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ENID, OK - Specific individuals were selected to attend the 2020 State of the Base address given by Col. Corey Simmons, 71st Flying Training Wing commander. The address was given at Autry Technology Center on Friday.
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Simmons indicated that the room was full of movers and shakers in the community and that they were the ones that would advocate for Vance. He discussed all of the improvements made at Vance Air Force Base throughout 2019 and what was going to be needed in the future for the base.
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The mission at Vance comes down to the four D's — Deliver Pilots, Develop Innovative Airmen, Deploy Warriors, Demonstrate Our Culture. Simmons explained each of these in detail and how all are needed to accomplish the Vance goals.
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Simmons said Vance was asked to develop 364 combat aviators for the military in 2019. They had a goal of delivering 372 pilots and reached that goal. Vance was the only base to reach its quota. "Not only were we the only base that actually made our number, we are the only one that made it within 10%," Simmons said.
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Woodring Regional Airport played an important part in the Vance mission in 2019 and could not have been done without the cooperation of the local community. Woodring will be an important part of future runway repair as well.
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Simmons touched on cutting edge virtual reality equipment several times during the address. These new tools are being used more and more for pilot training and Vance has been on the forefront of helping implement them.
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Vance lost four servicemen in 2019. Simmons thanked Enid for their support during the tough times. Internal efforts are underway to help pilots deal with the stresses of life and being in the military. Simmons stressed the importance of being Vance Proud, from the day you arrived at the base until the day you leave.
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Simmons talked about current and upcoming projects happening at Vance. He said there would be need for runway repair and thought Vance needed a new dormitory.
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Simmons said, "I know that we have the best community that anyone else could ever have." After 14 assignments and 14 different communities Simmons said there is no question Enid is the best. He talked about moving on to being Wing Commander at Travis Air Force Base later this summer and said, "They've got a lot of living up to do, after spending two years with you folks."
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The State Of The Base 2020
