For new 910th leader, it's all about the people

The 910th's new commander says the unit's safe flying record is incredible.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
VIENNA -- The main focus of the 910th Airlift Wing's new commander, Col. Timothy J. Thomson, is taking care of its people, particularly those who are still activated and may be in harm's way.
"The rest is secondary in my book," said Thomson, who became commander on June 20 when Brig. Gen. Michael Gjede retired.
BRAC
Part of the "rest" is the 2005 round of the Department of Defense's Base Realignment and Closure process. Under BRAC, all military facilities are being evaluated and up to 25 percent will be closed, local officials have said.
Thomson said he understands the community's concern about the future of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, and he greatly appreciates the community's support.
But he said in his position he cannot comment politically on the matter, except to say he is confident the Department of Defense will make decisions that are in the best interests of the nation.
He further believes the Youngstown Air Reserve Station has as good a chance as any other unit to survive.
First, Thomson said, the Air Force Reserve Command will advocate strongly for this and other units.
In addition, Thomson said the 910th Airlift Wing not only has the Air Force's only aerial spraying unit, but has an "incredible" safety record of 110,000 accident-free flying hours.
Also, he said that every C-130 unit -- the C-130 is the cargo and troop transport plane that the 910th flies -- that could be activated has been activated since 9/11, which says to him they are all needed.
Thomson said the facilities are great at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, though some renovation of buildings and more lodging for activated reserves are needed. He said work in both those areas is under way or in the funding pipeline.
Regarding BRAC, Thomson said people need to "sit back and take a deep breath. We can dwell on it or we can say we've done what we can do and go along with the process. Everybody ought to have a positive attitude," Thomson said.
His focus
For Thomson, a self-described "straight shooter ... I tell people the truth ...," his focus is on the mission and people of the 910th.
The people are all-important, he said.
"We can't do our mission well without good people and without enough people, which means recruiting more people. At present, the 910th is at 95 percent of its personnel compliment.
"We need more flight crews and are particularly short on flight engineers," he said.
Some aspects of the 910th's mission are inherently dangerous, such as the low-flying aerial spraying or flying over enemy territory in the Middle East.
Also, this is the longest activation in the unit's history. The 757th Airlift Squadron just got off 18 months' activation, and the 773 AirLift Squadron was just extended for another year.
"We're putting people and equipment in harm's way. We're very fortunate that no one has been hurt or killed," he said.
The activations and deployments have put a lot of stress on 910th personnel the past two years, Thomson said.
"My command philosophy is to treat people the right way. Give them the tools they need to do the job, and they'll jump at the chance to do the mission. They are all volunteers and they love what they do," he said.
Thomson said he is still getting to know the people of the 910th and the community.
One of the challenges he is not used to is the high level of attention paid to the base and from the community and media, which he called "overwhelming."
But he said the primary goal is to enhance the mission capability of the 910th with fully trained personnel and be the best C-130 wing in the Air Force Reserve.
"I am proud to lead this unit, whether it be here in Vienna or anywhere in the world our military duties take us," Thomson said.
alcorn@vindy.com