Dyess CCC leaves for Iraq

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Carolyn Viss
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  A member of Dyess' leadership will leave May 26 for another command chief position with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing in Balad, Iraq. 

Command Chief Master Sgt. Paul Wheeler and his wife, retired Master Sgt. Maira Wheeler, spent a year and a half at Dyess and are now moving on to another season of their lives. 

During his year-long, unaccompanied tour, Mrs. Wheeler will move to Virginia to be near her family while Chief Wheeler faces the challenge of holding the key enlisted position over 8,000 Airmen in about 50 locations, he said. Most of the Airmen he will serve are filling in-lieu-of taskings for the Army and will have strenuous operations tempos. 

"I think the most challenging thing about being there will be staying in tune with the combat mission ops tempo and an always-changing environment," said the 27-year-enlisted security forces chief. "My goals are to minimize casualties, effectively execute combat operations, and take care of the Airmen there by making sure they have the proper equipment, are as comfortable as possible, and have any serious issues between home and the deployed environment resolved quickly." 

Chief Wheeler said his multi-faceted career path has prepared and trained him "100 percent" for this new role. 

He has no plans to retire after he completes his mission in Iraq, he said. On the contrary, he plans to continue his enlistment through a full 30 years and retire with his wife after another one- or two-year tour. 

"Our time at Dyess has been outstanding," Chief and Mrs. Wheeler agreed. "Our goal was to make Dyess a better place to live and work, and I think we've both gotten the opportunity to do that through many different venues." 

For instance, a lot of money went into base housing for both accompanied and unaccompanied Airmen; the base implemented a no-smoking policy in dormitories; and combat capability has been improved by upgrading equipment, training and personnel. 

"We not only improved quality of life; we developed an off-duty culture of volunteerism that's improved our already great relationship with Abilene by showing them how much we care," the chief said. "I don't have any negative memories of Dyess." 

Some of the good memories he said he has are of his Texas Hold'em tournaments, motorcycle rallies with friends and members of Team Dyess, 5/6 Club and Airman's Advisory Council Halloween parties, and more. 

His wife was equally busy, he said. 

While working toward a post-graduate degree and keeping their "family" of dogs and cats in order, Mrs. Wheeler has also been involved in many morale-boosting activities on base. 

Her 22-year career in the Air Force gave her the perspective she needed to support the Protestant Women of the Chapel and Enlisted Spouses Club, volunteer for the Airman's Attic, and teach Spanish to children for free, she said. 

"Dyess was my first duty station in 1983," Mrs. Wheeler said. "I never expected to come back in this capacity, but doing so has really opened my eyes to how much Abilene has to offer Dyess servicemembers." 

Part of what made this tour so wonderful, they both agreed, was the host-tenant unit relationship between the 7th Bomb Wing and 317th Airlift Group. 

"Everyone on 'Team Dyess' shares their accomplishments," Chief Wheeler said. "We have never considered the 317th to be a separate entity. Everything from shirts' council meetings to operational readiness inspections were joint efforts, and we recognized that." 

It's "perfect" to have the B-1 and C-130 aircraft at the same base, he said. 

"The B-1 and C-130 are both vital to national security. We couldn't survive without the deterrence role the B-1 plays and the airlift mission of the C-130s," he said. "The whole world knows that if someone acts up, we're ready to go." 

A new "ready to go" part of Team Dyess will arrive in late June, as Command Chief Master Sgt. David Goldie replaces Chief Wheeler, he said. 

"I've known Chief Goldie for six years and interact with him regularly," Chief Wheeler said. "He's highly-respected and knowledgable, ready to take Dyess to the next level and focus on taking care of Airmen at the same time. I'm really happy with Colonel (Timothy) Ray's choice." 

Chief and Mrs. Wheeler expressed hearty thanks to the men and women of Team Dyess, including civilians, spouses, the community and sponsors. 

"If I was still active-duty, I would consider this to be the best tour of my whole career," Mrs. Wheeler said.