AFRC commander visits Westover

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Andre Bowser
  • 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. --  As the leader of the Air Force Reserve Command toured the Patriot Wing June 4, the three-star general made it a point to shake as many hands as possible, connecting with troops in more ways than perhaps even he knew.

Making his way through a group of Airmen, Lt. Gen. James Jackson shook the hand of one particularly nervous Airman who dropped a ballpoint pen after greeting the general.

Lt. Gen. Jackson could have moved on. He could have made his way to greet others in line, especially given the thunderstorm that was fast approaching Westover and the fact that his aircraft might be grounded before he could return to his headquarters in Georgia. But he stopped.

Kneeling down to the retrieve the pen, Lt. Gen. Jackson, in that smallest of gestures, exhibited the second core value that every Airman should carry: Air Force Core Values: 1. Integrity First, 2. Service before self, 3. Excellence in all we do.

Lt. Gen. Jackson said he traveled to Westover because there is no better way to connect with Airmen than to travel to where they are.

"I love my job at the Pentagon, and my staff at my headquarters," he said, but he added that those environments are insulated by several layers from the needs of the everyday Airman. "When I go on the road and meet the units - that's the best way to learn where the problems are."

The main problems he is finding are related to funding availability - or the lack thereof - for many Air Force Reserve initiatives across the country, he said, including military construction lags, as well as funding for aircraft upgrades and training for personnel, among others. However, he said, the solution rests in the Airmen he meets and the endurance they display by doing more with less.

"Every member knows they are a valued member of the team," Lt. Gen. Jackson said, adding that it is up to the members to work efficiently in order to "make the best choices for the Air Force Reserve."

Touring several squadrons on base, accompanied by the new AFRC Command CMSgt. Cameron Kirksey, Lt. Gen. Jackson learned about the functions of different shops in keeping our aircraft in the air and the base running smoothly.

In a word, the general said he was "impressed."

His visit came in the middle of a tough fiscal climate, and he said no matter the challenges ahead, putting Airmen first would always be his mandate because without them there wouldn't be an Air Force Reserve to lead.

"It's going to be a difficult time," he said, referring to cuts mandated by Congress that would see Westover with half the aircraft it currently has by 2014, as well as furloughs presently facing many civilians and air reserve technicians. "We can work our way through the turbulence," he assured.

Lt. Gen. Jackson said tours of bases like Westover only affirm what he already knows.

"We have an outstanding group of Airmen here: Great teams, great leaders, great Airmen," he said of Westover."The problem we're facing is funding, but we'll make our way just fine." In parting, just minutes before he boarded the small aircraft destined for Georgia, the storm clouds fast approaching, he offered a unique bit of advice to the Patriot Wing to help ensure that we continue to be "Leaders In Excellence" in the future:

"Don't be afraid to look for better ways of doing business... to make the best choices for the Air Force Reserve."