July 05.pmd - 440th Airlift Wing

NEWS & NOTES440th Security Forces Squadron memberselected Sheboygan VFW post officialsby Senior Airman Deanne PerezTwo members of the 440 th Security ForcesSquadron were sworn into office at the Veteransof Foreign Wars, Wolf-Olson Post 1230, inSheboygan on May 21.Master Sergeant John Drossel assumed dutiesas quartermaster and Tech. Sergeant MatthewWallner as commander on July 1. According to aprevious post commander and former WisconsinState Commander, Jerry Wenniger, SergeantWallner is currently the youngest electedcommander in the state.“I really appreciate the young men that stepup,” said Mr. Wenniger in his opening remarks,thanking both Sergeants Drossel and Wallnerspecifically.Sgt. Wallner is grateful for those around himwho are willing to teach him the ropes and feelshe brings a fresh perspective to the organization.“It’s pretty cool,” Wallner said about beingelected youngest commander. He hopes toencourage more young veterans to join and plansto set membership goals for his post.“I’d like to get at least 10 more new guys thisyear. Liven it up a bit and let the old guys sit backand enjoy what the post can do for them,”Sergeant Wallner said of his fellow members. “Letthem know that we’ll take care of them, that thepost will be there when they are gone.We also want the new troops to come in andshow us how we can benefit them,” Sgt. Wallnercontinued. “See what their problems are and howwe [the VFW] can help out.”“I hope to gain a better appreciation of theoverall scope of what the veteran’s groups can dofor the previous – World War II generation vets,Korea, Vietnam and so on – as well as ourgeneration of veterans,” Sgt. Drossel says abouthis own membership.Sgt. Wallner joined his local VFW as soon ashe was eligible. “I’ve always wanted to be in theVFW – kind of camaraderie between the guyswho have been over [seas]. I went in and thoughtI might make a difference,” Sgt. Wallner said.As an active member of the post, Sgt. Drosselknows the time commitment isn’t as easy to meetwith younger veterans who have families and workobligations to meet as well.“I’m at a stage of my life where the last offour girls is out on her own, it’s just my wife andI at home and I thought it was a good time to lookat and get involved with it,” Sgt. Drossel says ofrunning for office, but doesn’t discourage thosequalified candidates from joining.“If we’re talking about the VFW, the AmericanLegion or even the Air Force Reserve, there isstrength in numbers,” said Sgt. Drossel. “The morenumbers the more politicians in office or thoselooking to run for office will listen to you.”Wolf-Olson Post 1230 is the 6 th oldest inWisconsin and its 165 members are diverse.Veterans from World War II through OperationsEnduring and Iraqi Freedom were present at theinauguration ceremony. The post’s newestmember returned from Iraq just 30 days prior tothe event.African-American woman first to command flying wingAFRC photoColonel Stayce Harris flies high as AFRC’s firstfemale African American commander of a flyingwing.ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. – Aformer wing vice commander is the first African-American woman in the Air Force ReserveCommand and the Air Force to command a flyingwing.Col. Stayce Harris accepted command of the459th Air Refueling Wing on May 15.Before replacing Brig. Gen. Richard Seversonas commander of the 1,300-member wing, shewas vice commander of the 507th ARW at TinkerAFB, Okla.“I believe the Air Force and the military as awhole provides opportunities for all,” saidColonel Harris after the ceremony. “I am just anexample of what we can do in the military.”Colonel Harris was born in Los Angeles, thedaughter of a career enlisted man. She gained anappreciation for travel and the military as thefamily moved from place to place.In 1977, she graduated from 71st High Schoolin Fayetteville, N.C. She was then accepted intothe University of Southern California on anengineering ROTC scholarship.Colonel Harris spent her first year and a halfin the Air Force as chief of industrial engineeringand then as the squadron section commander ofcivil engineering at Hill AFB, Utah.She then attended pilot training at WilliamsAFB, Ariz., and became qualified in the C-141BStarlifter cargo aircraft. In August 1990, ColonelHarris separated from active duty and became anairline pilot for United Airlines. She flies a Boeing747-400 aircraft from the West Coast to Tokyoand Sydney, Australia. For the last 14 years, shehas balanced her Air Force career with her civilianairline career. From April 1991 to February 1995,she was an air operations officer and C-141 pilotin the 445th Airlift Wing at March Air ReserveBase, Calif.She was a mobility force planner for the AirForce deputy chief of staff for plans andoperations in the Pentagon from February 1995to January 1997.For the next three years, she served as anindividual mobilization augmentee to the deputyassistant secretary of the Air Force at thePentagon.In February 2000, Colonel Harris returned toMarch ARB first as deputy commander of the452nd Operations Group and then as commanderof the 729th Airlift Squadron. From May 2002to May 2005, she was vice commander of the507th ARW at Tinker AFB.“The Air Force has always been my passion,”she said, “so this is the job I really enjoy keepingbecause of the people. This is where my heartis.”Page 10 The Flying Badger July 2005