ARC liaisons bring Guard, Reserve into circle Published April 28, 2004 By Airman 1st Class J.G. Buzanowski Combined Air Operations Center Public Affairs AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar (AFPN) -- Many Airmen are deployed to fight the war on terrorism; however, Col. Bill Simpson and Lt. Col. Mike Mounts are deployed to fight for Airmen.The colonels serve as air reserve component liaisons for more than 3,100 deployed Air National Guardsmen and Air Force reservists -- almost a quarter of the total number of Airmen deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. During the past few months, the two have strapped on a sidearm, slipped into flak vests and traveled to several bases in the theater. They tackle issues and field questions from reserve Airmen on everything from health-care benefits to morale concerns.“There is an urgent need for this kind of care and attention,” said Tech. Sgt. Rosalie Jones, a reservist currently deployed to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, from Willow Grove Air Reserve Station, Penn. “Before Colonel Mounts came here, I had more questions than answers, and now it’s just the opposite. I do my job better now because he cleared up a lot of things.”The two colonels focus on meeting directly with Airmen. “We provide a voice for those people, enlisted and officer alike,” said Colonel Simpson, deployed from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. “We’re here so that while they’re deployed, Airmen can focus on their mission and let us worry about their issues.”They deal with issues such as Tricare, special pay and allowances, awards and decorations, as well as others that specifically affect the reserve component Airmen. “If we don’t know the answer, we know who does,” Colonel Mounts said.“My favorite part is telling people about their special-pay benefits for being deployed, especially the combat zone tax exclusion,” said Colonel Mounts, deployed from the Niagara Falls ARS, N.Y. “But there is so much other stuff we cover that people need to know about. Our main goal is for people to feel like they have someone specifically looking out for them, and that’s what we do.”When 1st Lt. Christopher Strickler, a C-130 Hercules navigator with the Delaware Air National Guard, heard there was someone coming to listen to him and his fellow guardsmen at Karshi-Khanabad AB, Uzbekistan, he said he had to attend the briefing.“A few of us stayed up late after our sorties were complete just so we could be there,” the lieutenant said. “I’m really glad I came. Now we know if we have questions, these are the people we talk to.”After traveling for hours -- more than 50 hours round-trip in some cases -- the liaisons return back to their office at the combined air operations center here. But according to Colonel Mounts, that does not matter.“We’re their representatives,” Colonel Mounts said. “If we can help just one Airman, then the trip has been worth it.”