Chief Barron shares his thoughts on enlisted welfare Published Oct. 19, 2006 92nd ARW Public Affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The following are excerpts from an interview with Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Barron Jr., during his recent visit to Fairchild. Q. What was the purpose of your visit to Fairchild? A. First and most important, to say thanks. Thanks to all of our Airmen, for all they do everyday, and the sacrifices they and their families make for our country. I'm a firm believer in getting out from behind the desk to see what folks are doing. You can't tell the story about what our Airmen are doing in AMC unless you get out there and visit them in their environment. Q. You visited our Airman Leadership School and First Term Airman Center. What advice would you give young Airmen for a successful Air Force career? A. Work hard, be persistent and selfless. I think that Airmen who are only concerned with promotion without making some sacrifices along the way, will not make it very far in the future. Whereas those who serve selflessly, and are willing to make sacrifices, are the ones who will get ahead. Plus I think the people who are serving today need to trust our leadership to take care of them and their families. Q. You had lunch at our award-winning dining facility. Since you've joined the Air Force, how have services facilities changed? A. The quality of life has improved tremendously. Not to say that it was ever bad. But as our culture changes -- as society changes -- so do the things that are important to the youth joining the military. Quality of life and the improvements that we've made includes the quality of food that we serve in our dining facilities and the service we give our Airmen who use the dining facilities. The overall atmosphere in the dining facilities and the variety of food has improved tremendously. Our fitness facilities have come a long ways too. Some of our on-base fitness facilities are leaps and bounds above what you can join downtown. Q. Team Fairchild has deployed more than 1,160 Airmen in the Global War on Terrorism since January this year. What advice would you give to an Airman about to experience his first deployment? A. Be prepared mentally, physically and spiritually. As always important, make sure you're taking care of your family -- all of your family matters, your powers of attorney, your wills and bills. Make sure the people you leave at home don't have to worry about those things while you're gone and you don't have to worry about those things while you're deployed. Airmen joining today's Air Force are better prepared than we ever were. They are better prepared because we teach them more in basic military training. They know we are a country at war. They know the Air Force is expeditionary, and there is a good possibility they'll deploy very soon after entering the Air Force. The thing that amazes me everyday is they're willing to go. These great young Americans stand up and say, "Take me, I'm ready." Q. Why is fitness so important in the Air Force? A. I've always thought that fitness was important, especially in today's environment. Health costs continue to increase. We're fighting a war in an environment we never thought we'd have to. And we never thought that we would be doing things that we are doing today. The only way that we can continue is by being physically fit and physically prepared to serve in those environments. The bottom line is we are Airmen first - we are warriors - and we have got to be prepared to serve in a combat environment. Q. Is there anything you would like to add? A. I am excited to be back at Fairchild. I am thrilled to be a member of Air Mobility Command and serve with all of our great Airmen. I'm humbled by the miracles they perform everyday. I look forward to getting out and seeing the great things our folks are doing and share that story with the rest of the Air Force. They are true heroes, without a doubt!
