Whiteman Reserve leaders applaud Yellow Ribbon training

by Chief Master Sgt. Matt Proietti
Air Force Reserve Command Yellow Ribbon Program

5/5/2014 - ROBINS AFB, Ga. -- Reservists from the 442nd Fighter Wing, an A-10 Thunderbolt unit in Missouri, attended Air Force Reserve Yellow Ribbon Program training events prior to their mass deployment to Afghanistan this spring.

"I knew it was a good program and it's even better than I expected," said Col. Hubert C. Hegtvedt, commander of the wing at Whiteman AFB 70 miles southeast of Kansas City. He attended a Yellow Ribbon training weekend, his first, in California to support 442nd reservists before they leave for duty in Afghanistan.

Yellow Ribbon promotes the well-being of reservists and their families by connecting them with resources before and after deployments. It began in 2008 following a congressional mandate for the Department of Defense to assist reservists and National Guard members maintain resiliency as they transition between their military and civilian roles.

Chief Master Sgt. Jim Nudd, the 442nd's command chief, attended the California training, too, but he had been to others before, including two after his own deployments as a munitions superintendent. The program -- which he called "crucial" and said has improved by "leaps and bounds" since he first attended a Yellow Ribbon event five years ago -- demonstrates the commitment of Air Force Reserve leaders to their Airmen, he said.

"The old days of turning the Reserve on and off with a key are gone," said Nudd. "They know we're more sincere, that we're not just offering an empty handshake."

Nudd, the wing's senior enlisted leader since June 2012, serves as the primary adviser to Hegtvedt on matters concerning the mission effectiveness, readiness, training, health, welfare and morale of more than 1,800 assigned military members and 48 A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft at Whiteman AFB and sub-units, the 476th Fighter Group, Moody AFB, Ga., and the 917th Fighter Group, Barksdale AFB, La. The A-10 provides front-line support for U.S. and allied ground forces, provides forward air control, and conducts combat search and rescue missions.

Reservists from the 442nd attended Yellow Ribbon training weekends throughout the winter to prepare for their upcoming mass deployment to Bagram Airfield, the latest in a recent burst of overseas duty for the Whiteman AFB reservists. Firefighters and security forces from the wing completed deployments in late 2013, as did two maintenance squadron commanders from the unit. At one Yellow Ribbon event this winter, more than a third of the 250 participants were either members of the 442nd or their loved ones. The program trains 7,000 reservists and family members annually in education benefits, health care, retirement information and more.

As the Whiteman reservists prepared for the deployment, the Defense Department announced budget plans that include retiring 27 A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft from the 442nd and replace them with 21 F-16 Fighting Falcon in 2018.