The Journey Begins
My journey as an honorary commander has begun. It all began with a phone call telling me I had been nominated as a candidate and was followed by a question asking me if I was chosen would I accept. I, of course, was honored to have been nominated and indicated that I would love to participate in the program.
I was informed that the base commander would make his final decisions and I would be notified in a couple of weeks. When chosen, a candidate needs to fill out a quick background form and write a short bio. Honorary commanders are entitled to base access for a year and must pass the background check. Being that my spy career never really developed I figured I was a shoe in on the background check.
It wasn't long before I received the call letting me know I would be 2014 honorary commander. I was mailed the forms to fill out and received an invitation to the 2014 Hail and Farewell on a Monday afternoon in January. I was also told which squadron I would be attached to and who my corresponding base commander would be.
At that point I did a little research online and discovered that there are 18 honorary commanders selected from the Enid community every year. Candidates are normally individuals that are active in the community and have contact with a large segment of the population. The mission of the program is for honorary commanders to take what they learn from the tours of Vance and to share that information with the community at large.
Becoming An Honorary Commander
The 2014 Hail and Farewell ceremony arrived on a Monday afternoon in January. The invitation had indicated it would be an hour and a half long affair and business casual dress was suggested for guests. And dress blues for Vance personnel.
If you have never been beyond the main gate on base or have not visited since the main gate was moved you'll find the drive just to get to the old Fox Drive a series of twists and round abouts. You'll be stopped at the main gate which now has multiple lanes and then journey through the maze to Eisenhower elementary. Once you reach that point, the base begins to look familiar again, especially for those of us that spent most of our time on base a few decades ago.
The route to the Vance Club was lined with small signs indicating an event was ahead. Being on base again brought back many memories for me. Vance brought my dad to Enid as an airman in the late 50's. He was a military policeman and met my mother, who was working as a civilian on base.
My family is from Enid and we have multiple ties with Vance, AFB. My grandmother spent her career working at the base Chapel until she retired. My mother worked in personnel affairs until she retired and my uncle trained as a pilot at Vance and eventually returned to Enid and became a simulator instructor. My sister currently works in family affairs and I spent one summer working at the base driving range.
My fondest memories of Vance were as a pre-teen. I spent many summers at vacation bible school and always enjoyed the 4th of July celebration on base. I was allowed most all base privileges until I turned 18. The Air Force allowed my family to travel the world when I was a toddler. I was actually born at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio and spent a couple of my early years stationed in Turkey.
I also remember when there used to be an NCO Club and an Officers Club on base. Now they have the Vance Club which is where the ceremony was taking place. All in all there are 18 honorary commanders selected each year and the ceremony includes the 18 leaving and the 18 coming in. Upon entering the Vance Club we were greeted with informational material on Vance and bios of the squadron commanders and the honorary commanders.
I was paired with the 3d Flying Training Squadron under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Sean Martin. Lt. Col. Martin is from New York but attended pilot training at Vance and is actually now on his second assignment in Enid. He and his wife Megan have two daughters. We quickly found out that we have many things in common including both having two daughters that attended Cimarron Montessori and cheered at Spirit Express.
I was very pleased to discover that I personally know almost all of the other 17 Honorary Commanders. Some are good friends, others I went to school with, a few I attend church with, many I have worked on projects with and the rest I've had some type of interaction with or knowledge of. I'm really looking forward to spending time with this group learning more about the mission of Vance.
The Honorary Commanders include:
April Danahy - 71st Flying Training Wing honorary commander
Paula Nightengale - 71st Flying Training Wing honorary command chief master sergeant
Mickey Stowers - 71st Operations Group honorary commander
Chad Caldwell - 71st Mission Support Group honorary commander
Eddie Herrman - 71st Medical Group honorary commander
Stan Ralstin - 71st Comptroller Squadron honorary commander
Curtis Tucker - 3d Flying Training Squadron honorary commander
Greg Kuykendall - 5th Flying Training Squadron honorary commander
Kaleb Hennigh - 8th Flying Training Wing honorary commander
Kenny Blasier - 25th Flying Training Squadron honorary commander
Dr. Jay Knapik - 33d Flying Training Squadron honorary commander
Cody Jolliff - 71st Operations Support Squadron honorary commander
Jeremiah and Sarah Herrian - 71st Student Squadron commander
Mike Honigsburg - 71st Logistics Readiness Squadron honorary commander
Captain Brad Shepard - 71st Security Forces Squadron honorary commander
Russell Schieber - 71st Force Support Squadron honorary commander
Ashley Ewbank - 71st Communications Squadron honorary commander
Dr. Alex Lebrija - 71st Medical Operations Squadron honorary commander
Ashley Olivio - 71st Medical Support Squadron honorary commander
The Honorary Commander Hail and Farewell consisted of opening remarks from Wing Commander Colonel Darren James. He explained the mission of Vance and the mission of the honorary commander program. He explained that Vance AFB is there to train and prepare airmen, pilots and fighters. He thanked each of us for our time and invited us to take part in as many activities on base as we could schedule. The departing honorary commanders were given plaques and thanked for the events they attended. The new honorary commanders were introduced and we were each given certificates.
There was a quick reception that followed with cake and conversation. Our 2014 tour schedule includes a 71st Flying Training Wing Mission Brief, 71st Operations Group Tour, 71st Mission Support Group Tour and a 71st Medical Group Tour. We are also encouraged to attend squadron activities, graduations and other base events. In return, we get to invite our corresponding commanders to business and community events in Enid.
I look forward to the year ahead and will bring you all as much information as I can gather about the Enid/Vance relationship and the behind the scenes activities which keep the base running on a day to day basis.
