NAS Fort Worth JRB -- Employers and civic leaders from the Dallas/Fort Worth area were given an opportunity to learn what Reservists do when they are in military status and away from their civilian jobs by taking part in a joint bosslift, May 9 - 10.
The Texas Committee of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) provided support for the bosslift. Capt. Robert A. Bennett, Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base commanding officer, and Brig. Gen. Ronald B. Miller, 301st Fighter Wing commander, hosted over 20 employers on the two-day trip to understand more about the mission and training of Reservists.
The group departed NAS Fort Worth JRB, May 9 in a KC-135 Stratotanker flown by Reservists from the 931st Air Refueling Wing, McConnell Air Force Base, Kan.
Once they arrived in Virginia, their first stop was the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, where they received a joint briefing from Capts. Rodelio Laco Jr., chief of staff, and David "Duff" McDuffie, assistant chief of staff for plans, at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek - Fort Story. Here, they learned about the NECC mission of organizing, equiping, and training forces to support and execute combat missions. Specifically, how the NECC relies upon Reservists to complete these missions.
"The most interesting aspect of this tour was the focus on how the U.S. Armed Forces are integrating the Reserve and Guard with active duty personnel to meet its mission," said Todd Landry, Lena Pope Home executive director. "I appreciated hearing from officers in the briefings about that integration."
Afterwards, the group had a glimpse of what life is like aboard the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3), where Capt. Dorian Jones, the ships commanding officer, emphasized several key concepts such as training, teamwork, and mission accomplishment.
An equally significant aspect of the two-day bosslift was having dinner with the local civic and prominent business leaders. This offered the Fort Worth group an opportunity to discuss the importance of employer support for their reservists.
Day two, the group toured the Air Combat Command headquarters at Langley Air Force Base, Va. Here, they learned about ACC's mission to provide combat airpower to America's warfighting commands. When mobilized, more than 50,000 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members, along with 675 aircraft are assigned to ACC.
Next, they toured a hangar with F-22 Raptors from the 192nd Fighter Wing and learned about their dual mission as a guard unit to be combat ready and to aid and protect the Commonwealth of Virginia.
"This is much more than I expected," said JoAnn Gordon, the City of River Oaks mayor pro tem.
Next, they visited the 158th Fighter Wing, a Vermont Air National Guard unit, where they toured a hangar containing F-16 Fighting Falcons and learned about the wing's Air Sovereignty Alert mission.
They also toured the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing where they learned about the "Sentinel" weapon system, analyzing imagery, and other intelligence activities.
Finally, they learned about wind tunnels and their uses at the NASA Langley Research Center.
At the end of the two-day trip, leaders learned, "The important role that Reserve and National Guardsmen play in the mission," said Karla R. Barker, an Edward Jones Investments financial advisor. "Coming from an active duty background, I never saw the impact from their side."