News

BLAZE team attends 40th annual ATA Convention

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Ryan Oppedal
  • 48th Flying Training Squadron
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Forty one BLAZE team members traveled to Southern California last weekend for the 40th annual Airlift/Tanker Association National Convention. The convention was held at the Anaheim Convention Center and brought Air Force members from all over the world together to learn what is going on in the mobility community. The Columbus AFB contingent attended briefings ranging from career development to U.S. Air Force efforts to rebuild the fledgling Iraqi Air Force to a look back on the Berlin Airlift and how it made history. The convention concluded with a banquet in which award winners from all over the Air Force were recognized for their heroic deeds and hard work in extending America's Global Reach. The banquet consisted of nearly 4,000 people and enough general officers to make up 273 stars. 

This year, BLAZE team members from outside the airlift and tanker community were invited to attend the convention. Captain Chris Palmer, 14th Operational Support Squadron, is a Columbus AFB T-38 Instructor Pilot with a follow-on assignment to fly a fighter weapon system. He went to the convention to get a better understanding of how the airlift and tanker community operates. 

Captain Palmer said, "It was an eye-opening experience and I think I will be able to take the lessons learned here to understand better what the guys in the mobility community are doing." 

In addition to the convention activities, the Columbus AFB group participated in a ninety minute mentoring session with Gen. Steven Lorenz, Air Education and Training Command commander. Covering topics from leadership development to the future of the rated force to UAS operations, General Lorenz shared his vision for the command and the vital role that leaders, like those from Columbus AFB, play in developing creative solutions to the challenges facing the Air Force. 

"It was a great opportunity to hear straight from our four-star commander his vision of what it means to serve and lead in the 21st Century Air Force," commented Col. Jeff Dunn, 14th Flying Training Wing vice commander. 

The Columbus contingent returned home with a much better understanding of what is currently going on in the mobility community as well as what they can expect in the future. This convention was a unique opportunity for the junior members to hear first-hand from the Air Force's seniors leaders the direction the Air Force is headed and how they fit into the big picture.