Air Combat Command leaders visit wounded warriors at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott Wagers
  • Defense Media Activity-Ramstein
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany (AFNS) --  Air Combat Command's senior officer and enlisted leader visited patients and staff at the largest American hospital outside the United States Nov. 20, here.

Gen. William M. Fraser III and Chief Master Sgt. Marty Klukas answered questions about their visit and where they see the future for ACC. 

"It's always inspiring to come here and to have an opportunity to say 'thank you' to those who are serving and volunteering here," General Fraser said. "It was also great to say thanks to our wounded warriors from all of the services; to have an opportunity to hear their stories, their experiences and it's encouraging to see how optimistic and motivated they still are."

The general recalled a few of the wounded warriors who voiced excitement about the idea of getting back to their warrior buddies.

"I think that really speaks to their character and the types of individuals who are now serving in all the services," he said.

General Fraser discussed how the activation of Air Force Global Strike Command has impacted ACC's mission.

"With our No. 1 Air Force priority to reinvigorate the nuclear enterprise, the stand up of Air Force Global Strike Command is a major milestone. Now we have one major command that is focused on the nuclear enterprise. Within that, the Air Force is responsible for two legs of the (nuclear) triad. That's the intercontinental ballistic missiles and our bombers," General Fraser said.

The third component of the nuclear triad is ballistic missile submarines.

"We will move both the ICBMs and the bombers under one major command, bringing focus and expertise to the nuclear enterprise," General Fraser said. "We in Air Combat Command will, on approximately Feb. 1, 2010, pass our B-52 Stratofortress' and B-2 Spirits to Air Force Global Strike Command. This means the reporting chain will then be from the bomb wing to 8th Air Force to Air Force Global Strike Command as opposed to 8th Air Force to ACC. It will be a very smooth and transparent change for the wings."

General Fraser also talked about how ACC is contending with the wear and tear on its aircraft brought about by the on-going war we've been fighting in the Middle East.

"We're doing very well," General Fraser said. "We're 'all in' in ACC, in fact, Air Combat Command has about 10,000 of its warriors deployed around the globe accomplishing the mission they've been asked to do. And you're right, it takes not only a personal toll, but also a toll on our machines; and it's not just one particular platform.

"I continue to be impressed with the resiliency of our Airmen to get the job done, supporting all the services and making a difference in today's fight," The general said. "Our Airmen are all in flying manned and unmanned aircraft, they are participating in the provincial reconstruction teams and they are a part of military transition and training teams. Our enablers continue to bring a tremendous skill set to today's fight allowing us to do things in areas that have a positive impact in people's lives today. I'm very proud of them all.

"I would also like to thank our families who are supporting and making sacrifices for our Airmen," the general said. They're keeping the home fires burning and taking care of the families so our Airmen can accomplish the mission that they've been called to do, and that's a big deal. I really appreciate our families and their sacrifices."

Chief Klukas then spoke about the quality of training Airmen receive for today's high operations tempo.

"I think the training that our young warriors are getting is far better today than it was when I first came in," Chief Klukas said. "I think we're giving them the proper training, but we also need to continue adjusting to rapidly changing tactics, techniques and procedures. In large part, I believe our Airmen are also well-organized and well-equipped to do the mission," the Chief said. 

"We as leaders can only tell our warriors to 'ruck-up' so many times without allowing them to 'take a knee.' We've got to do our part to make sure that we're helping them balance the ops tempo with expectations. This year we are celebrating 'The Year of the Air Force Family,' and we must put our money where our mouth is and get the right focus on our families. They enable us to get the job done during those extended deployments and we owe them the proper love," Chief Klukas said.

"With regards to the joint environment, I couldn't agree more that we need to continue to pursue joint training; that's where we make our money," he said. "Every single person I've talked to that's been in combat said 'predeployment training is everything.' So it appears to me we're getting that mostly right but it is difficult to get enough shooting, moving and communicating. So my advice to our warriors: Take advantage of that training."

Chief Klukas also discussed how Airmen are performing in the joint environment.

"I know quite a few senior enlisted leaders from other services and I'm hearing they're surprised by the resiliency of our Airmen," Chief Klukas said. "It's great and we should not be surprised at the flexibility and adaptability of our Airmen. The feedback will keep getting better as we continue to train in a joint environment and our warriors get exposure to our sister services. I'm extremely proud to stand in the presence of our battle-minded Airmen; they are true professionals and are making a difference."