Volunteers restore wing capabilities

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  When security forces' manning gets sapped due to deployment requirements, squadrons have an ace up their sleeve in an effort to maintain base security.

The Air Reserve Component Volunteer Program is a tool used to back fill active-duty members taken out of their squadrons with Guard and Reservists. The program also gives the Guardsmen and Reservists tools to take back with them.

The wing's antiterrorism office is one of the units that benefited from this program.
Tech. Sgt. Tyrel Askren, a reservist from the 931st Air Refueling Group Security Forces Flight, McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., arrived at the 35th Fighter Wing Antiterrorism Office ready for new experiences.

"When I volunteered for this assignment, I knew I was going to be working AT issues," said Sergeant Askren. "I arrived here in November and this was my first visit to a Pacific Air Forces base. It was a bit of a culture shock, but I got use to it, and for the first couple of months, I focused on learning the ins and outs of AT."

Sergeant Askren began by assisting Mr. James Fogerty, 35th FW ATO antiterrorism officer, with the day-to-day requirements of running an AT office, which later expanded into larger projects.

"Sergeant Askren started by taking care of the Random Antiterrorism Measure Program and the Pacific Command's Travel Planning Process to name a few," said Mr. Fogerty. "He also participated in the wing's local vulnerability assessment, where he supported the ATO with data and other reports. Sergeant Askren is performing exceptionally well; already he has made a difference in the base's protective posture by allowing me to catch up on the bigger-picture items."

Moreover, during an Operational Readiness Exercise in January, his first PACAF exercise, Sergeant Askren got to see how AT integrates into wing contingency operations. He coordinated the threat working group's nightly meetings, which enabled 24-hour ATO coverage, added Mr. Fogerty.

"I've participated in a lot of exercises, but this is my first PACAF exercise," said Sergeant Askren. "During the exercise, after the TWG meeting, I needed to brief the commander on AT's recommendations and send out the AT minutes. This exercise was a good experience for me. The event that sticks out in my mind was when I needed to brief the base commander in front of base leadership. I had some butterflies in my stomach before it started, but it turned out well."

Sergeant Askren's positive experiences didn't begin or end with the exercise; but started once he arrived here.

"It has been nice working here because, I was treated just like any active duty member," said Sergeant Askren. "I had heard stories that prior to Sept. 11, Guard and Reserve members were sometimes treated poorly by active-duty members. I haven't notice any of that here; we are treated as equals at Misawa."

Sergeant Askren is scheduled to go back home to McConnell in May, ready to implement the lessons learned here at Misawa.

"Using the ARCvP provides a valuable resource to the wing, I also think it's a win, win, win for all agencies involved," said Mr. Fogerty. "For the AT community, we get the help we need to effectively manage the commander's program. It's a win for the Reservists that come in because they get to learn and do something that they may not otherwise get to do, and they will be able to take that knowledge back to their home units. It's also a win for security forces -- they get their personnel back that they provided to help us."