Former TACP funds 332nd AEW mission

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Melanie Holochwost
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) --  (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories and commentaries focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.)

After serving four years as a tactical air control party journeyman, a senior airman decided to trade in his stripes for a golden bar. Now, 12 years later, he is the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing comptroller at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.

Although he is glad he made the transition, Maj. Shenen Hoefferle, who is deployed from Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, said he misses all of the thrills that went along with being a TACP.

As a TACP prior to the use of GPS-guided bombs and digital coordinates, Hoefferle said he was responsible for guiding pilots to the enemy.

"We were on the ground, so we knew exactly where the enemy was located," he said. "We called in air strikes and walked the pilot's eyes to each target. We would tell them what direction to come in, where we were and where other friendly forces were to ensure the target -- and only the target -- would get blown up."

While Hoefferle said he absolutely loved his enlisted job, it was missing one important thing -- the opportunity to lead.

"My original plan was to serve for four years and then separate from the military, go to college and work in some corporate office somewhere," he said. "However, I ended up really liking the Air Force, so I decided to stay in. Being a TACP was fun and exciting, but I really wanted to be a leader and make the decisions."

Hoefferle said he applied for the Airman Scholarship Commissioning Program and got accepted.

"The program allowed me to finish my bachelor's degree at the University of Washington in Seattle," he said. "I majored in business, which led me to my career in finance. Although I really wanted to be an A-10 pilot and see the other side of the TACP mission, I really can't complain. The Air Force has been really good to me and I enjoy working in finance."

As a deployed comptroller, Hoefferle is in-charge of the entire financial management team here, which includes customer service, accounting, budgeting and purchasing. He also has to ensure every unit on base has the tools they need to complete the mission without wasting taxpayer dollars.

"Most Airmen only see the customer service side of finance, which is a very small portion of what we do," he said. "In addition to paying Airmen, we have to secure enough funding so they are able to do their jobs. This means we have to pay for things like vehicle leases, heavy equipment rentals, drinking water, office supplies and equipment maintenance."

Hoefferle said the finance office has to follow a vast amount of rules and regulations.

"Each purchase has to meet purpose, time and amount requirements," he said. "Once approved, we work in tandem with contracting to determine exactly what we are going to buy, where we are going to buy it, when we will buy it, and what pot of money we will use to make the purchase. And in addition to our rules and regulations, contracting has a bunch they have to follow, too."

Since about 95 percent of transactions are completed in-person with local currency, Hoefferle said it is vital for contracting and finance personnel to maintain good relationships with local vendors.

"Sometimes we build these relationships over a cup of tea," he said. "And this small gesture makes business so much easier for us. For example, one of our vendors drives more than an hour to deliver us supplies. And they don't charge us a shipping or delivery fee."

Although Hoefferle isn't calling in air strikes anymore, he is still a huge part of the mission.

"While a lack of money may not stop a mission, it can certainly stall it," he said. "It is my job to ensure that doesn't happen."