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Deployed Air Force Reservist leads command post mission

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  In his 14 years of active duty and Reserve time in the Air Force, Master Sgt. Paul LaFleur said where he's working right now as the chief of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Command Post is where he wants to be to "support the success of the mission."

Sergeant LaFleur is an Air Force Reservist deployed from the Reserve's 507th Air Refueling Wing at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. As chief of his deployed wing's command post, he said he keeps a pretty busy schedule.

"My day-to-day responsibility is to manage command post operations which include following aircraft missions, coordinating emergency actions with base agencies, carrying forward procedures and directives from higher headquarters and interfacing with wing leadership as a trusted agent on reporting issues," said Sergeant LaFleur, whose hometown is Southfield, Mich. "Additionally I am ultimately responsible for setting the schedule, delegating additional duties and just generally taking care of the people that work for me."

Day-to-day, Sergeant LaFleur said 380th AEW command post controllers work 24 hours a day, seven days a week doing whatever the mission requires.

"The whole purpose of our career field is managing information flow," said Sergeant LaFleur. "While information exists in many forms, in any given situation it is often disconnected and flying past the people who need it. The command post serves as the receptor and filter for all this information and the controller utilizes their training and expertise to get the data to right people."

To be the most effective, Sergeant LaFleur said an experienced controller, over time, "develops a keen 'controller judgment' which is utilized in the decision making process to identify the information that is the most time sensitive, has the greatest impact or may cause harm if not addressed."

"This is especially important in a deployed environment because everything we do here has a direct impact on our fellow military members out in the field fighting the war," Sergeant LaFleur said. "How quickly and effectively we relay the information may be the difference between a successful mission and complete failure."

During his time in the military, Sergeant LaFleur said what keeps him serving in the military is his patriotic ferver.

"I can honestly say I am a patriot," Sergeant LaFleur said. "I like being part of a select few people who are willing to make sure our country maintains the freedoms we all enjoy. I initially joined the Air Force to get the college money and finish my education. Somewhere along the way I learned to appreciate the traditions, core values and dedication of those serving around me."

Sergeant LaFleur said he left active duty in order to complete his education. "But after Sept. 11, 2001, I felt the need to contribute and came back as a full time Reservist."

As for his current deployment, he said he volunteered because he wanted to do his part to support the success of the mission. "I also viewed this as an opportunity to add a fully-formed leadership credential to help me be a better senior NCO," Sergeant LaFleur said. "I hope that I can deploy in the future because you always learn something new in almost every situation and a deployment is no exception."

The master sergeant also encouraged others to take the opportunity to deploy. "If I could offer one piece of advice to someone who hasn't deployed I would of course recommend doing so at the next opportunity," Sergeant LaFleur said. "You can really find out a lot about yourself and how to interact with people when you are in a deployed environment without distractions."

The 380th AEW is comprised of four groups and 12 squadrons and the wing's deployed mission includes air refueling, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia. The wing supports Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa and Operation Enduring Freedom.