Commander's Corner

  • Published
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The Commander's Corner is a forum for the Dyess community to make suggestions or voice concerns about Dyess directly to Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck, 7th Bomb Wing commander. Each week the Dyess Public Affairs office solicits questions via the official Dyess Facebook page, offering people an opportunity to ask questions and receive answers directly from the wing commander.

QUESTION

Samantha Normand - Where are the pictures from the promotion ceremony in july? My husband put on SSgt and I havent been able to find them.

 
Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck
Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck		   RESPONSE

Samantha, congratulations to you and your husband. Promotion is a big deal, and as a family member your support to your husband plays a big part in him getting promoted. I want to let you know that my Public Affairs staff sent you a link to the photos from the promotion ceremony in July. Anyone can find the photos taken by the Public Affairs staff at http://s1354.photobucket.com/user/DyessAFBTX/library/ for any of the great achievements made by our Airmen here at Team Dyess.

 

QUESTION

Lori Moulder - Are the soldiers in Afghanistan really being cut back on their meals a day? My son Dallas Conrad is deployed and I heard that.

 
Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck
Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck		   RESPONSE

Lori, On Oct. 15 I received a similar question. Here was my response: I appreciate the concern you have for our friends and loved ones who are deployed. It is my understanding that servicemembers downrange are continuing to receive at least three meals per day. However, three meals does not necessarily mean three hot meals; MREs (self-contained, packaged ready-to-eat meals) are also considered meals. I've eaten MREs while deployed or at training, and I'll admit that when it comes to MREs, there are several entrees that are delicious, but some are certainly better than others. And while MREs may not be a favorite amongst some of our troops, each meal contains a particular amount of calories and nutrients to ensure every servicemember has ample energy to execute the mission, so they're a great option when a hot meal is not available. You don't have to fear that our deployers are going to go hungry, but if you want to boost the morale of any Airman, sending a care package with foods and goodies from home is a great way to make them feel appreciated!

 

QUESTION

Michelle Fox Platt - Sir, Over the 3 months I have been here at Dyess I have spoken to dozens of parents whose children are swimmers and have or would like to participate in a swim team but do not right now due to lack of access. There is one in town but their facilities are not nearly as well kept as ours and the location is less convenient for our military members to transport their children to on a daily basis for practice. Dyess used to have a swim team called the Dyess Dolphins and several spouses including myself have tried to contact Outdoor recreation to get this team reinstated with no success/response. Swimming is an excellent sport for our military youth as it is a portable individual team sport that provides a low impact cardio workout and promotes a healthy lifestyle. There are qualified spouses here on Dyess willing to volunteer their time as coaches and swim team parents are accustomed to covering life guard and USA Swimming fees. This would also benefit the base as it would draw more attention to the swim programs provided at the indoor pool and increase the pool usage. Thank you.

 
Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck
Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck		   RESPONSE

Michelle - This is a great question and one where you are reading my mind...and if I'm able I would love to support a swim team, or lessons and other activities for that matter, for our dependent children at Team Dyess. Michelle, I don't have an answer right now, but I am and have been looking into several options to better utilize our facilities and provide Team Dyess with more options for recreation, including the pool. Once I have some resolution, my Public Affairs team will send you a message. Great question and I like your initiative, we need more of that.

 

QUESTION

Ryan Warner - Sir, are the motorcycle safety course's still being offered for free? I'm interested in learning how to ride.

Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck
Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck		   RESPONSE

Ryan, I'm glad you are thinking safety first before you get on a motorcycle. The motorcycle course is a program I want to support, but there are still some unanswered questions right now about funding and the basic motorcycle class is one of those decisions that's still up in the air. I know this isn't the answer you want to hear, and it's frustrating for me as well because there are going to be some real hard decisions that will need to be made by the Air Force, Air Combat Command and myself. I implore you though, to find a mentor and get the proper safety training you need - even if it comes out of your own pocket. It is a Department of Defense requirement and it will be worth it in the long run!

 
 
QUESTION

Christian A Senn - Would the 7th Bomb Wing allow/support an air national guardsmen who was permitted and desired to requalify in the B-1B? What would be the prerequistes for such a guardsmen to requalify?

Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck
Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck		   RESPONSE

Christian, flying the B-1B is, in my opinion, one of the best jobs in the world, so I'm not surprised you are interested in requalifying on the Bone. I guess the question I have for you is do you want to be on Active Duty or remain a Guardsman? Currently, there are no Guard or Reserve positions in the B-1, so you would be unable to pursue that route if you wanted to remain in the Guard. On the other hand, if you were interested in coming on to Active Duty, there are more opportunities however, I still think opportunities would be limited. I recommend discussing this with your supervisor or contacting the USAF Personnel Center to discuss options. Best of luck to you and I hope you make the decision that is best for you and your family.