Caring for people remains a RAF Mildenhall focus

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
The Air Force's 2011 Caring for People Forum concluded in Arlington, Va., July 21, and addressed several initiatives focusing on issues affecting Airmen and their families.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz was a guest speaker at the forum, which addressed many of the same issues Team Mildenhall's Air Force Community Action and Information Board and Integrated Delivery Systems has addressed over the past two years.

It's vital to take care of today's Airmen and their families, and provide them a sense of community, belonging and resiliency, said Daniel Ginsberg, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs and CAIB/IDS co-chairman.

During 2010, the CAIB/IDS and 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs teamed up and introduced 'The Turning Point' campaign.

The IDS link still remains and is frequently updated on RAF Mildenhall's public website.

The facts and stories contained on the RAF Mildenhall website localize, while still supplementing, Air Force information.

People remain the Air Force's most important asset, Schwartz said.

"I will therefore continue to call upon commanders, leaders, and caring professionals, and indeed all Air Force wingmen, to further serious thought on this very important subject, and consider carefully how we can best ensure that our Airmen and their families obtain the support that they need," Schwartz said.

CAIB/IDS initiatives could mean a lot to a struggling junior family, said Capt. Lindsey Hahn, 100th ARW PA chief.

"By linking junior Airmen and their spouses to key programs, we can better help them understand their roles, and their spouse's role in deployments," said Hahn. "We can help build supporting relationships by targeting junior Airmen and aligning them with appropriate support agencies, which also provides avenues for feedback."

(Staff Sgt. Richard A. Williams Jr., Air Force Public Affairs Agency, contributed to this article.)