CMSAF visits 380th AEW, touts importance of Airmen’s mission here

Published June 29, 2010
By Staff Sgt. Jeremy Larlee
380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

Southwest Asia -- Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Roy visited the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing June 26-28 as part of his tour of bases in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

The Chief said it was important that he got to see the mission at this undisclosed location.

"I came here to view the mission and see how the Airmen are performing that mission," he said. "We have to make sure we are adequately training Airmen for the mission here and are also making sure they are properly equipped."

Chief Roy started his day June 27th by participating in the dedication of the 380th AEW Explosive Ordnance Disposal building in honor of Tech. Sgt. Anthony Campbell. Sergeant Campbell died in Afghanistan Dec. 15, 2009, after forward-deploying from here.
In his speech at the event, Chief Roy said that he has long admired the bravery of EOD technicians and that people like Sergeant Campbell are true professionals.

"He was a public servant that truly placed service before self," Chief Roy said at the ceremony. "His legacy and the profession of EOD continue on for us to reflect on."
The chief spent the rest of the day meeting Airmen and getting a look at the diverse 380th AEW mission. Included in his tour was a tour of the KC-10 Extender, RQ-4 Global Hawk, and civil engineer projects and a trip in a chase car behind a U-2 Dragon Lady.

Chief Roy said he came away impressed by how keyed in to the mission Airmen are here.

"There is a varied mission set here and every Airmen I spoke to knew exactly what the mission is and how the things they do effect the battlespace," he said. "The Airmen here are providing the warfighter a sense of what the battle field looks like before they go out there and providing the necessary resources for the aircraft that fly into combat every day."

The robust physical training program here caught the chief's eye as well. He said that being deployed doesn't mean you should stop working out. He said every deployed location has workout facilities because a lack of conditioning can be detrimental to the mission.

"In your deployed location you have to keep a good workout pace," Chief Roy said. "You're working in climates of 100-plus degrees with very high humidity; if you are not in shape you won't last long."

Chief Roy said a definite strength of the 380th AEW was how well everybody works together.

"Something I saw as soon as I walked off the plane here is the great teamwork," he said. "Our mission partners enjoy working with our Airmen here, and the Airmen at the 380th are absolutely in the fight."