Courtesy Photo | Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran poses for a picture with 1st Lt. Leesa Froelich, Col....... read more read more
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KESSLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Col. Frank Amodeo, commander of the Air Force Reserve 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., represented the Airman and families of the wing during a visit to the nation's capitol to visit with congressional and senatorial leaders.
The meetings were part of an annual initiative called the Commander's Capitol Hill Visit Program, a program through which commanders of Air Force units discuss issues affecting Airmen as well as their units.
During the two-day tour, Amodeo, 403rd Wing Command Chief, Chief Master Sgt. Christopher Barnby and 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Aerial Reconnaissance Weather Officer 1st Lt. Leesa Froelich met with staffers from Florida Senator Bill Nelson's office and Congresswoman Leana Ros-Lehtinen's office, Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran,, Mississippi Congressman Steven Palazzo and staff members from La. Congressman Steve Scalise's office.
"The program is important because wing commanders get a chance to talk to our nation's leaders directly about issues specific to the Reserve and to their unit," said Amodeo. "We reached out to members in our district and to leaders from where our traditional reservists commute."
The discussions with the legislative branch members included updates surrounding the rebuilding of the 815th Airlift Squadron, issues with the Air Force transition assistance program and concerns the Air Force and 403rd Wing have in the fiscally constrained environment.
"It is important to communicate to staffers, senators and representatives our issues because they are deciding our nation's policies and laws and we are able to inform them of how it impacts us locally here at Keesler," said Amodeo.
Barnby also felt that the visit is also a way to project the Citizen Airmen's voice to an audience who may not otherwise hear it.
"It was empowering to know they listened to us and that our concerns mattered. I felt that the staffers and delegates have a better understanding of the issues affecting the enlisted force," he said.
While visiting with each congressional office, Amodeo took the time to thank each of them for their support and opened the door further to additional interactions and stronger relations in the future.
"I welcomed staffers and members we spoke to, to visit us and see the great things our Citizen Airmen accomplish each day," said Amodeo. "I look forward to continue building on these relationships formed during this visit."
Also during the trip, Froelich attended the meetings and was given the opportunity to tour the nation's capital as a professional development and enrichment session. Froelich said that being at the Pentagon and Capitol Hill was inspiring.
"The trip was exciting because I had never seen that scope of interaction before. I was able to develop a larger perspective of how the Air Force is managed," said Froelich who also toured the Air Force halls in the Pentagon. In addition to reviewing great artwork and historic storyboards, she received a tour of the Capitol city and learned some of the history of the Air Force's Chief of Staff office, even getting a picture at Gen. Mark Welsh's desk.
Being new to the Air Force as a junior officer in the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, Froelich feels she now has "a sense of the bigger picture of what goes on."
| Date Taken: | 07.12.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.29.2016 16:59 |
| Story ID: | 218972 |
| Location: | KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 506 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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