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AFCENT command chief visits 386 AEW

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Marelise Wood
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing hosted the Air Force Central Command's command chief, Aug. 19-21, undisclosed location, Southwest Asia.

Chief Master Sgt. Shelina Frey conducted her first visit to the wing since its change in leadership to Col. John Klein, Jr., who took the helm in July.

The visit was a whirlwind of meet and greets, meals with Airmen of all ranks and briefings. But no matter how late it got in the day, the chief was energized and had a ready smile for everyone. Her interest in the people she met was undeniable.

"I felt she was very personable and admire her for the fact that she shared her experiences in the military with the Airmen," said Senior Airman Monika Ellstrom, 386 AEW Financial Management customer service cashier, deployed here from Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Ellstrom, who attended the chief's dinner with airmen also added, "she wanted to know where we were all from, what we did, and let us talk about anything we wanted to at the end. This let us know she really cared and was not just asking because it's her job."

While caring may be who she is, not what she does, the chief is very clear on what is her job.

"My job as the AFCENT command chief is to go around the AFCENT area of responsibility (AOR) and to make sure that my boss' vision is not stressing the force," said Frey. "A lot of times the boss will say 'this is what I want' and people would bend over backwards and not tell us, 'hey, this is a bit much, is this really what you mean,' so I get to go out and not only make sure that we're not stressing the force, but make sure that our folks are truly organized, trained and equipped to meet the objectives here in the AOR."

At every stop on her trip, the Airmen of the 386 AEW were happy and willing to show her just that.

"Your Airmen speak proudly of their mission and are hungry to do more," said Frey. "I have truly enjoyed the visit. I'm excited to go back; I have a lot of stuff to take back and say 'boss they're doing a great job.' So this has been great, I'm leaving excited! "