403rd Wing honors employers during unit training assembly

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Nicholas Monteleone
  • 403rd Wing Public Affairs
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Nineteen employers from as far away as Lafayette, Louisiana converged onto Keesler Air Force Base to learn about the Air Force Reserve mission during the 403rd Wing's Employer Appreciation Day April 11.

The event, cosponsored by the Mississippi Committee of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, was designed to give employers a taste of what it's like to be a Citizen Airman and also a better understanding of the balancing act reservists perform between their civilian position, their military duties and their families.

Col. Frank L. Amodeo, 403rd Wing commander, said this type of event is a win-win for everyone involved.

"Our nation calls upon our reservists to spend time away from the workplace to train and meet a demanding operations tempo in support of world-wide commitments," said the wing commander. "We cannot accomplish the mission without the support of employers. Employer Appreciation Day is a great opportunity for reservists to bring their employers to the base and show their bosses what they do together to support our country."

During the appreciation day, they received a tour of the base which included stops at several locations around the wing, including the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron where they took an orientation flight aboard a WC-130J. Other stops included the 41st Aerial Port Squadron, the Propulsion Flight and the Roberts Consolidated Maintenance Building where the 403rd Security Forces Squadron, 403rd Aeromedical Staging Squadron and the 403rd Civil Engineering Squadron's Emergency Management Office provided demonstrations of their respective duties.

"It's been a great experience to come and learn about the Air Force Reserve and what this unit does," said Debra Gilley, the chief of blind rehabilitation at the VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System. "It has given me a better idea of where she's coming from," Gilley said of her employee Lt. Col. Louise Usher, a clinical and mental health nurse at the 403rd ASTS.

"When members tell their families and employers that they have to come to drill, those people don't always understand what that means," said Amodeo. "Coming out here and getting to see where they are and what they're doing, it brings it all to life for them."

When looking to the future of this program, Amodeo said he intends to continue it every year.

"This really helps to improve employer-Reserve relations because we get a better understanding of what each other does," he said.