COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- As we revisit the last 12 months of the 14th Flying Training Wing’s mission, it can be said without a doubt, it was a busy and fun filled year.
Perhaps at one point in time, we have all heard the old saying, “My, how time flies.” Well, 2015 is a shining reminder of how swiftly time passes, especially when you are a Team BLAZE member for one of the busiest flying training wings in all of Air Education and Training Command.
In January, Headquarters AETC announced the 14th Flying Training Wing received its 12th Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. During the same month, the U.S. Air Force reactivated a historic unit, the 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, to train Afghani pilots and maintainers on the A-29 Super Tucano fighter aircraft. Although the 81st FS is a tenant unit at Moody AFB, the squadron falls under command of the 14th Operations Group and 14th Flying Training Wing at Columbus AFB, Mississippi.
Later during that month, Gen. Robin Rand, Commander of AETC, and Chief Master Sgt. Gerardo Tapia, AETC Command Chief, visited the 14th Flying Training Wing. Also, AETC announced the winners of the 2014 Public Affairs Awards for Excellence in which the 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs office won the Brigadier General Harry J. Dalton Jr. Award for Best Overall Communication Program.
February brought the Most Reverend Auxiliary Bishop Neal Buckon, Archdiocese for military services U.S. Army, to town. Buckon celebrated Catholic Mass with the Columbus AFB community members; 11 of Team BLAZE’s enlisted Airmen were promoted during the enlisted promotions ceremony; and on behalf of the 14th OG, Lt. Col. Robert Mozeleski, 14th Operations Group Deputy Commander, accepted the Columbus Air Force Base Commander’s Trophy, which is an annual award given to the group who collectively both participates and excels in the intramural sports program.
Airmen of Columbus AFB saluted as the graduates of Airman Leadership School Class 15-3 lowered the flag during a retreat ceremony on March 12, held on base at the Richard “Gene” Smith Plaza. March 14 marked the 42nd anniversary of Smith's repatriation after he served as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam for five years. James Poe was named Retiree Activities Office Director for Columbus AFB, a position that was vacant for a number of years. Poe provided information and assistance to over 4,000 local retirees and the base.
During the month of April, after successfully undergoing the first-of-its-kind unit effectiveness inspection, Columbus AFB received an “effective” rating for displaying a consistency of performance. In support of Domestic Violence Month, a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response awareness briefing held at the Kaye Auditorium inspired Airmen to change the culture of violence against women.
On May 8, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant and other local community members, who contributed to the planning and construction of the Lowndes County, Mississippi’s, $1.9 million small arms range, attended the official opening. Col. John Nichols, 14th Flying Training Wing Commander, and Maj. Brenton Pickrell, 14th Security Forces Squadron Commander, led a line of 14 shooters to officially open the Columbus Lowndes County Small Arms Range. The range is used jointly by Columbus AFB Airmen, Lowndes County, city of Columbus and other local law enforcement departments for weapons qualification and training. On that same day, thirty-seven Columbus AFB Airmen were awarded their Community College of the Air Force degrees in the Kaye Auditorium.
The Columbus AFB Fitness Center unveiled and executed a policy change from the facility’s limited hours of service to an unlimited 24/7 service operation which began in June. Tim Dill, 14th Force Support Squadron Fitness Center Assistant Manager, said the purpose of the new movement is “to provide for service members who work unconventional shifts, such as security forces and firefighters, and to allow them to maintain mission readiness and to boost morale by providing access to the gym."
Over 7,000 people enjoyed food vendors, live music, a fly-over and a fireworks display at the July 4 Fireworks on the Water celebration held at the Stennis Lock and Dam in Columbus, Mississippi. On July 21, Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson took command of AETC in a ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. Two F-35A Lightning II aircraft arrived on Columbus AFB July 23, one of which was piloted by Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, Commander of the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Arizona, who later gave an F-35A capabilities brief at Phillips Auditorium.
Twenty honor guardsmen from Columbus AFB and four T-38 Talons supported a Missing In Action ceremony Aug. 10 for a Mississippi Airman whose aircraft crashed exactly 63 years earlier. The 14th FTW’s 48th Flying Training Squadron also conducted a mass launch of 12 T-1A Jayhawks to practice the combat capability of safely and swiftly launching a large number of aircraft.
Members of Columbus AFB and the local community spent the evening of Sept. 18 celebrating the 68th Air Force Birthday at the Trotter Convention Center in Columbus, Mississippi. Later during the month, Street Smart, an organization which presents safety and preventive training to a targeted audience, held an event which addressed a topic designed to "Make young adults aware of the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, texting and/or e-mailing while driving, not wearing seat belts, and the trauma associated with these dangers."
In October, aircraft from each of the 14th FTW flying squadrons were represented in a dissimilar formation above Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. The T-1A Jayhawk from the 48th Flying Training Squadron led the formation with two T-38C Talons, one from the 50th Flying Training Squadron (SUPT) and one from the 49th Fighter Training Squadron (IFF), two T-6A Texan II aircraft from the 37th Flying Training Squadron and the 41st Flying Training Squadron, and the 14th FTW’s newest addition, the A-29.
The Columbus AFB website migrated to the new standard design in October. The web page now resembles the Air Force's main site, aka Air Force Link. The changeover created a more uniformed experience among Air Force web pages in both form and function.
Also, the Columbus Club renovation committee invited Team BLAZE members to participate in a fun-filled contest to rename the bar formerly known as Indy’s. The intent of the contest was to give the bar a name that captured the history and heritage of Columbus AFB. During the latter part of October, all departments of the 14th Medical Group began moving into the newly renovated Koritz Clinic, which included the Dental, Mental Health and Physical Therapy Clinics.
Nov. 19 marked the 39th anniversary of the American Cancer Society Great American Smoke-out. Columbus AFB Health Promotion celebrated by distributing “quit kits” to tobacco users who challenged themselves to give up their tobacco for 24 hours.
During early December, Team BLAZE members performed a fun-filled and informative skit titled, “You don’t know Jack like I know Jack.” The play presented humorous storylines, used as a tool to entertain, inspire and enlighten the audience in terms of resiliency and various prevention services, such as 434-RIDE and ADAPT, available at Columbus AFB.
Mid-month, the 81st FS graduated the first class of combat-ready attack pilots. According to Col. John Nichols, 14th FTW Commander, this graduation represented the first step in fulfilling the requirement from the International Security Assistance Force to conduct training outside of Afghanistan. Also, the Defense Information Systems Agency conducted a Command Cyber Readiness Inspection of Columbus AFB, in which the graded areas received ratings of “Acceptable” and “Excellent.”
The tree lighting ceremony kicked-off the holiday season which also marked the end-days for the many events and accomplishments experienced by the base throughout 2015. In addition to those tasks, the 14th FTW successfully met its primary mission requirement to produce military pilots, thereby training and graduating over 320 new Air Force pilots, as well as 16 international allied nation’s pilots, resulting in 53,514 sorties and 75,816 flying training hours.
During the course of the year, the wing gained new wing-level and squadron-level leadership as a result of its many change of command ceremonies. Regrettably, the wing lost forever several valued team members who passed away but will always be remembered.
As we say goodbye to 2015 and greet 2016, Team BLAZE members can look forward to an exciting and challenging year.