Command Chief hosts enlisted leadership workshop Published March 20, 2017 By Maj. Polly Orcutt 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Office YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio -- Youngstown Air Reserve Station welcomed 82 noncommissioned officers (NCOs) and senior NCOs to a three-day Enlisted Leadership Workshop March 1-3, 2017 here. The goal of the workshop was to present the Airmen information on things they may not have heard about before like the new blended retirement system and to give them new information about other topics like enlisted performance reports, fitness and special duty assignments, said Chief Master Sgt. Bob Potts, 910th Airlift Wing (910AW) Command Chief. “Each day there I had a theme in mind,” Potts said. Day one was themed Information is Power, and attendees heard presentations from the Judge Advocate’s office, Force Support Squadron, the Inspector General’s office and a special guest who spoke about fitness. Tech. Sgt. Timothy Kelly, 315th Airlift Wing safety office, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, shared his story about fitness and how it may have saved his life. Kelly was a body builder and suffered a stroke in 2008. Not only did he survive the stroke, but he was able to rebound and is still serving in the Air Force Reserve today, according to Potts. Day two focused on leadership and professional development. The Airmen learned about bullet writing for performance reports and awards packages, special duty assignment opportunities, resiliency and public speaking. “You can be an MTI (military training instructor) as a TR (Traditional Reservist),” said Potts. Master Sgt. Carlos Recoder, 433rd Training Squadron instructor supervisor, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, talked to the group about MTI opportunities available. He stayed through the weekend to talk to anyone interested in this special duty assignment. Senior Master Sgt. John Wood, 910AW senior recruiter, informed the group about opportunities in recruiting. He talked about the Get 1 Now program and opportunities for Airmen to join the recruiting team. Get 1 Now is a smartphone application that allows current Air Force Reserve Airmen a chance to recruit new members by submitting a referral on their phone through this free app. Anyone who would like more information on recruiting or who is interested in becoming an Air Force Reserve recruiter should contact Wood at 609-1394. Leading into the discussion on resiliency, the 910AW Honor Guard did a demonstration as if they were participating honors in a funeral detail. “The Honor Guard brought in a six-person flag detail and the casket,” Potts said. “Even though I knew that casket was empty, when I was presented that folded flag I got choked up.” The Honor Guard has a casket they use for training new members and for practice so they are prepared to present honors at funerals. The Honor Guard demonstrated to the attendees how they conduct the flag fold at an actual funeral detail. This led into the discussion on resiliency by Terri Ann Naughton, 910 AW Director of Psychological Health. “With our troops recently returning from deployment, the timing was right for a discussion on resiliency; it’s a good topic,” said Chief Master Sgt. John Koehl, 910th Force Support Squadron member. The final day was tailored to strategic leadership, and the Airmen got to hear from and ask questions of the Command Chief Master Sergeants from 22nd Air Force and Air Mobility Command. They also got to hear from the fifth Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (CMSAF) Robert Gaylor. The 87-year-old retired chief traveled from his home in San Antonio, Texas to talk to the group and to be the guest speaker at the 910AW’s Annual Awards Banquet. “His answers are very relevant to today’s Air Force, and he is very good at discussing how things relate to the past,” said Koehl. Gaylor is the oldest living of the Air Force’s 18 CMSAFs. “He knows what’s going on at bases and in communication,” Potts said. “His mastery of current events is outstanding. He is completely aware of what is going on in the military and in the world.” The event was a huge success in Potts’ opinion. Even when Mother Nature chose to participate by giving the base a snow delay, the event adapted by condensing the speakers on the last day to ensure the Airmen got all of the information intended to be presented. “I want to thank everyone who attended and who assisted to make the event a great success,” Potts said. He plans to host an event like this every other year to keep the Airmen informed on ever-changing hot topics in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve. Reservists came from YARS as well as Scott Air Force Base, Illinois; Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia; Pittsburgh International Airport ARS, Pennsylvania; Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina; and Luke AFB, Arizona and 15 Air National Guardsmen from around Ohio also participated. “I hope they walked away with a better understanding and learned something new,” Potts said. “I want everyone to be better equipped on a wide variety of topics.”