AMC civic leaders visit MacDill

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Ashley Perdue
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

Beginning April 11, 2018, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, was host to a three-day base tour for more than 30 Air Mobility Command civic leaders throughout various AMC communities.

 

“Our civic leaders are critical to what we do in AMC and they help us become a part of the community,” said Maj. Gen. Sam C. Barrett, Director of Operations, Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. “Civic leaders are integral to supporting our Airmen, our resources, understanding our mission, and not to mention, they help our Airmen feel welcomed within the community.”

 

During the visit, civic leaders had a packed itinerary; visiting Airmen throughout base that make MacDill’s mission happen.

 

The tour began on the water with the 6th Security Forces Squadron’s Marine Patrol Unit and the Joint Communications Support Element. They were given a tour of the restricted coastal area surrounding MacDill as well as a quick briefing about the typical duties of Marine Patrol.

This led them to wrapping up their evening by the water at SeaScapes.

 

The next couple of days took the civics on MacDill’s flightline, through U.S. Central Command, around JCSE, and to a STEAM demonstration with Hillsborough County students.

 

“I knew MacDill was going to be a beautiful base, but I had no idea it was going to be like this,” chuckled Dana Lancellotti, a civic leader out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. “The STEAM demonstration was so fascinating and so timely as there is already so much of that happening within our communities back home.

 

“It’s such a perfect way to look at the future, and that’s the AMC way of looking at things: together as a team, always looking forward, and being innovative.”

 

During the STEAM demo, the civic leaders got to spend time with students learning about various projects they have built.

 

“I think being able to work STEAM into school systems and influence kids is more than a recruitment effort, it’s about inspiring the kids to open their minds to see past the typical career paths placed in front of them,” Lancellotti expressed passionately. “You feel there’s this hope for the future when you get to speak to kids that are excited and energized about this project they built with their own hands.”

 

As the excitement of STEAM settled, the civic leaders began to wrap up their tour. 

“With these types of tours, the civic leaders walk away with a much richer and deeper understanding of our mission sets, the complexity of what we do, the vastness of the mission, but more importantly, they walk away knowing that we have quality Airmen that are motivated and talented and the civics get to see how critical their support is,” smiled Barrett.

 

On the final morning, the civic leaders received a mentoring breakfast from Barrett and Chief Master Sgt. Larry C. Williams, Jr. the Command Chief, U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. Barrett and Williams expanded on why the civic leader program is critical to the mission of the Air Force.

 

“There are so many great things to learn by touring different bases,” said Lancellotti. “We learn from each other and keep trying to pull more people into the civic leader program because it is important to us to keep expanding the knowledge and awareness.

 

“It’s a life changing experience to be an Air Mobility Command civic leader.”