Lt. Gen. Stenner visits, recognizes 386th AEW Reservists

Published April 10, 2009
By Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr., Air Force Reserve Command commander, visited with Reserve members of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing April 8 and 9 as part of a multi-base tour of the Air Forces Central area of responsibility.

General Stenner, who is also chief of Air Force Reserve, took the opportunity to dine with Reservists stationed at "the Rock" and acknowledge their efforts at a Reserve call at the Rock Chapel April 9.

The Air Force Reserve commander said his tour is allowing him to see an Air Force triad that's succeeding in accomplishing the mission.

"What I'm seeing is an Air Force that's hard at work and uses three components," he said. "It uses the Regular Air Force, Reserve and Air National Guard to do it. All three components are organized, trained and equipped to the same standards. Every job that I see is executed seamlessly. Our Air Force Reservists are hard at work, and I'm very proud of our Citizen Airmen. They're here on their time; they volunteered to be a part of our Air Force Reserve; and they volunteered to deploy and do what they have been trained to do as part of that three-component Air Force. I couldn't be prouder."

Changes in the way the Air Force does business requires that the Air Force Reserve meet recruiting and retention challenges head-on, General Stenner said. That means making sure active duty members who leave the Air Force have an option to continue serving in the Reserve as part of a continuum of service.

"We want to retain Airmen who may be leaving the Regular Air Force due to a life-changing event," he said. "These highly-trained and highly-skilled individuals can continue to participate as their lives evolve."

General Stenner said the Reserve isn't just looking for prior servicemembers. He said the Reserve is making a big push to pull non-prior service people into the fold as well.

"We're seeing fewer and fewer prior service," the Reserve commander noted. "We're looking very hard at recruiting non-prior service folks who want to participate. Recruiting and retention are a big piece of how we package up our capabilities for the future."

Air Force Reservists fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan face a significant challenge when it comes to balancing their military lives with the civilian lives they leave behind to deploy. General Stenner said it's up to senior leaders to make sure that balance isn't tipped.

"It's a balance," he said, "because most Reservists have civilian jobs. Eighty percent of the folks in the Air Force Reserve are traditional Reservists. That's how they keep their families supported on a daily basis. That balance means you have to make sure you get as much predictability as possible in their lives, knowing when they're going to deploy, when they're going to come home. We have to make sure that we, as senior leaders, and we, as an institution, acknowledge that predictability means they will continue to serve with us in the future. We have to get them there on time and back on time. It also gives the employers predictability which, in turn, gives the family predictability, and that keeps everyone in a balance. So we have to tell Reservists what's going on up front, stick to it, and bring them home when they're supposed to come home."

General Stenner said he wanted every Air Force Reservist fighting in the AOR to know how proud he was of them and that the contributions they make every day are vitally important.

"Thank you ever so much for being part of this Air Force Reserve and for stepping forward and doing a very difficult job around the world as part of that three-component Air Force," he said. "And thank you very much for the personal sacrifice you are making with your family time. Please tell your families how very much we appreciate them, and tell your employers that we thank them so much for their support."

AFRC CC Visits 386th