388th FW 'gets it': Words from the 12th AF commander Published Sept. 8, 2006 By 2nd Lt. Beth Woodward 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Twelfth Air Force and Air Forces Southern Commander, Lt. Gen. Norman Seip toured 388th Fighter Wing units here Monday, August 28, for the first time since taking command in July. General Seip had the opportunity to address the wing during a commander's call as well as meet with Airmen from the 388th Component Maintenance Squadron, 388th Equipment Maintenance Squadron and 729th Air Control Squadron. Following the day's events, the general sat down to discuss his impressions of the wing. Q. Can you speak on the 388th FW accomplishments? A. Their continuous support through Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle. 388th Airmen are supporting the long war on terror. That includes folks in the Air Control Squadron as well as the individual members of the wing that deploy in support of the AEF. Q. What were the best things you saw during your tour of the 388th? A. The enthusiasm, military bearing and focused energy of the folks that I've met - very impressive. And the wing also has strong leadership that comes across in both the officer and enlisted ranks. You've got great young Airmen, noncommissioned officers and senior NCOs. There are top-notch squadron commanders and group commanders lead by a stellar wing commander. I am also very impressed by the concerted effort to make the Reserve associate with the 419th FW work. That's going to pay great dividends not only for the wing here but for our Total Force across the Air Force as we use the model here and apply it across other Reserve associates. Q. How does each 388th Airman play into the reorganization of the Total Force? A. For the time being, we contribute by really doing our jobs. As we bring the two units and organizations together, we need to play off our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. We'll get the experience the Reserves bring to the fight, and we look at the energy and the enthusiasm the active duty force will bring. It's just a win-win situation. Q. Did anything surprise you about the wing? A. There were no surprises. The 388th gets it. They understand what's going on in the world out there today, and they're very much postured to help our country succeed in this Global War on Terror. I couldn't be more proud of them. Q. Did you notice any improvements the wing could make? A. Not that I noticed. I'm sure wing leadership here is constantly looking to be more effective, more efficient, more combat capable. But what I saw were folks who knew their jobs, understood their responsibilities, and were proud to be part of the 388th team, the Total Force team. Q. What part do 388th Airmen play in Air Forces Southern (AFSOUTH)? A. Obviously, the primary fight is taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan - that's where the preponderance of our 12th AF assets deploy to when they enter the AEF cycles. However, AFSOUTH (the air and space component to U.S. Southern Command), is always providing Airmen, like those from the 388th FW, to support engagement activities with our Central and South American counterparts. Whether it is from the medical side, subject matter experts, maintenance or operations, we continuously employ assets downrange to interact with our neighboring air forces in Central and South America. Q. Anything you would like to add to our Airmen? A. To sum it up: the 388th is a world-class organization, manned by world-class people, delivering world-class results each and every day.