AEF rotation perfect time to set goals

  • Published
  • By Maj. Ann Knabe
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing command chief makes no bones about it at the Right Start Briefing.

“You’re here for a rotation, and our mission comes first; but, it’s also a great time to set some goals and achieve them,” said Chief Master Sgt. Dwayne Hopkins, 379th AEW command chief.

Tech. Sgt. Andrea Allen, safety office information manager, took the chief’s message to heart and decided to work on her running, with an ultimate goal of running five kilometers at one time.

“My running goal fit in with a big picture goal I was working on for the last year -- to lose weight and get fit,” she said.

Sergeant Allen had already lost more than 15 pounds when she arrived on base. But, she could only run a mile-and-half without huffing and puffing to exhaustion.

“I got really scared when I heard our office (safety) ran the 5K every Friday,” she said, referring to a weekly run managed by services. “But, I was up for the challenge, and I set a goal to run the entire 5K by the time I left the 379th.”

“The first time I ran it was muggy and foggy, and I felt like I could hardly breathe,” Sergeant Allen said. “I made it through the 5K on faith and prayer, going at my own pace.”

Today she easily runs the 5K fun run and plans to continue her exercise routine back home at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., where she is assigned to the 9th Mission Support Squadron.

Similar to Sergeant Allen, Senior Airman Eric Millinder said he wanted to get back into running. The software engineer who works at the combined air operations center also said he wanted to do the best job he could while deployed.

“When I got here, I realized everyone was already running and doing their best,” he said. “So, I made my goals more concrete, focusing on running one-and-a-half miles in under 10 minutes and earning the 200-mile club T-shirt.”

Other Airmen focus on academics and professional military education. Maj. James Young, 379th Expeditionary Medical Group clinical psychologist, started and finished his Air Command and Staff College in less than four months.

“What made it easy was the fact there was another guy in the medical group going at the same pace,” explained the major. “As odd as it sounds, we actually talked a lot about the (course) material, and this helped keep me interested.”

Senior Airman Cassandra Locke, a public affairs specialist, focused on completing her Community College of the Air Force degree.

“The deployed environment proved to be an excellent opportunity to work on improving myself without day-to-day distractions,” she said. “I took four CLEP (College Level Examination Program) tests during my rotation.”

“Finding a quiet location to study is easy,” said Airman Brittany Christie, 379th Expeditionary Services Squadron information manager. The Learning Resource Center houses five computers for educational purposes.

“On any given day, we see more than 1,000 people come through the library to use our computers and educational services,” Airman Christie said. “We offer computers for online classes, research and academic work.”

The education office is also there to support goals.

“In any given week, more than 150 Airmen take PME tests and other exams,” said Master Sgt. Matthew Eubanks, services education officer. “In the same week, we also help an average of 400 people who walk in and have general education questions.”

The deployed environment allows some Airmen to explore their creative side.

“I’m writing short stories and reading books on metaphysics and sociology,” said Senior Airman Manuel Holston-Brown, 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron phase inspection technician. “I’m also learning martial arts, exercising and trying to learn about new cultures.”

In terms of achieving goals, Major Young offers simple advice.

“Set your goals early and constantly remind yourself where you want to be,” he said. “This gives you an added push when your motivation wanes, and it’ll help you see your goals through fruition.”