One-star general tours five-star defenders

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Marcy Copeland
  • 460th Space Wing Public Affairs
BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  Brig. Gen. Allen J. Jamerson, Air Force Security Forces director and deputy chief of staff for logistics, installations and mission support, and Chief Master Sgt. Stephen White, Air Force Security Forces career field manager, met with defenders from the 460th Security Forces Squadron, 710th SFS and 140th SFS on a weeklong tour of security forces units.

Maj. David Haigh, 460th SFS commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Howard Bellamy II, 460th SFS security forces manager, escorted Jamerson and White on their tour of Buckley Air Force Base to see the growth that has taken place since their last visit.

"I think the facility improvements are tremendous," said Jamerson. "There was a time you could look across this base and see a lot of prairie, and now, well, that just isn't the case anymore. I am particularly thrilled to see the new facility that security forces has- their new headquarters and operations facility, as well as their new military working dog kennel. It took some years of planning, but the improvement from the old, decrepit buildings to the new facilities they have now is tremendous and well deserved."

Dawning a face mask and running with their Airmen through a training scenario, Jamerson and White experienced first-hand the training and dedication defenders perform in their jobs no matter the conditions.

After meeting with Col. Dan Wright, 460th Space Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Craig Hall, 460th SW command chief, Haigh and Bellamy escorted Jamerson and White to have lunch with security forces members to discuss the future of the career field.

"I think we need to take a very hard look at what the Air Force leadership expects and needs," said White. "To be able to do for our Air Force - guard, reserve and active - the general and his staff have to be allowed to try and build a platform needed to create the most efficient and effective force that we can have, so we need that direction to know which way we are going."

Meeting with commanders and chiefs is usually a part of any general's visit to a base, but Jamerson and White spent most of their time visiting the men and women who guard and defend Buckley AFB. From the 460th SFS members manning the Mississippi and 6th Avenue gates, visitor center, and entry control points for restricted areas, they saluted, shook hands and asked their defenders if there was anything that the chief or the general could do to make their jobs better.

Jamerson and White visited construction for a new ECP for the restricted area and then met with Col. Floyd W. Dunstan, 140th Wing commander, Colorado Air National Guard; Col. Loren J. Johnson, 140th Mission Support Group commander; and Chief Master Sgt. James Hoefs, 140th Wing command chief, to discuss the mission of the 140th Wing and what the security forces squadron does to maintain security on Buckley's flightline.

"This is my third trip to Buckley, and every time I come here, I am impressed with the professionalism that the security forces members have and the relationship between the wing and tenant units," said White. "Meeting with the guard and reserve leadership today was a first time for me. How everyone respects what one another has to do and trying to assist each other in accomplishing their mission is just outstanding."

Walking through wind, pelting snow and temperatures in the teens, the general and chief made their rounds to the defenders and Department of the Air Force police officers, answering questions about security forces and to get a better understanding of their job protecting a space mission and the base that supports that mission.

Every base across of the world has a different mission with different conditions contributing to the security forces mission.

"We are the greatest security forces in the world," said Jamerson. "We are the greatest law enforcement organization in the world. We operate under some extremely tough conditions around the world, and we get it done every time. We have a great reputation that we earned through sacrifice. We need to work hard to keep that reputation, but we are going to have to figure out how to do our business in the future with fewer resources."

"At the end of the day, we don't control the manpower or resources that we have; but what we do control is our level of performance and our attitude, and I know that every defender is going to keep their level of performance extremely high, and they are going to keep their attitude positive and flexible so that we can deal with whatever our nation needs us to deal with," he added.

Defenders endure the cold and wind chill to check identification cards at the gates. They trek through snow and ice when there is an accident. Thunderstorms and rain, sunshine and blue skies, defenders wear the berets and badges 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to protect and defend.

 

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