Fort Worth Reserve wing hosts employers day

by Senior Airman Martha Whipple
301st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

10/30/2012 - NAVAL AIR STATION FORT WORTH JOINT RESERVE BASE, Texas  -- Civilian employers of 301st Fighter Wing Reserve members participated in an employer appreciation day here Oct. 13.

About 35 employers from the area toured the wing during an operational readiness exercise. While troops donned combat gear and hustled to simulated bunkers, employers watched, gaining an understanding of what their employees do on Air Force orders.

"Today, we thank our civilian employers who support our military mission," said Brig. Gen. Bruce Miller, 301st FW commander. "Our Citizen Airmen balance family, civilian job and military duty. When Reserve members are here on orders, we know employers and coworkers are making a sacrifice. We thank employers for their continued support and dedicated efforts to making our mission a success."

Employers from 30 different companies, including Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter, JP Morgan Chase and Marriott Hotels arrived at 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning to begin their day. As the sun was rising, employers boarded a KC-135 Tanker from the 507th Air Refueling Wing at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.

George Bayless, Holiday Inn Express manager in Decatur, Texas, said he has been out to the base for air shows and remembers coming out to Carswell in its heyday to watch B-24s do touch and goes, but nothing compares to seeing an air show from the pit of a tanker. Employers took turns climbing into the tanker's boom operator pit as F-16s circled to conduct an air refueling mission.

"It was quite an honor to be a part of the mission," Bayless said. "I could have stayed up there all day."

In addition to the air refueling mission, employers were briefed on mission capabilities at the 73rd Aerial Port Squadron, 301st Security Forces Squadron, Aircrew Flight Equipment Shop, and 301st Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight. The group was treated to lunch by the 301st Services Squadron at a single pallet expeditionary kitchen. The services squadron set up the SPEK, a mobile kitchen in a TEMPER tent, for the employer appreciation day.

Sheryl Black, American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth training operations manager, said she was proud to have been a part of the employer appreciation day. The day, intended for the wing leadership to thank the employers, is also a way for employers to say thank you to the military, Black said.

The Air Force Reserve has a three-legged stool concept. The construct relies on all three parties - the Reserve, their family and their employer - in order to function correctly. The employer appreciation day is one of the tools the Reserve uses to show employers first-hand just how important their support is to the Reserve members and the nation.