Photo By Dana Heard | Capt. Andy Stalford, left, 343rd Reconnaissance Squadron, receives a mock gift from...... read more read more
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OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --
A group of veterans and active duty members gather every Friday at a local bar to talk about their time spent in service with the 343rd Reconnaissance Squadron. The local bar, Eagles, has graciously allowed Airmen to congregate for what they call “roll call” since flooding ruined their facility earlier this year. At roll call, people meet and talk about both the past and the present.
“When the flood came in March, they had to find a place where they could talk about flying events and flying mistakes, while also getting to know each other and talk about the squadron’s history and heritage,” said Lt Col. Nelson Tirado, 343rd RS commander. “If a mistake was made, they talk about it so they can try to prevent it from happening again. Though some of those mishap stories are entertaining, there is an underlying current of pride and desire to do better.”
An award called the “Wrong Way Raven” is given to the person who has the best story.
“They all seem to be amused by the stories, but what they are really doing is using the stories to discuss ways of getting better at what they do, without belittling anyone,” said Tirado. “The thinking behind this kind of format is that everyone has either made a mistake in the past or will make one in the future, and it’s better to see those mistakes in different ways and learn from them, instead of making the same mistakes.”
The squadron has a history that dates back to World War II, and it also has a long history at Offutt Air Force Base, and the squadron’s heritage room on base was once extensively decorated with memorabilia. The pride in the squadron and its mission was recently brought to the forefront with the flood.
The 343rd RS’s building is currently in the demolition stage and those Airmen will reside in a space with the 45th RS. Some people were deployed and returned to find their squadron displaced. However, the Airmen have kept a positive attitude even though space is limited and they have to adjust to keep their mission going through these unique circumstances.
The local community has helped out in many ways. For example, Hy-Vee, a mid-west grocery store, took in perishable food items that the squadron could no longer keep.
Also, Frank Kumor, Irwin’s Jewelers owner and 343rd RS honorary commander, contacted the Bellevue’s superintendent of schools and secured a spot at the Bellevue Welcome Center to hold their commander’s call, which was ready only a few days after the flood occurred.
When the flood started, Tirado saw the waters approaching and felt it was imperative to save as much as possible. An hour later, approximately half the squadron was there to help salvage equipment and memorabilia from the building. Most of the equipment needed to perform the mission was already taken out of the building by the time he arrived.
When he fielded calls asking him if he saved items of importance he was able to say yes because of the hard work and dedication of the 343rd RS Airmen and Bellevue community volunteers.
Airmen were taught about the history of the squadron by using innovative means like a question and answer session that required them to search throughout the squadron for the answers. It familiarized them with the history and mission of the squadron.
An important part of a flying squadron, like the 343rd RS, is the history and the heritage, said Tirado. “It’s where you came from and how you got there. Every squadron has its own personality.”
| Date Taken: | 07.12.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.18.2019 12:24 |
| Story ID: | 356007 |
| Location: | OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, NEBRASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 59 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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