Vance Airman selected for special duty

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Agneta Murnan and TSgt Mary Davis
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  All U.S. military members serve the president of the United States, but Senior Airman Jason Smith will soon serve the commander in chief and other senior leaders as a flight attendant for the nation's senior leaders. 

Airman Smith, a command post controller with the 71st Flying Training Wing, was selected recently to serve in this special duty with the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. The 89th AW provides global Special Air Mission airlift, logistics, aerial port and communications for the president, vice president, combat commanders, senior leaders and the global mobility system as tasked by the White House, Air Force chief of staff and Air Mobility Command. 

"It will be interesting to see the day-to-day workings of our senior leaders and how they interact with the media," he said. 

In March, Airman Smith begins extensive training of his new duties at Lackland AFB, Texas, and later Fairchild AFB, Wash. The training includes a basic flight attendant course, combat and water survival, egress simulator training and the enlisted aircrew undergraduate course. 

"I'm up for the training challenges," he said. "I enjoyed going through the field exercise in basic training and deployment exercise here." 

Airman Smith, a Chicago native, came from a military family who served in WWII, the Korean Conflict and Operation Desert Storm. He was deployed to Uzbekistan in 2005 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Airman Smith joined the Air Force four years ago "to serve my country and be part of a winning team fighting for a worthy cause," he said. "By taking part in the Global War on Terrorism, I feel like I am taking part in history."
Airman Smith spent three and a half years at Vance AFB with his wife, Janet. In is spare time, he enjoys working on his cars and is an avid Chicago Bears, Cubs and White Sox fan. 

"I'm going to miss the small town feel of the base and the close-knit community I work with," he said. "But I'm looking forward to starting my new job."