Vice commander says goodbye to base

Published July 8, 2007
By 379th Air Expeditionary Wing
379th Air Expeditionary Wing

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- As Col. Jeff Fraser, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing vice commander, leaves the base for a tour on the Air Staff we asked him if he'd like to provide the wing with a few parting thoughts.

Desert Eagle: What did you do to improve yourself during your tenure here?
Col. Jeff Fraser, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing vice commander: I worked on my physical fitness, developing a more all-around fitness program to better prepare me to do my job in the extreme environment we operate in. I also tried to deepen my understanding and capabilities about leadership and management. The job here this year offered me a tremendous opportunity to learn from so many good folks. It also allowed me to get a better appreciation for the importance of the "team's effort" as opposed to just one unit. No one unit can do it alone.

DE: How have you made the wing a better place?
Colonel Fraser: The job as the vice is like many jobs out there where you stand behind the principal to assist and fill in when required. Depending on what that commander needs you to do affects to a large degree how you might help. I've been very fortunate because both Brig. Gen. Charlie Lyon, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing commander, and Brig. Gen. Charles Shugg, former 379th AEW commander, have asked to me serve as an advisor and to keep focused on a lot of the details behind the scenes.

Subordinates could always bounce ideas off me and hear what I think.

As the vice, you get the opportunity to synchronize a lot of activities. It's a great challenge sometimes getting all the ducks (group and squadron commanders) on the same page and moving together toward the common objective.

More specifically, I'd say I was just one person along with many more who put a lot of dedication and effort toward developing plans for establishing a more enduring presence here. We stood up more theater-wide support across all four groups and several tenants with the CIRFs (centralized intermediate repair facility), the blood transshipment facility, our fuel capacities, our finance program, our readiness center and on and on. It was a good effort by all and an honor to make my contribution.

DE: What was the most rewarding part of your mission here?
Colonel Fraser:Realizing what committed and professional folks we have. Young and old, our organization is unbelievable because of our people. We all join the Air Force for a variety of different reasons, but we soon get caught up in that desire to contribute to the mission, and that desire grows into a commitment, and that commitment becomes ingrained into a standard. The standard is to not let others down, to become better at what we do, and not to let others bring that standard down. No matter what particular area you work, we all share that bond. It's a commitment to an organization whose job it is to protect our nation.

Hearing about folks who have been here two, three or four times or folks who volunteered to serve reflects such a commitment. That is what is so rewarding, being part of an organization that has those kind of people in it and produces such amazing capabilities.

DE: What words would you like to leave the wing with?
Colonel Fraser: Stay focused on what we do; and that's employing air, space and cyberspace power. We've been engaged in war operations now for several years, and we've been here now for several years, and we have folks who have been here several times now.

As we continue to transition to an enduring presence, that doesn't mean we are posturing ourselves for what I'd call peace time and training operations. Expeditionary operations is what we, the Air Force, do. That's what we are doing here as we deliver air and space power.

We must be careful not to confuse enthusiasm with capability, not to be so focused on those creature comforts, or building a peactime manned organization, that we lose focus on why we are here and engaged in the multitude of activities and operations.
No matter what your speciality, it's important to remember that and stay focused on employing and delivering air and space power successfully.

Whether that is direct combat activities, or theater security and engagment activities, what folks are doing here is so important to our success.

That is the other thing to remember; it's not just about us here, but so many organizations and locations count on us to support their missions. Whether flying operations, maintenance and supply activities, support for and to those activites they are all critical to our efforts; we must stay focused.

It's been an honor and a pleasure to serve as the 379th AEW vice commander.