Commander’s Corner: Vigilance Published July 20, 2010 By Col. Anthony Cotton 341st Missile Wing commander MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- Continuing to strengthen our nuclear enterprise remains the most immediate priority of the Air Force. We, as Wing One must fulfill our accountability and responsibility as stewards of the nuclear enterprise to provide credible strategic deterrence. It requires vigilance in our daily duties, increased care in tasks, and strict adherence to Air Force guidelines and the core values. Members throughout the wing constantly display this care, and attention-to-detail. In the Operations Group, Capt. Kenneth Zenkert from the 341st Operations Support Squadron has worked tirelessly as a "heavy lifter" in the codes vault. He has led the wing through the planning and execution of two flawless squadron code changes this year. Airman 1st Class Randy Ross from the 10th MS is no different. He recently received a highly qualified rating on his initial evaluation as a missile chef and completed his career development courses five months ahead of schedule. His diligence extends beyond his basic military duties and into his daily life. He recently volunteered to be a member of the base honor guard and completed nearly 30 hours of training last month. In his off-time, he taught crime prevention at a local school, worked at the Airmen's Attic, and actively participates as a driver for Airman Against Drunk Driving. This type of excellence is not restricted to the members of the Operation Group. A team of dispatchers from the 341st Mission Support Group and the 341st Security Forces Group assisted the community when Cascade County had problems with their 911 system. On July 2, Tech. Sgt. Lincoln Seals, along with Staff Sgts. Brian Patterson, Sean Armstrong, Claire Regimbal and Steven Harper received all of Cascade County's 9-1-1 calls from 3 a.m. to noon. These Airmen worked diligently to provide initial emergency responses for the county and their efforts resulted in no loss of service to its citizens. Finally, in response to an outbreak of car and home break-ins experienced on base, a team of nearly 30 Airmen went well beyond their daily duties to assemble a Crime Suppression Team, a supersized neighborhood crime watch, to counter the incidents. The team was comprised of Security Forces Airmen, and even a spouse, who spent their free nights driving, walking and jogging, while looking for irregular activities. In just three short days, the team of volunteers got the job done. The thieves were caught and the missing property was recovered. The full list of volunteers is below: Stephen Parker, 341 SFS Staff Sgt. Anne Duncan, 341 SFS Tech. Sgt. Ricky Hoffman, 341 SFS Airman 1st Class Adam Neal, 341 SFG Airman 1st Class Jose-Angel Martinez, 341 SFG Airman 1st Class Bravlio Torres, 341 SFG Airman 1st Class Allison Blevins, 341 SFG Senior Airman Thomas Stavlo, 341 SFG Airman 1st Class Thomas Browne, 341 SFG Airman 1st Class Richard Welty, 341 SFG Tech. Sgt. Rakesh Dewan, 341 SFS Staff Sgt. Steven Harper, 341 SFS Master Sgt. Jeffrey Geyer, 341 SFS Staff Sgt. Eric Ross, 341 SFS Senior Airman Robert Jacobs, 341 SFS Airman 1st Class Jose Moran, 341 SFS Airman 1st Class Ryan Main, 341 SFS Airman 1st Class Noah Barb, 341 SFS Airman 1st Class Christopher Martinez, 341 SFS Airman 1st Class Valentin Burciaga, 341 SFS Airman 1st Class Eric Chapman, 341 SFS Airman 1st Class Brad Armistad, 341 SFS Airman 1st Class Lacy Walter, 341 SFS Airman 1st Class Maurice Stallion, 341 SFS Airman 1st Class Devon Jackels, 341 SFS Airman 1st Class Latrishia Townsend, 341 SFS Tech. Sgt. Joseph and Mrs. Crow, 341 SFS Airman 1st Class Luis Beliz, 341 SFS Wing One is filled with outstanding Airman and top performers. The vigilance displayed in all duties both on- and off-base speak volumes to the character, capabilities and reliability of the members of the 341st Missile Wing. As you continue to execute the mission, keep in mind the standards and diligence necessary to maintain our legacy of excellence in the nuclear mission as it underpins our national security. "Our progress in the nuclear enterprise is such that we can now shift our efforts to sustaining the progress that we've made," said Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force Chief of Staff. "We must, and we will, do even more to ensure a 100 percent precision and reliability in nuclear operations and logistics, as close to 100 percent of the time as such a human endeavor will allow." The 341st MW is an integral piece of the nuclear enterprise, and as members of Wing One, I expect nothing less than the precision that General Schwartz speaks of. Keep up your diligence, vigilance and attention to detail, the nuclear enterprise and the nation depends on it and demands nothing less.