New airlift group commander discusses Dyess community and plans for future Published Feb. 6, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Joel Mease 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Since the 317th Airlift Group change of command Jan. 16, the new commander has had his hands full, accomplishing the mission of one of the busiest C-130 flying groups in the Air Force. "It's been exciting to have the opportunity to lead the premiere C-130 airlift group in the Air Force," Col. Bernard Mater said. While he has been here for only a short period of time, Colonel Mater said the community and the Airmen here already have left an impressive first impression. "I have discovered that our Airmen - whether it be 317th Airlift Group or 7th Bomb Wing - are tremendous professionals at what they do," he said. "Many of the Airmen are here four months and are gone the next four. Despite the deployments and the other training requirements placed on them, they still find the time to do the job safely and in a timely manner." The colonel was quick to point out that the obvious reason why the 317th AG is so successful is because of the support it receives from the 7th BW and the community. "The Airmen in the 7th BW are great partners, and we wouldn't be able to deploy without the support they provide," Colonel Mater said. "Also the love we receive from Abilene is literally unmatched by any military community. It is such an enabler to have this level of support so we can effectively fight the war on terrorism. I really wish I could package the support from this community and give it to other bases." After taking all this in the first month, the colonel mentioned it's the future that really is his priority while being the leader of the airlift group. "Being the premiere airlift group in the Air Force is a title I plan to keep while I'm here," Colonel Mater said. "Its how we capitalize on our success, which will allow us to move forward." One of the ways to capitalize on success is to mentor and develop Airmen, Colonel Mater said. "The chief of staff has made it a point that in order to be successful we have to mentor Airmen to be responsible leaders," he said. "I've noticed how true that is in order to be successful as an organization." Another factor the colonel believes is critical to moving forward is the recapitalization of the C-130 fleet. "Our C-130Hs were built in 1974, and some of them are beginning to the meet end of their life span," he said. "Hopefully in early 2010 to late 2012, the budget will allow us to replace those planes with C-130J models." However, it isn't just planes that need recapitalization, the colonel said. "Several of our facilities are out of date and need to be updated," Colonel Mater said. "A good example of this is the hangars you see with a tail of the plane sticking out. When that plane is in the hangar, the doors let in the cool air in the winter and heat in the summer raising energy costs unnecessarily. As we plan for new aircraft it's important for us to take a closer look to see if our facilities are meeting the operational needs of the mission." Despite the challenges, the colonel said this is the opportunity of a lifetime for him. "It's going to be a real pleasure to lead some of the very best in the Air Force," Col. Mater said.