Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Kryzentia Richards | NAS JRB Fort Worth Military Working Dog Handler, Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Ryan Gerth,...... read more read more
FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 27, 2022) – Four (4) local media affiliates sent representatives to attend Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base (JRB) Fort Worth’s first Media Engagement Day, on board the installation Sept. 21 for a rare look at the missions and capabilities of four (4) units stationed at NAS JRB Fort Worth.
Two (2) members of the North Central Texas Council of Governments along with media personnel from WFAA News Channel 8, the Fort Worth Report, Spectrum News Channel 1 and the Fort Worth Star Telegram started their tour of the base with a command brief given by the Commanding Officer, CAPT Mark McLean, at the headquarters building.
After the command brief, the group’s first stop on the airfield was a tour of the 301st Fighter Wing’s F-16 Fighting Falcon, followed by a tour of the Texas Air National Guard’s (TXANG) 136th Airlift Wing C-130J Super Hercules. The group was met by organizational leadership at both locations and had the opportunity gain further insight.
Lt. Col. Kurt Anderson, 181st Airlift Squadron Commander, said after giving a broad overview of TXANG’s mission and the unit’s unique dual federal and state role, the members of the media group asked questions about the troops, patients and equipment TXANG carries on their aircraft, and how quickly they respond after state activations.
“It was a good opportunity for 136th AW to raise awareness of our new aircraft and refresh our media partners’ bullet point information about our mission and capabilities,” said Anderson.
The group continued their tour with a stop at a Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112 (VMFA-112) canopy to tour a F/A 18C Hornet followed by the hangar of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron Five Nine (VR-59) to tour a C-40A Clipper. Again, at both stops organizational leadership met and briefed them on mission and capabilities.
Answering questions about the different configurations of the C-40, VR-59 Executive Officer, CDR Dan Bradley said Media Engagement Day helped provide media a more accurate depiction of what (units station at NAS JRB Fort Worth) do.
Matt Leclercq, senior managing editor for FW Star Telegram, said he “learned a ton about the base and came away with a much more thorough understanding of the various elements stationed (at NAS JRB Fort Worth) and their roles.”
Jenny Rudolph, reporter for FW Star Telegram, said she was not aware of most of the information presented to her since she recently relocated to the area a few months ago. “I did not realize how closely NAS JRB Fort Worth works with Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth plant, and that North Central Texas is home to so many Department of Defense (DOD) retirees,” said Rudolph.
Following the aircraft tour, the group visited the Air Traffic Control spaces for a look inside the radar room and a look at the airfield from inside the control tower.
When asked what was most fascinating about the event, Rudolph said, “I enjoyed touring the base, personally engaging with different members of the military as they guided us around the various aircraft and learning about the radar room and tower.”
To conclude the tour, the group stopped by the Military Working Dogs Kennel at NAS JRB Fort Worth for a quick visit with the dogs and dog handlers.
Leclercq said he hopes Media Engagement Day continues in the future because he, “wholeheartedly agrees that it is critically important for our community to understand the importance and value of the base, and to appreciate the work and sacrifice of our service members and DoD Civilians.”
McLean said Media Engagement Day is an important event for the base because it is mutually beneficial to both the installation leadership and the media. “Leaders on this installation understand the local media can be a megaphone to the community who support our people and their missions year-round.”
As a Joint Reserve Base, McLean continued, we focused the majority of our time on the unique aspect of this base—the Reserve men and women and how each support their individual Reserve units, in alignment with our National Defense Strategy, while still balancing the priority their Civilian careers have here in the local DFW area.
“This event helped us educate and inform our media members of some of the missions on the installation, establish lines of communication between local newsrooms and our public affairs personnel, and discuss future, reportable, newsworthy events at each of our tenant commands,” said McLean. “I believe (the media) walked away with a great appreciation for the partnership and support the local communities provide to help make our mission’s a priority. We gained a much greater understanding of the types of newsworthy stories (media) would like to cover in the future to help the local population better understand what’s happening behind the installation fence line throughout the year.”
| Date Taken: | 09.27.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.27.2022 15:57 |
| Story ID: | 430199 |
| Location: | FORT WORTH, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 530 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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