Wing staff agencies key ingredient to teamwork

  • Published
  • By Capt. S.J. Brown
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, TURKEY --  Pound cake was named such because it takes a pound of eggs, a pound of flour, a pound of sugar and a pound of butter to make. Mix all the ingredients together, bake and voila - let them eat cake. 

Team Incirlik is a lot like pound cake as it takes every unit to contribute for the team to perform well. Among Team Incirlik's units are a group of small offices that make up the wing staff. The offices are: Legal, Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC), Military Equal Opportunity, Inspector General, Chapel, Historian, Command Post, Protocol, Public Affairs, Safety, Inspections/Plans and Anti-terrorism/Force Protection. Most of the offices are small, consisting of just a few people, but all contribute to wing's many successes. 

While the wing staff agencies work in different functional areas, each agency agrees it would not be successful without other units. Examples include the historian, who relies on the help of the 39th Communications Squadron's visual information flight to help photograph and document events around base. The legal office works side-by-side with the 39th Security Forces Squadron and Office of Special Investigations to insure justice is obtained on all levels. 

Distinguished visitors (DVs) frequent the base to learn more about the Team Incirlik mission. Since their stays are usually short, the wing protocol office makes sure the visitors don't need to worry about where they are going to eat or sleep or how they'll get from one place to another. 

"Distinguished visitors typically have a focused agenda" said 1st Lt. Meghan McCormick, 39th Air Base Wing chief of protocol. "We work with the transportation flight, lodging office, the club and various other organizations to ensure we meet the personal needs of our guests so they can focus on their mission. Together our goal is to take care of the details and make their first impression of Team Incirlik is a good one." 

Sometimes, the work is not as "fun" as planning for DVs. Sometimes, it is emotionally strenuous. Take the SARC for example. "In the event of a sexual assault, first responders like law enforcement or medical folks contact the SARC," said Nancy Shrope, the wing's alternate SARC. "The SARC coordinates the efforts of numerous base agencies like the legal office, law enforcement, the command element, the medical community, chaplains, and family and friends to assist victims, oversee community outreach, conduct training, and work at various prevention initiatives. We also work closely with public affairs to ensure the word gets out that sexual assault will not be tolerated." 

"We are proud of the support we offer individuals and also other agencies like the SARC," said Chaplain Kenneth Reyes, wing chaplain. "We directly support units on base with squadron visits." 

Safety is paramount to every piece of the Team Incirlik cake so the wing safety office works closely with every other organization on base. 

"Safety should be a way of life for every person on this base," said Master Sgt. Darnell Edmonds, 39th ABW ground safety manager. "We count on everyone to be our safety eyes and ears both on- and off-duty." 

The wing Plans and Readiness office coordinates on all of the wing's plans and also ensures the base is prepared and performs well in training exercises. 

"For Wing Plans, every squadron is a major supporter and a critical component to ensure the wing is properly prepared for contingency situations, but for Exercise Evaluation, the biggest players are CES, SFS and MXS," said Capt. Martin Fagan, Wing Plans and Readiness officer in charge. "By developing and maintaining plans, we prepare ourselves to handle a vast array of potential situations. Base exercises prove the concept detailed in the plans work.  

"Unfortunately, our primary job is an additional duty to those folks in the squadrons who support us. Without their support, we can't get our job done," he added. "They are our functional experts in their respective areas and we couldn't maintain the Team Incirlik par excellence without them." 

In the Incirlik cake, wing staff agencies are like the eggs. Separately they are great, but not quite enough to make a cake. Add them all together and they can accomplish great things.