92nd ARW/CC holds town hall meetings

Published Jan. 16, 2013
By Tech. Sgt. J.G. Buzanowski
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The installation commander held two town hall meetings Monday and Tuesday to inform people about the way ahead for Team Fairchild.

Col. Brian Newberry, the 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander, and his staff of subject matter experts also answered questions from the audience on a variety of topics, including the schedule of events for the year, upcoming changes to Tricare and housing issues.

"Our mission is all about people," Newberry told the crowd. "That means it's important I make myself available to answer questions from you and let you know where we're going. I also want to address any concerns you may have."

The colonel began his presentation with a list of the awards members of Team Fairchild recently garnered. Newberry thanked the families for their support and congratulated the award winners, but reminded the community that despite the number of accolades, "we're not going to rest on our laurels."

Newberry then talked about upcoming events at the base, such as the new wing command chief master sergeant taking over for Chief Master Sgt. Rudy Lopez in March.

"Chief Lopez will be leaving us with almost 30 years of service, so hats off to him and we wish him well in his retirement," Newberry said. "Chief Wendy Hansen is coming to us from Hawaii, she has a maintenance background and we're excited for her to get here."

Newberry also highlighted the base open house and air show, Skyfest, as well as the local Lilac Festival in May.

"Skyfest is May 18-19 and we'll have the Thunderbirds, so I promise you a super cool show," he said. "We're really looking forward to the Lilac Parade - my wife, Jill, and I have heard nothing but good things, so we can't wait for our first Lilac Festival."

After presenting the schedule of important events, the colonel talked about upcoming budgetary challenges. Until Congress approves a budget, the Air Force is preparing for a variety of outcomes and potentially having to cancel some events.

"There are a lot of things that could happen, so I ask for your patience and we'll get the word out to you as soon as we know," Newberry assured the audience. "Nothing has been decided yet and we'll know more in February and March."

The colonel also talked about upcoming changes and construction on base, such as the "Red" Morgan Community Center ("The name is pending approval at headquarters") named after the 92nd's own Medal of Honor recipient. There will also be a new wing headquarters building beginning construction soon and the fitness center begins 24/7 operations at the end of this month, Newberry said.

He also gave the crowd an update about the KC-46A tanker as Fairchild is one of four candidates to be the first base for the new aircraft.

Newberry then turned the floor over to 1st Lt. Nicholas Freese, 92nd Medical Group, to talk about upcoming changes to Tricare.

The current contractor with Tricare for the western part of the country is a company called TriWest. UnitedHealthcare will be the new medical support company and is working diligently to make the transition over the next few months "as seamless as possible," the lieutenant said.

"We'll have a lot more information in the next few weeks, but you should experience no breaks in care if all goes well," Freese said. "The bottom line is that if you do have any issues, come see us and we'll work to get them resolved."

After the briefings, Newberry, Freese and other representatives took questions from the audience.

This was the first town hall meeting Newberry hosted since taking over as the 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander in August. He hopes to hold another one early next year, but insisted that if anyone has any concerns in the meantime, "don't hesitate and let us know how we can make life better for you here at Fairchild."

"If you're not getting paid right or your housing isn't right, you're not happy and we know that," Newberry said. "Leadership is focused on taking care of our people, because that's how the mission gets done, and that's why we're all here."