American300 ‘Warrior Tours:’ What it’s all about…RESILIENCY

by Kate Blais
Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs

7/31/2012 - BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- Fulfilling the call to revitalize the nuclear mission in the Air Force has required Global Strike Command to take innovative approaches that have combined commander presence, improving mission performance in all areas and focus on improving the quality of life for Airmen.

Command officials note resiliency is about taking care of the human weapon system, a holistic approach to ensuring the force is fit to fight.

Just like an aircraft requires regular maintenance to ensure it operates correctly, the same is true for our Airmen, noted Lt. Col. Casey Sanders, AFGSC Personnel Directorate, Force Development Division chief

"We take into consideration the human factors and have implemented a variety of programs to strengthen the force," said Sanders.

One command initiative has included bringing American300 Warrior Tours to its bases.

Robi Powers started the foundation, American300 Warrior Tours, in 2006 and has spent most of his time since then connecting servicemembers with other Americans, such as extreme athletes and former military members, who've endured hardship and overcome challenges.

Powers explained that one of two significant losses he experienced involved the death of a fellow soldier and non commissioned officer, Master Sgt. John Stone. In 2006, Stone had been killed in a firefight and it's a loss that Powers took hard.

It's what started me on the mission of helping others and led to what I first called the program 'The Warrior Tours,'" Powers said.

"In 2009, while on a tour to the Middle East, I met a young Army Ranger Captain named Jesse Stewart. We became friends and he opened up to me about the loss of 14 of his men during a prior tour, the 2007 Task Force 300 - The Spartans Iraq Surge. So a group of us flew to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and discussed how our nonprofit, 'The Warrior Tours,' might be able to help Captain Stewart come to terms with his loss and help him continue on."

The Commander of Air Force Global Strike Command Lt. Gen. Jim Kowalski, met Powers during the Air Force Marathon in 2011, said Kowalski in a recent speech.

During that first meeting, General Kowalski and Powers discussed the challenges faced by Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen, some of whom deploy to the missile complex for days at a time, or work in extreme cold and heat conditions on the flightline.

The two discussed the group bringing people who have overcome great challenges and achieved high personal goals to meet Airmen throughout the command and encourage them to do the same.

Air Force Global Strike Command invited American300 Warrior Tours to its bases with a unique program called the 'Never Quit' series, with the intent to strengthen the resiliency of Global Strike Command Airmen.

This is just one of several command programs underway designed to address quality of life, professional development and resiliency.

Others include the Striker Vistas professional development program and the Air Force Institute of Technology's Nuclear Weapons Certification Program.

Speakers on the AFGSC "Never Quit" series have included Olympic and XGames athletes: Sean Colgan, Dan Beery, Mike Schultz, Erin Simmons and Kurt Yaeger, in addition to former military members such as former Army ranger "Mad Max" Mullen, and William "Spanky" Gibson the first above knee amputee to redeploy with his prosthetic to the fronts lines in Iraq among others. The unpaid volunteer speakers are reimbursed only for travel and lodging expenses.

"The goal of the tours we have at each base is to promote that 'never quit' attitude," Powers said.

"By having people like Tom Whittaker - the first amputee to summit Mount Everest - share their stories, we can give Airmen hope and maybe something to relate to when they, too, face adversity," Powers said.

While Powers had to overcome the loss of fellow soldiers and friends "who gave their all to our country," he said, instead of giving up, he turned his grief into a dedicated effort to promote messages of resiliency to servicemembers both overseas and state-side.

"Every day I wake up and think of all the 'Spartans' that have served our country, especially two very special NCO's from my past," Powers said.