Base/Community Council discuss common interests
By Steve Herring
Published in News on January 27, 2017 7:44 AM
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Col. Scovill Currin, vice commander of the 916th Air Refueling Wing, speaks during Thursday’s Base/Community Council meeting at Heritage Hall on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Seated are Goldsboro Mayor Chuck Allen and Councilman Gene Aycock.
The F-15E Strike Eagle turned 30 years old on Dec. 11.
But the aircraft still has a bright future and will be around for some time to come, said 4th Fighter Wing Vice Commander Brian Armstrong.
"That is a big event when you think about flying a fighter that is 30 years old," Armstrong said during Thursday's Base/Community Council meeting at Heritage Hall on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. "It is going to be around for a long time. We are going to fly it for another 20 to 30 years.
"One big initiative that is going on that we just started is a radar modernization for our aircraft. We are taking old radar off, and we are putting on a brand new, very fancy, high-tech radar. It is the same type of radar on the F-22 and F-35. So it is a big deal."
The quarterly Base/Community Council meetings are a mixture of updates on base, Goldsboro and Wayne County projects and events and a chance for base and community leaders to socialize.
Also speaking were Col. Scovill Currin, vice commander of the 916th Air Refueling Wing and County Manager George Wood and Goldsboro Mayor Chuck Allen who provided updates on ongoing projects in the county and city respectively.
Wood comment on the county's new jail and its agricultural and convention center and a planned new 911 call center. Allen said the city is looking at expanding the police station complex.
They, Armstrong and Mel Powers, Wayne County Office of Emergency Services director, also talked about the impact of Hurricane Matthew.
Other ongoing construction projects on base include a new medical facility to replace the current one that is the second-oldest in the Air Force, Armstrong said.
A new community center complete with a pool is being built as well as a new multi-sports complex that is a joint venture with the city of Goldsboro, Armstrong said.
The base continues its focus on quality of life initiatives, he said.
"When I was kind of younger, the Air Force had clubs," Armstrong said. "We had an officers' club, and enlisted club, and that is kind of what everybody did."
But over time the clubs kind of died out, he said.
"But what we found out is when young airmen arrive on base, and not really have any friends, it would take them a while to get connected to their fellow airmen and the community," he said. "So (former wing commander) Col. (Mark) Slocum came up with the Make It Better Program.
"So what the Make It Better Program is, the airmen form their own clubs. We have car clubs. We have cooking clubs. We have computer clubs, gaming clubs."
It is opportunity for airmen to get together, he said.
"It really improves the social fabric of the base," Armstrong said. "We are getting very good feedback from this, and it is helping our young airmen."
That same mindset is used to connect with the base's retired community where a Make It Better Day is set up for retirees, Armstrong said.
One of the most exciting initiatives is the Kiddie Hawk, an indoor playground for children, he said.
The Hearts Apart program focuses on looking after the family of deployed airmen, Armstrong said. It enjoys strong support from the community at large, he said.
Another important program is designed to enhance spouse employment, Armstrong said. The base is working with the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce on that project, he said.
When people think of Seymour Johnson AFB they justifiably think of the 4th Fighter Wing, Currin said. The base is home to the Strike Eagle and is the best in the world, he said.
"But with team Seymour, you get the best two-for-one deal in history," he said. "Not only do you have the best fighter wing, you have the best dang air refueling wing in the Air Force Reserve Command and the planet. That's not boastful or bragging, it's just article of faith and the truth if you ask me.
"This is the first Reserve flying unit in the state of North Carolina and we take that history seriously. In 2009, when we stood up an active duty KC-135 (tanker) squadron inside the 916th, that was the very first active associate KC-135 unit in United States air Force history."
On Oct. 1, 2016, the 916th became the first integrated in U.S. Air Force history.
The wing is made of 1,200 reservists and 300 active duty airmen. They work and live along aside each other.
"You couldn't tell the difference," he said. "But because of bureaucracy and artificial walls we couldn't have the same boss. All of those active duty airmen reported down to McDill AFB and the leadership in the 6th Air Mobility Wing.
"So what the I (integrated ) wing did is to tear down that wall, and every airman inside the 916th has the same boss. Right now is Col. (Eric) Jenkins and then later on myself."
Currin said he is an active duty airman, but that the 916th is a reservist wing. He will become the first active duty commander of the wing.
The wing will be the first to receive the new KC-46 tankers, Currin said.
"The people in this room are largely responsible for that," he said.
Back in December a public hearing was held on the environmental impact concerning stationing the new aircraft at Seymour Johnson AFB, he said.
"Many people in here were there that night," Currin said. "I had the chance to represent the 916th Air Wing. The team that went along to each base that is in competition for the 46, they have been to every base. We were the last stop. Each one of them came up to me afterward and remarked on a couple of things.
"One, the turnout -- they said it dwarfed the other sites and then the spirit in the room and the tenor of the comments. You know what I am taking about -- the spirit of the city and its relationship with the base. It was an absolute home run."
The base is officially designated as the preferred alternative for 12 of the new tankers.
"After the completion of that study we are expecting this summer for them to formally announce us as the first home of the KC-46," he said. "This city has played a huge part in us getting that airplane."