48th FW commander talks to Airmen

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Connor Estes
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  Airmen from the 48th Fighter Wing gathered throughout the day Nov. 20 as wing commander Col. Jay Silveria spoke about topics important to the wing.

Recognition, quality of life, safety, drinking and driving and accountability were some of the things the commander spoke about to the more than 4,000 Liberty Warriors.

Colonel Silveria started his commander's calls by highlighting the achievements of the wing and four of its Airmen.

"Special order, by the direction of the secretary of the Air Force, the 48th Fighter Wing has been awarded the Outstanding Unit award," he said. "In case you don't know, Lakenheath was also awarded the Commander In Chief Installation Excellence award at the U.S. Air Forces in Europe level."

The CINC Installation Excellence award is given for the appearance, quality of facilities and the grounds of the base. As the USAFE winner, RAF Lakenheath will next compete at Air Force level for this award.

The commander presented Lt. Col Annata Sullivan, 48th Inpatient Operations Squadron commander; Senior Master Sgt. Stephen Higgins, 48th Mission Support Group wing inspection superintendent; Lt. Col. David Iverson, 492nd Fighter Squadron commander; and Lt. Col. Houstoun Waring, 48th Operations Group deputy commander, with Bronze Star Medals for their actions while deployed.

Quality of life initiatives aimed at improving standards for families were hot on the commander's mind as well.

The Child Development Center spent more than $80,000 on new, child-friendly furniture, he said, and the community center now has an indoor playground for children nine years and younger.

"It'll give the kids a place to play on those cold, rainy days," he said.

Accountability in decision making was something the commander talked about that clearly was important to him.

"It breaks my heart to talk about these two Airmen [who were killed earlier this year in an automobile accident while drinking] today," he said. "I wanted to show you that we're all accountable for our personal decisions, and this is a result of the decisions the two Airmen made.

Colonel Silveria went on to say that friends and co-workers knew these two participated in risky behavior and expressed the importance of the wingman concept.

"We're accountable for our actions, but we're also accountable for each other," he said. "Each and every one of you is vital to what we do. We all need to take care of each other and be good wingmen."

Someone other than the commander expanded on poor decision making during the commanders calls.

Senior Airman Joshua Henry, 748th Air Maintenance Squadron dedicated crew chief, talked about his recent arrest for drinking and driving and the consequences he's had to deal with since being charged. His testimony made a lasting impression with other Liberty Airmen.

"The most important part I took from the commander's call was the testimony from Airman Henry," said Master Sgt. Jennifer Hedden, 48th Military Personnel Section superintendent. "His testimony and the information about the deaths of the two Airmen really hit home for me, because working in the MPS, we have to work line-of-duty determinations."

Line-of-duty determinations are processed to decide if the families of surviving Airmen receive government benefits and whether or not they're eligible for the Survivor Benefit Plan after the death of an active duty member.

"The actions you take today can financially affect your future as well as the future of your family," said Sergeant Hedden.