Honorary Commanders Program bridges gap between Warren, Cheyenne

by Airman 1st Class Jason Wiese
90th Missile Wing Public Affairs

3/29/2013 - F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Civilian leaders from the Cheyenne community gathered March 19 in the Trail's End Club to be officially welcomed into the 90th Missile Wing Honorary Commanders Program.

"The Honorary Commanders Program is a program that matches a community leader with an Air Force commander in order to foster mutually beneficial relationships between the local community and F. E. Warren," said 2nd Lt. Christen Downing, 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs chief and Honorary Commanders Program coordinator. "The purpose of the program is so military commanders can keep a pulse on community concerns and learn about the civilian sector and for the community to learn about the Air Force, its mission, its policies and its programs."

Squadron, group and wing commanders are paired with their civilian counterpart from the local community, she explained.

Part of the mission of Air Force Public Affairs is to maintain a good relationship between the Air Force and the local communities its members live and work near. The Honorary Commanders Program is one of the many tools PA uses to further this end, she said.

"The Honorary Commanders Program has acted as a bridge between Cheyenne and F. E. Warren in the past," she added. "Both have been close partners since each were founded."

Honorary commanders are invited to attend many events on base with the unit commanders with whom they're paired, which gives insight into the inner workings of the military. It is a shared responsibility -- it is expected for honorary commanders to extend the same courtesy to their paired commanders, she said.

Those chosen to be honorary commanders are typically prominent members of the community whose job or position in the community somehow relates to the unit commanders with whom they're paired.

For instance, Col. Tom Wilcox, 90th Security Forces Group commander, is paired this year with Daniel Glick, Laramie County sheriff.

"I'm really looking forward to this," Glick said. "Any interaction with this base is good interaction. I've been at this for 33 years, and all our interactions have been great."

Local law enforcement regularly works with the 90th SFG to respond to and report suspicious activity in the missile complex, train and enforce the law; however, being part of the Honorary Commanders Program allows Wilcox and Glick to learn more about the individuals in each sector, military and civilian, Glick said.

"The Honorary Commanders Program brings us together in new environments in which we wouldn't get together otherwise," Wilcox said. "The sheriff is behind the base and the base's mission. We have to support each other back and forth."

Bridging the gap between the base and the local community is important, Wilcox said.

"It's the public's Air Force," he explained. "They can better understand and support the wing, the mission and the Airmen if they can better understand what we do.

"Everbody wants to tell our story. Our support comes from the public, and I think commanders at all levels are excited to get their stories. It reinforces the missile fields are in good hands."