Archive News 913th

Proposal to halt Air Force cuts has support

By Vince Little, Stars and Stripes,
Pacific edition, Friday, September 28, 2007

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — A proposal floated this week to halt further Air Force personnel cuts in 2008 “makes sense” because of the high level of interaction among the services, the senior U.S. military representative in Japan said Wednesday.

In 2002, Air Force leaders announced a plan to cut 40,000 personnel and use the money saved to improve the service’s aging air fleet.

However, in a Sept. 19 speech at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington, D.C., Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne announced that the plan “is not working” and further reductions would be unsound.

“Everyone ought to applaud the secretary’s view,” said Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, the U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force commander. “He’s not making statements that apply only to the Air Force; they’re statements that are important to our ability as war fighters across the military.”

The comments also stand as “important reassurance” that the Defense Department’s civilian leaders are committed to maintaining force structure for all servicemembers to be able to perform their duties, Wright added.

“His recent expressed concern ... shows they’re engaged on our behalf,” he said. “They want to ensure we have the force structure we need. Today in Iraq, Afghanistan and even in this region, with large-standing militaries that are modernizing ... all fights are joint fights.”

According to Gen. T. Michael Moseley, the Air Force chief of staff, the biggest reason to stop the drawdown is the projected growth of the Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 members over the next several years. The Air Force must add personnel to support those ground forces, he said.

Officials are trying to decide whether to halt the reductions next year, leaving the Air Force with about 328,000 airmen, instead of going down to 316,000.

But it’s unclear how many airmen will be needed because the Army and Marines haven’t determined how many of their new forces will fill combat roles, and which would be designated as support troops.

Wright said the Air Force, in addition to its own combat operations through bombing and strafing runs, routinely works closely with ground forces.

“That tends to sometimes get lost on those who would critique the roles and missions of the Air Force,” he said. “The interacting of ground and air forces is very common today.”

In South Korea, the 51st Fighter Wing spokesman declined to comment. At Kunsan Air Base, an 8th Fighter Wing spokesman said base officials did not have anything to add to Wynne’s comments.

Queries to the 7th Air Force, headquartered on Osan Air Base, South Korea, went unanswered Wednesday.

Airmen in Japan and Okinawa asked Wednesday generally agreed that halting the drawdown was a good idea.

“We’re trying to do more with less each day and maybe [it] is in order,” said Maj. Mattie Goode, a nurse with the 18th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa.

Goode said downsizing hasn’t affected her yet, but added that unchecked, personnel reductions will have a “ripple effect” in the Air Force. “I think it’s going to affect all of us,” she added.

Capt. Duke Clementine, also a nurse in the 18th AES, agreed: “I think it’s logical to leave us in place. We’re short-handed now.”

Airman David Timmer, a munitions specialist at Kadena, said a halt in force reductions wouldn’t affect him.

“I’m really not too worried about it because I’m in a critical field,” he said, but added that more airmen means fewer rotations to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Senior Airman Adam Messick, who re-enlisted a year ago, said his occupational field also protects him from personnel cuts.

“Air traffic control, in general, is a stable career,” he said.

At Misawa Air Base in northern Japan, airmen interviewed supported it but declined to give their names out of concern their commanders would disapprove of them talking to media.

“Just stop cutting people. We need people to support other military forces,” said a staff sergeant with the 35th Maintenance Squadron.

A weapons airman first class with the 35th Maintenance Squadron said it was “stupid” to continue with force reductions because the other services need personnel.

“All they’re going to do is go right back in, to the other branches,” he said.

The Air Force should “utilize the people we have” by switching them into needed career fields, he added. “Vehicles run out of gas; we don’t. We keep fighting. Why would you want to get rid of that?”

Stars and Stripes reporters Jennifer H. Svan and Will Morris contributed to this story.

Looking for work

By: MELISSA BUSCH (Sun, Apr/22/2007)

Jim Koshney's career with the military spans 27 years, including decades as a civilian employee and a reservist with a tour in Desert Storm.

Now he is scheduled to lose his job as a maintenance mechanic and a place to serve in the reserves when the 913th Airlift Wing deactivates in the fall.

As he looks for another job with the government or military, Koshney said he and other unit members are required to meet unfairly high standards.

“It's an ongoing fight that never ends,” Koshney said.

Although he and other members are qualified for certain jobs, their names are not being forwarded for possible employment because officials are not deeming them “highly qualified.”

The process has become so cumbersome that they have enlisted the help of 8th District U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy and 13th District U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz. Last week, Murphy and Schwartz contacted the Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense about the issue, but have not received any feedback.

The 913th learned earlier this year that it is being eliminated and its funding will run out at the end of the fiscal year, which is Sept. 30. About 300 federal and civilian employees will lose their jobs when the Air Force Reserve Command shuts down the 913th Airlift Wing on Oct. 1. Another 1,100 part-time reservists also will be affected.

