New wing commander finds PR is a large part of his new duties

The new wing commander, Col. John Bird II, had several goals when he took command of the wing three months ago -- maintaining the quality of the Gunfighter team and its ability to fulfill any combat mission for which it is tasked, and "telling the story of the Air Force" to the general public.

"I made public relations one of my priorities," he said, but, he admitted "I didn't realize the volume" of what the job entails. As a vice commander, he said, "you're essentially a backup" to the wing commander, so he had some experience as a PR representative, but as a wing commander that aspect of the job was much larger than he had anticipated.

He's spent a lot of time meeting with leaders and average citizens in the Mountain Home community, opening lines of communication with other communities in southwestern Idaho, and helping strengthen the already solid ties with the Idaho National Guard and the native Americans of the Duck Valley Reservation.

Telling the Air Force story is an easy sell in Mountain Home, but outside this community "it's very important that people understand what we do, the sacrifices and dedication of our people, and the mission of the Air Force."

For Bird, becoming Gunfighter 1, the 366th Fighter Wing commander, has been an "exciting" time for himself and his family.

"Leading up to this assignment (his predecessor) 'Dude' Brown had talked about the strength of the communities ties (with the base). He told me you could count on them in any area, and he was right. When people found out I was going to be a Gunfighter, they told me it was a special place."

Everything he has seen has validated that, he said. Before coming here he had been assigned to a training wing at Tyndall AFB, Fla.

"It was a 'school house.' This is an operational combat wing," and the challenges are immensely greater.

"I say that around here we perform a series of consecutive miracles every day. Everybody does his job." In today's Air Force, with force levels that have fallen for the last eight years, every person has a vital job to do, from the top officers to the freshest airman. "A single failure by any airman can have catastrophic consequences" that can snowball.

From the standup of the Republic of Singapore Air Force, to an impending visit by a squadron from Seymour Johnson AFB, the wing will soon have five squadrons represented on the flight line. And the three core flying squadrons of the wing, plus all the other component parts, must be ready at a moment's notice to fulfill any mission the nation calls upon it to do. Even when the three flying squadrons aren't deployed the wing typically has 200-300 personnel deployed in penny packets all over the world.

"It's an awesome job, but the Gunfighters always step up to challenge," he said with pride.

Mountain Home AFB is a special place within the Air Force, he noted. The training facilities here are one of the reasons the Republic of Singapore elected to base a squadron here, and the wing constantly hosts other USAF and allied units for temporary training tours.

"That (training) range we have is a national treasure," he said. "I think over time the demand for it is only going to increase."

Standing up the RSAF squadron has been a major challenge, with thousands of details that have had to be addressed, "but it has all come together," he said, praising the Gunfighter team for its hard work.

The squadron, the 428th Buccaneers, whose planes arrived last week, will officially stand up May 18, earlier than originally anticipated.

"We had to stand it up now because we have a very aggressive training schedule this summer."

Brought in as part of the Peace Carvin V program, which will be officially activated in November, the RSAF squadron will hold a special ceremony at that time that is expected to feature top officials in both the United States and Republic of Singapore governments and Air Forces. The vice president of Singapore and possibly the vice president of the United States are currently expected to attend.

As the RSAF crews begin arriving, "I just want them to have a wonderful experience," Bird said, adding that he hopes (and expects) the local community to embrace them. The first crews to arrive were experienced in overseas deployments. For the bulk of the crews now arriving, however, "this may be their first time outside their home country," so they may have a tendency, at first, to stick together within their own social safety net. But, he said, over time, he fully expects them to become active players in the community.

And that's because he and his family have found the community to be one that welcomes new people with open arms.

When he arrived in January, his family had come from the white, sandy beaches of Florida, to the white, snow-covered desert of southern Idaho. "We hit the stores to buy some warm clothes and learned quickly how to 'layer'," he laughed.

He was concerned about uprooting his two sons in the middle of a school year, but said they have quickly made new friends and become involved in school and other activities.

Most wing commanders quickly become acquainted with community leaders, from local politicians to members of the Chamber's Military Affairs Committee, but Bird has gone beyond those contacts. With one of his sons an ardent baseball player, Bird and his wife have made friends with other youth baseball families, expanding his community contacts beyond those of the more "formal" crowd with which wing commanders usually associate.

Bird also has quickly developed a reputation on base as a commander who empowers his subordinates, rather than micromanaging.

"I like to tell people what I want done, and then let them come up with the ideas to accomplish it. We've got some very good, very smart people here, at all levels.

"The bottom line is, I expect them to use their judgement, to be a leader. And I emphasize that decisions should be made at the lowest level," so that ideas and solutions are coming from the very people who have to put them into effect.

While public relations, and maintaining the highest possible levels of quality of life for his troops is vitally important to him, "my absolute, top priority," he said, "is that we are prepared to deliver combat airpower whenever our nation calls upon us.

"That's what keeps me up at night. That's our job, that's why we exist, and we take that very seriously."