Completing flying mission takes total Team Vance teamwork

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Robert Brumley II
  • 71st Mission Support Group
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  Happy Friday Team Vance!
It is with mixed emotions that I take over the duties of 71st Mission Support Group deputy commander. I look forward to the challenges and educational experiences this position will offer.
However, after spending 19 years in the operations arena, there is some hesitancy in entering the support arena, an area I admittedly am not as familiar with as flying. (There is also the fact my flying opportunities have been reduced from two or three times a day to maybe twice a week. But I will somehow manage.)
After spending over a month with the MSG, I feel I have a unique perspective of how the men and women of the MSG contribute to the Vance mission. Before my move, I had a familiarity with the day-to-day operations of the MSG, but really didn't notice what they did, unless it directly affected the flying mission, either positively or negatively. Now, I can truly say how impressed I am with the dedication and hard work the MSG professionals provide the wing.
The relationship between the MSG and 71st Operations Group reminds me of a similar relationship between fighter and bomber aircraft and other types of aircraft during combat operations. Because the fighters and bombers are the ones actually expending weapons (and usually the aircraft at greatest risk), they get most of the attention. However, I can almost guarantee that every fighter or bomber pilot will be the first to tell you their ability to complete the mission would not happen without the support of other aircraft such as a tanker to refuel them, or an Airborne Warning and Control System to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information.
The same is true at Vance. We see the OG in action every time we look up and see a T-37 or T-6 flying overhead. But all the pilots know that without the maintenance troops keeping the planes flying, or the 71st Communications Squadron keeping our radar and navigational aids working, or the 71st Security Forces protecting our resources, their ability to complete the Vance mission would not happen.
With this in mind, I offer this advice: To the men and women of the OG, when you see a non-flight suit wearing member of Team Vance, thank them for their dedication and support that enables you to complete your mission. To the men and women of the MSG, don't forget what the mission of Vance is ... training student pilots to become air warriors. Your job performance should be geared with that thought in mind. You might not get the glory, but your job is important, and the mission could not happen without you.
And finally to all of Team Vance. The Operational Readiness Inspection is less than one month away. We know how well we perform our jobs. Now let's show the inspector general that Team Vance sets the mark when it comes to Preparing Tomorrow's Joint Air Warriors to Fly ... Fight ... and Win!