Wing exposes civilian employers to AF Reserve, MAFFS missions

Published July 20, 2012
By Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Collier
302nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Since the call up of the 302nd Airlift Wing's Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System mission June 27, Air Force Reservists have answered the call to support the local Colorado Springs community and Rocky Mountain area in an effort to battle raging wildfires. As these members waved goodbye to their loved ones to report for duty, another element of their lives was also put in limbo: their civilian employer.

Traditional Reserve Airmen have the challenge of balancing three elements in their lives: family, military commitments and their civilian employment. To recognize the flexibility civilian employers provide their Air Force Reserve employee, the 302nd AW welcomed, locally and nationally based, employers July 13 to see the mission their employees support both here and abroad.

A total of 26 employers, ranging from the Colorado Springs Police Department to both American and Southwest Airlines, took advantage of the wing's annual Employer Appreciation Day. Throughout the day, examples of Air Force Reserve capability and readiness were put on display for the employers to see, such as chemical warfare training, C-130 aerial firefighting and the 302nd AW's primary duty of tactical airlift.

Joel Kern, a sergeant with the Colorado Springs Police Department, said he now has a greater appreciation for the Reserve mission and the time commitment individual members give to it.

"I really took away (from my visit) the commitment and professionalism you guys have and the commitment to the mission and all the things that go into making the C-130s fly," said Kern, the civilian superviser of Senior Master Sgt. Martin Herrera who is assigned to the 302nd Force Support Squadron. "I live in Colorado Springs and seeing them fly around all the time on the weekends. You see them flying, but you don't realize all the effort that goes into keeping them in the air."

Employers were also treated to a lunch supplied by the Colorado Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense-affiliated organization that helps to mitigate challenges between employers and their Reserve or National Guard employee.

With recent headlines stretching from Europe and Southwest Asia to Colorado Springs highlighting the 302nd AW's involvement in aerial firefighting support, the employers were anxious to experience a planned C-130 Hercules orientation flight. And experience it they did, with a flight stretching between the Waldo Canyon Fire area to Pikes Peak, then south to Colorado's famed Royal Gorge, and back to Peterson AFB.

"I certainly have a new found respect for the sacrifices that people make, not only in their professional lives, balancing that, but then in their personal lives," said Jennifer Bunke, a director of specialized member services for USAA, a banking and insurance company geared toward military members. "Even though it seems like only one weekend a month, (they) certainly (spend) a lot of time away."

Bunke, who employs Staff Sgt. Ryan Spawr from the 39th Aerial Port Squadron, also said she realized the "profound impact" the 302nd AW has "on our community, our country and all over the world."

"I'm profoundly grateful for everything you all do and thank you so much for your service and your sacrifice," Bunke said. "It means a lot."

Commenting on the importance of reaching out to employers of Reservists, Col. Jay Pittman, 302nd AW commander, said one of his top priorities is to ensure Reservists have a balanced approach to their life, keeping their "triad" of family, employers and military duty perfectly balanced.

"We all know the tremendous challenges placed on the military today affect more than just the individual member and their families," Pittman said. "For Reservists, these challenges stretch into their civilian employment as well. We want to ensure civilian employers are not forgotten when the country calls upon their employee to support the nation's defense."

At the end of the day, Pittman presented each employer with a traditional "challenge coin," signifying the respect of the military for the employer's support and, sometimes, sacrifice of having employees as Citizen Airmen.