Gunfighter One sets stage for 2011

  • Published
  • By Airman Samuel Anderson
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  Just a week into the New Year, Airmen gathered at Hangar 1331 for the first commander's call of 2011.

Col. Ron Buckley, 366th Fighter Wing commander, addressed his top priorities, upcoming events and Driving Under the Influence incidents. The commander took a moment to reflect on what he deemed a very successful year for the Gunfighters.

"I got to spend a good portion of it here, and I can't tell you how proud I am of the hard work and dedication that resulted in some great accomplishments," said Colonel Buckley, who also goes by "Gunfighter One".

"This year is going to be busy as well," he said. "We have the UCI and LCAT in February, the 389th is getting ready to deploy this spring, an air show coming in September, in addition to numerous other challenges and opportunities."

Gunfighter One also spoke about one of the biggest issues this base faces annually involving the number of Airmen who have received DUI citations. Last year, 26 Airmen received DUIs, and this year there have already been two issued.

"This is one of my toughest challenges as a wing commander," said Colonel Buckley. "The impact of a DUI is tremendous. We have got to do everything we can to prevent them." He stressed to the Airmen that DUIs not only have an impact on their career but also on the lives of others. "If you get a DUI it is going to have a significant impact on your career," he said. "You're going to lose your base driving privileges."

The colonel said there are 60 people who currently don't have base driving privileges because of DUIs, and this results in mission impact because it means there are 60 other people on this base that have to pick up the slack in order to get them to and from work.
"There is also a financial impact," said Colonel Buckley. "If you get a DUI downtown you will pay a very significant amount, but really, it's the danger that we put the general public in when we go out and drink and drive." Colonel Buckley went on to describe the impact of losing a member of the Gunfighter Family, Mrs. Samantha Leonard, to a drunk driver last September. "Samantha's husband, SrA Kevin Leonard, tasked me as the wing commander to do everything in my power to prevent another family from having to go through such a tragic experience." Addressing the entire wing about the impact of DUIs was part of that effort.

Chief Master Sgt. Ronald McCarthy, 366th Fighter Wing Command Chief, also addressed the crowd and spoke briefly about suicide prevention and physical fitness.
According to Air Force statistics, in 2010 the Air Force lost 95 personnel to suicide. "Whether it is 95 or one, everybody will agree that even one is too many," said Chief McCarthy. "Each and every one of us has those stressors in our life that maybe we feel we can't handle alone or that we can't handle at all."

He said one way to relieve these stressors was to maintain a high level of physical fitness. "We are challenged and tested each and every day and more so when it comes to fitness," said the command chief. "Maybe we are preparing for the UCI or for a deployment, but we cannot overlook the fact that we need to do our fitness."

Colonel Buckley ended his commander's call by thanking the wing for their tremendous efforts and encouraged Gunfighters to continue to prepare for upcoming inspections and exercises.

"You guys do great work every day," Colonel Buckley continued. "I know that all of you volunteered to do it. I know you guys are dedicated. I've seen the 'can do' attitude and I've seen your innovation. I've seen you solve problems even though we don't have all the resources that we probably should. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the fact that you choose to serve each and every day to generate combat air power. It's inspiring."