“What we hear is happening, for example, an engineer who works on a generator may find a job working on a similar type of generator but officials won't forward his name for the position because the generator is slightly different,” said Kirk Freeman, a spokesman for Schwartz.

Capt. Mark Medvesky, a spokesman for the 913th, argued that unit members are not being held to a higher standard. Officials are using the standard that has always been in place, he said.

“The standard for getting a priority placement job is that a person has to be able to step in without needing any training,” Medvesky said. “That's the way it's always been.”

A dent has already been made in the number of members who need to find new jobs.

Four people have retired and 63 additional members have been placed in positions or found new jobs on their own, Medvesky said. Another 45 people expect to retire and 15 are pending final approval for other jobs.

About 300 of the unit's approximately 1,100 reservists have been placed with other military units, Medvesky said. Many of them were placed with the Delaware Air National Guard. A number of them also went to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey.

A job fair to find new placements for reservists is scheduled for May 5. Another government job fair for full-time employees is in the works for July, Medvesky said.

Melissa Busch can be reached at (215) 957-8168 or mbusch@phillyBurbs.com.

Article's URL: http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/147-04222007-1334582.htm

913th Wing members boycott gala

By MELISSA BUSCH
The Intelligencer
Jim Koshney will lose his job and his military family at the Willow Grove base when the 913th Airlift Wing is disbanded in the fall.
But the maintenance mechanic and reservist says he won't celebrate his 15-year career with the unit at a fancy dinner dance at the base this weekend.
He is among at least 300 members who will boycott Saturday's Heritage Gala at the base, which will feature high-ranking military officers and dignitaries. They are planning on spending the evening at Harrigan's Pub in Warminster at what they're calling an Irish wake.
“Our unit has been sentenced to death,” Koshney said Wednesday. “We will give the people still here a proper burial.”
The 913th learned earlier this year that it's being eliminated and its funding will run out at the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30. About 300 federal and civilian employees will lose their jobs when the Air Force Reserve Command shuts down the 913th Airlift Wing on Oct. 1. Another 1,100 part-time reservists also will be affected.
Koshney said he did not organize the event at Harrigan's. It “mushroomed” from members' frustration over the end of the wing, the loss of their jobs and the military's treatment of members, he said.
“This other thing is more for the brass, the generals,” Koshney said about the official gala at the base. “This is not the way to say goodbye to this unit. The dignitaries could care less about us being there.”
Saturday's gala is not being held to “celebrate the end of the unit” but to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Air Force, said Capt. Mark Medvesky, spokesman for the 913th.
About 600 people, including current members, retired military and members of the community, bought tickets to the Heritage Gala. That's about 100 more than organizers anticipated, Medvesky said.

“It's a big year for the Air Force,” he said. “Units everywhere were encouraged to throw these parties to celebrate our history. Our end doesn't rub out what we've done. We're doing a hell of a job here.”
Medvesky noted that the 913th helped feed the Kurds in 1997, it was called on during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis and it has been supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Unit members, however, argue that their support in Southwest Asia is partly why they feel so disrespected by the gala. Some also are upset that Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, chief of the Air Force Reserve, is the guest of honor — it's like “rubbing salt in the wound,” civilian employee David Grasso said.
Grasso said he thinks Bradley knew for months that the unit would be deactivated but kept the information from its members. Waiting to tell them cut down on their time to look for new jobs, he said.
“He's the top guy,” Grasso said. “He could have told us much sooner. The guys feel like Bradley lied to them while they were deployed in Iraq.”
Medvesky anticipates that Bradley will mention the end of the 913th at the gala.
“I'm guessing Bradley will express that the closure has nothing to do with what we've done,” Medvesky said. “It was budgetary, part of a strategic plan. His hands were tied.”
Grasso, who did not organize the event at Harrigan's Pub but plans to attend, said all military officers, including Bradley, are welcome to attend.
“You have to make a choice,” Grasso said. “If there was no anti-gala to go to I would be at home, not at theirs.”
Melissa Busch can be reached at (215) 957-8168 or mbusch@phillyBurbs.com.

April 12, 2007 7:24 AM

Willow Grove aviators mark emotional milestone

(Sun, Mar/04/2007)

For the men and women of the Air Force Reserve's 913th Airlift Wing, it was a bittersweet day, one filled with pride, camaraderie and sadness.

The crews of three C-130 Hercules transport planes from the wing's 327th Airlift Squadron on Saturday flew their final operational missions from the Willow Grove Air Reserve Station in Horsham.

The wing traces its history at the Willow Grove base back to 1958. Sometime this year, though, the 913th will be deactivated. Its more than 1,200 personnel will be forced to find other jobs in or out of the military.

