Air Guard leaders urged to tell their stories

By Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith
National Guard Bureau

Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt III, director of the Air National Guard (left, foreground) and Chief Master Sgt. Christopher Muncy, command chief of the Air National Guard (left, background) speak with the Air Guard’s senior leadership at the National Guard's Joint Senior Leadership Conference outside Washington Nov. 20 at the National Harbor. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith) (Released)
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WASHINGTON (11/20/09) -- The leadership of more than 107,000 Air National Guard members from around the country were encouraged today to share their stories about how they add value to America.

“The theme today is to take pride in what we do, recognize our strength within our people and tell their story,” said Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt III, the director of the Air National Guard. “We are a proven value for America, and with these difficult times our strength lays in our 54 jurisdictions and our ability to adapt to this strategic environment.”

Wyatt and Chief Master Sgt. Christopher Muncy, the command chief of the Air Guard, spoke to an audience gathered here at the first Joint Senior Leadership Conference today.

Wyatt urged these senior leaders to communicate their messages to the nation using “public affairs venues as a weapons system to tell the story of the Air National Guard.”

For example. Wyatt cited the cost effectiveness of the Air Guard, The Guard’s flying units, 75 percent of which are located on civil airports; allow “huge savings” in base operations costs.

The general also said that because the Guard is a community-based organization, it helps bring public support for those who serve. “We are the connection, and that’s another value added to America,” he said.

On a more serious note, Muncy informed the audience that the 16 tragic suicides in the Air Guard this year increased to 17 Airmen on Nov. 16.

He pleaded with senior leaders to “keep a close watch on their fellow Airmen.”

“Your Airmen are worth everything,” he said. “Take time, talk to them.”

Muncy also urged the conferees to tell the story of their service to the nation by ensuring the Air Guard is represented in professional military education classrooms.

“I want your Airmen to start being bold, and I want them to tell (fellow students) that they are Air National Guard,” he said.

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