized to such a degree
that we know how to act automatically
-- in all situations. 

To get there requires each of us to
spend some time thinking about how we
integrate these values into our daily lives.
We may ask ourselves: Am I doing all
things to the best of my ability? 

Am I turning to those around me to lend a
hand? Am I providing as well as receiving
mentoring? Am I doing things rightly, even when
it's more difficult or doesn't serve my personal
desires or interests? No less importantly, am I
living these core values at home?
While we may often think of ourselves as
part-time members of the Air Force, we are fulltime
representatives of this country's military. As
citizen airmen we come from all walks of life and
are representative of the great diversity and opportunity
that this country offers. 

And yet, we are part of a very special segment of our population.
As a member of this country's reserve component,
we represent about one half of one percent
of our total population. Add to that our comrades
on active duty and it's still only about one
percent. These are small numbers for such a large
task as defending this country against all enemies
foreign and domestic. 

Our country counts on us -- the few -- to
do what we're called to when the time comes
and to do it rightly. 

That begins with --Integrity First, Service Before Self, 
and Excellence in All We Do.....Always.