I flew aboard one of the C-130s on Saturday. It was a short training mission to Atlantic City, out over the Atlantic and back to Horsham.

The pilot was Lt. Col. Dave Byerly of Chester County, and the co-pilot was Maj. Tim Ely of Lansdale. I'd had the privilege of flying with both aviators in the past. Ely's father and grandfather both served with the 913th. That's not unusual. The 913th has been a part of this community — Ely grew up in Warminster — for so long that it often is a true family affair.

Also on board was Senior Master Sgt. William Schweitzer of Perkiomenville. A 30-year veteran, he re-enlisted for another three years during the flight. A lot of men and women in the 913th have spent a long time in the wing.

For them, especially, Saturday was an emotional time.

Chief Master Sgt. Pete Moore of Perkasie was one of them. He wasn't flying on Saturday, but he was working on the ground at his job as an aircraft maintenance supervisor. Just a few months back from an overseas deployment in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, he joined his longtime comrades in welcoming back the crews from the wing's final flight.

Several hundred members of the wing and their families thronged the tarmac for the brief ceremony that marked the end of long era.

The planes that flew the wing's last missions each did a low-level fly-by for the crowd. After landing they taxied single file between two fire trucks that sprayed an arch of water above them. With the flags of the United States, the Air Force and the 913th flying from the cockpit escape hatch of each plane, they parked to be greeted by an honor guard in dress blue uniforms and the applause of their colleagues and families.

By then, what had begun as a rather balmy, sunny morning had turned gray, cold and blustery. A light rain began to fall, but nobody seemed to mind.

Col. Jody McMullen of Allentown has flown with the 913th since 1988. He piloted one of the planes on Saturday. In April he'll become the wing's commander, its last commander, faced with the unenviable task of overseeing the deactivation of a unit that so many of its members hold so dearly.

It's kind of like being an undertaker, doing one's best to do what has to be done and providing solace to a family, of which you are a member, in its time of grief and uncertainty.

Just about everyone you meet in the 913th will sooner or later remark about the intense bonds of kinship they feel with their fellow airmen.

“You don't always see that in other units,” said Byerly, who'll continue to drive C-130s for the Delaware Air National Guard.

He hopes to see it in his new outfit.

“But you look around here,” he continued, nodding to the wing members who'd gathered for refreshments following the final flights. “Everybody works so hard and works so well with one another. I'm really going to miss this.”

And so will hundreds of others.

Lou Sessinger is a columnist with The Intelligencer. He can be contacted at (215) 957-8172 or lsessinger@phillyBurbs.com.

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Murphy meets with airlift wing

By: DANNY ADLER (Sun, Jan/14/2007)

Doylestown resident David Grasso has spent the last year and a half lobbying to save the Air Force Reserve wing at the Willow Grove naval air base.

Now that plans to close the 913th Airlift Wing have been finalized, Grasso says that, in an ideal world, the timetable for deactivation would be extended to give employees and reservists more time to find new jobs.

Grasso, a civilian employee and member of the 913th, is looking for help from Congressman Patrick Murphy, D-8. Murphy is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Grasso and other members of the unit met with Murphy at his Bristol office Saturday to discuss the fate of the soon-to-be deactivated unit.

Grasso has worked four years at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base.

The hour-long discussion was not open to the public or the press, but Grasso told the Courier Times in a phone interview following the discussion that while the meeting yielded no concrete answers, Murphy was receptive to the 913th's concerns.

“[Congressman Murphy] was very nice about it and he generally seems to care,” Grasso said.

“I don't know if they can keep us open,” Grasso continued. “But if they can't, can they help us with retirement or tuition reimbursement?”

Murphy, in a statement following the meeting, said he will use his seat on the Armed Services Committee to gather information and keep everyone up to date about the future of the 913th wing.

He called the meeting “very productive” and told 913th leaders that he will be as helpful as possible throughout the process.

“We need to protect the rights of the Willow Grove families and make sure they have the financial security to make it through this difficult time,” Murphy said.

The Air Force Reserve Command announced earlier this month that it plans to deactivate the 913th Airlift Wing Oct. 1. The closure leaves uncertainty over the future of about 300 full-time employees and about 1,000 part-time reservists.

The wing, which has been stationed at Willow Grove since 1958, delivers people, equipment and supplies using C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft. The wing was recently been deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa and southeast Asia.

Cynthia Fullenwellen, who works at the wing's finance department, said after Saturday's meeting she's concerned the closing date does not give employees enough time to train for new jobs.

Fullenwellen is president of the union that represents two-thirds of the wing's civilian employees.

“Time,” Fullenwellen said. “Time is what we need.”

Capt. Mark Medvesky, a spokesperson for the 913th, said Friday that some employees are worried about finding new jobs. But others see the deactivation as an opportunity to move on with their careers.

The wing is setting up job fairs with both civilian and federal employers, as well as transition assistance, Medvesky said.

