Photo By Capt. Francine St Laurent | Airman 1st Class Daniel Vandevort, 168th Civil Engineering pavements and equipment...... read more read more
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska — Brig. Gen. Laurie Hummel, the adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard, and Col. Karen Mansfield, assistant adjutant general-Air, visited the 168th Air Refueling Wing Oct. 4-5, sharing messages of gratitude and goals looking forward.
In Mansfield’s all-call, she shared what she called her “scattered background” spanning from Germany to Alaska, as an AWACS crew member to an active-duty tactics officer to serving as a drill status Guardsman in the 176th Wing. All of this led to opportunities for professional and personal development, she said.
“Always be prepared for unexpected opportunities,” Mansfield said. “I challenge all of you to own that as you move forward in your careers.”
Mansfield shared information on other topics of interest to Guardsmen and updated them on new and progressing items of importance.
“Moving forward into the new year comes the finalization of the proposed Alaska Code of Military Justice,” said Mansfield.
The ACMJ is a state and National Guard specific code of military justice that will operate similarly to the Federal Uniform Code of Military Justice. It is undergoing a drafting process now and will be proposed before the state legislature in January, she explained.
“It’s not a silver bullet,” said Chief Master Sgt. Steven Calvin, Alaska Air National Guard state command chief. “It has to start on the lower level, with people writing letters of counseling. We still need to do the basic things first or we can’t get there.”
Another initiative in the works is a special committee on the Rural National Guard Program that will form in the coming year. Mansfield solicited potential augmentees to assist with the committee.
“If you are interested in career broadening, make sure that it’s known,” Mansfield said.
Other topics discussed during Mansfield’s visit included initiatives to make professional military education courses more accessible for drill status Guardsmen, stat tour programs for officers, the Arctic Sustainment Package ensuring Arctic capability, a KC-135 active association and the new enlisted performance report system.
Not 24 hours later, Hummel also visited the 168th ARW, spending time listening to Airmen, checking out shops, and learning about the challenges they face and goals they have achieved.
She visited the 168th Maintenance Squadron, Communications Flight, Logistical Readiness Squadron and Civil Engineering Squadron. In each section, she and Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Hildreth, the Alaska National Guard senior enlisted leader, compared the processes and career fields of the Air National Guard and Army National Guard. They noted efficiencies and similarities, highlighting that the two are not so different.
“What a healthy community of Airman you have here,” Hummel said. “Even on your worst day, you know it is just a temporary test.”
Hummel spent some time with the Top Three group that meets monthly. The group addresses methods for improvement that the Enlisted Advisory Council has identified as problematic in their work centers.
“It’s a pleasure to be your colleague. Thank you for your service,” Hummel said to members of the Top Three.
Her message, sincere and prefaced with both light-hearted conversation and earnest questions about how Guardsmen overcome challenges, left Wing members with an idea of what to expect in the next fiscal year.
Progress of the ACMJ bill may be tracked by searching “HB 126” online.
| Date Taken: | 10.17.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 10.21.2015 04:11 |
| Story ID: | 179475 |
| Location: | EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 328 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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