Barksdale presenters discuss assisting families, recent missions

Several presenters representing Barksdale Air Force Base shared their insight on military families and missions June 19 as the Bossier Chamber of Commerce hosted the Military Speakers Luncheon.

Dr. David Splitek of the Military Child Education Coalition and Georgette Price, a military student transition consultant spoke during the event Jim Henderson, chancellor at Bossier Parish Community College and Bossier Chamber chairman of the board of directors, said Barksdale is responsible for about $1 billion in economic activity in the local community annually.

Splitek gave an overview of the MCEC, established in 1998, to assist military families with the challenges of frequent relocation related to military service. He complimented the local community for its efforts in that regard. “I think the work you are doing here is absolutely spectacular,” he said. “[This effort is] very hard work, so I commend you on what you are doing.”

Splitek recognized the Bossier Economic Development Foundation, the Shreveport Bossier Military Affairs Council, the Cyber Innovation Center, Barksdale Forward, and the Bossier Chamber of Commerce, the Committee of 100, and the Carolyn and Charles Beaird Family Foundation for their work with the Military Student Transition Consultant group.

“One thing we’ve learned at MCEC is that students need an advocate,” he said. He said the coalition works with military families, military leaders, school personnel and the local communities to recognize and mitigate the problems arising from the frequent uprooting of children of military parents.

He said there are about four million children that come from military homes. He said 76 percent of military children attend public schools.

To assist them, special programs have been implemented. The idea behind is to make a newly transferred student feel accepted in his or her new school using peers in and out of military families.

Other efforts of the MCEC deal with reducing the amount of retesting required of students who have to move around into new school districts if they’ve already been tested elsewhere. Splitek said the partnerships they have created “make all the difference in the world” in subsequent student attitudes and performance, as evidenced by results of local efforts.

Price said her group connects military families to the community by making the community aware of the challenges military families face. She stressed that the feeling of “connectedness” with the community is vital for the well-being of the families who are serving the nation’s security needs.

Col. Trey Morriss, vice commander of the 307th Bomb Wing, discussed the breakdown some of the active duty units at the base whose families are part of the reason for the MCEC.

Col. Andrew Gebara, commander of 2nd Bomb Wing, briefly outlined the future role BAFB might play in national security. He touched on the three phases of national defense, nuclear deterrence, global security effectiveness and the Air Force’s role as an expeditionary force. He told the group he was being transferred to a new job but was proud of the work he had overseen while commander at the local base. “The [new command structure] coming in is top notch,” he said. “They are absolutely better than me in every way.” He will take an assignment as assistant to the undersecretary of the Air Force.

Col. Thomas Hesterman, vice commander 8th Air Force, informed the group that BAFB has approximately 1,000 airmen deployed in active duty service. They are making several concurrent missions possible, including the continuous bomber presence in the Pacific, and providing support in areas like the Far East, coastal Africa and in the United Kingdom.

Last to speak was Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command the newest frontier of war fighting. He praised Bossier City Mayor Lorenz Walker for his faithful commitment to Barksdale, and praised the military-civilian team, Barksdale Forward, for nurturing the symbiosis between the base and the community. He said Aug. 7 would mark the fifth-year anniversary of the “standing up” of his command, a move he likened to the resurrection of the “strategic” Air Force concept.

He called AFGSC, “the bedrock of national security,” and acknowledged the community’s efforts to secure its location here. He reassured the crowd that while many Defense Department sections are facing downsizing and budget cuts, Air Force Global Strike continues to grow and receive vital funding.

–Joe Todaro

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