“We're doing the best we can do to place people,” Medvesky said. “We're going to try to help place them in jobs locally or jobs within the region.”

The Air Force said it will assist in finding new federal job opportunities for reservists and civilian employees. The Air Force has a virtual job fair that matches displaced people with new job opportunities while taking into account personal careers and location preferences.
Murphy's district represents the residents of Bucks County, some districts of Abington, Upper Dublin and Upper Moreland in Montgomery County and two wards in Philadelphia. Danny Adler can be reached at 215-949-4205 or dadler@phillyBurbs.com.
The closure plan must receive approval by lawmakers as part of the 2008 defense budget, the Air Force said. The budget is scheduled for full release in February. If approved, the Air Force Reserve hopes to transfer many of the unit's cargo experts to the new C-130 airlift wing at Pope Army Airfield, N.C.

This month, the 913th is deploying what will most likely be their final deployments from the base before the wing's deactivation. Those deployed this month are scheduled to return by April, Medvesky said.

The federal government's Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted in August 2005 to close the Willow Grove facility. However, the commission did not specify the 913th wing, which is scheduled to deactivate in October.

Murphy's district represents the residents of Bucks County, some districts of Abington, Upper Dublin and Upper Moreland in Montgomery County and two wards in Philadelphia.

Danny Adler can be reached at 215-949-4205 or dadler@phillyBurbs.com.

913th grounded

By: Mark D. Marotta, For Central Bucks Life

01/12/2007

John Dimon of Cheltenham talks Tuesday about how the news of the pending shut down of the Air Force’s 913th Airlift Wing has affected him and his family while overhauling one of the unit’s C-130 planes. Photo by REGINA RAHILL

Disappointment and lack of surprise were among the reactions Jan. 4 to the announcement that the 913th Airlift Wing at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base is being deactivated.

The decision is effective Oct. 1, 2007, said the unit's public affairs officer, Capt. Mark Medvesky.
He added that the unit has roughly 300 full-time employees and another 1,000 part-time reservists who also work in the community.
The wing, which flies C-130s, has been located at Willow Grove since 1958, Medvesky said.
Medvesky made a distinction between the deactivation and the 2005 decision by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission that Willow Grove should be shut down.
"We're a separate facility," he said.
But, Medvesky added, the closure decision was an issue for the wing because it uses the runway at Willow Grove.
He said the deactivation was part of an overall restructuring in the Air Force.
There is a "clearinghouse" database to match people up with jobs within the Air Force Reserve, Medvesky said.
And with the deactivation date having been set, he added, people can take part in a Department of Defense program called "priority placement," through which they are given first consideration for job openings.
An Air Force press release said their primary focus is to place as many of the cargo experts at Willow Grove as possible at the new C-130 airlift wing at Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina.
David Grasso, a civilian employee of the wing, expressed disappointment about the deactivation decision. He has been an industrial hygienist with the unit for four years.
Grasso said the unit had been "in limbo" for 20 months because it was not included in the BRAC's decision to close the Willow Grove base.
"I knew it was coming," Grasso said. "I'd rather the unit stay open."
A resident of the Doylestown, Grasso said he will not relocate, but will have to find another job.
However, he added that people affected by the deactivation are not being afforded the same rights as those covered by the BRAC decision, such as tuition reimbursement.
Additionally, members of the wing will have only nine months to take advantage of priority placement, Grasso said.
Cynthia Fullenwellen, a civilian working in the wing's finance department, said the deactivation decision does not give people 12 months to find new jobs.
"We're all kind of up in arms," said Fullenwellen, who is union president for the wing.
She plans to look for a job in teaching.
Thom Starke, commander of the VFW Post 3612 in Willow Grove said the deactivation meant that 1,500 community members will be out of a job. Meanwhile, the country is in a time of war, he said.
"I guess 'upsetting' is probably the closest word that comes to mind," Starke said. "It's just a shame."
"It comes as no surprise to us," said Horsham Township Manager Michael McGee.
The township had expected that most of the units at Willow Grove would be moving in the wake of the BRAC decision, he said.
McGee said Horsham was proud to have been home to the wing for so many years.
"We wish the individual members well," he said.

913th Airlift Wing to Close

On Jan. 1, Air Force Reserve Command officials briefed congressional leaders about plans to deactivate the command's 913th Airlift Wing at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB) in Willow Grove, Pa. The deactivation process would result in personnel authorizations being removed Oct. 1.

The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission directed the NAS JRB be closed but did not specifically address the Air Force Reserve wing, which flies C-130 cargo aircraft. The Air Force proposes to close the tactical airlift unit at Willow Grove as part of the president's Defense budget for 2008. If Congress approves the plan, reservists and civilians assigned to the unit will be eligible for positions at other Air Force Reserve Command units.