GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The 17th Training Wing honorary commanders were immersed in the 17th Mission Support Group, May 23.
The 17 MSG plays a crucial role in ensuring mission success at Goodfellow by empowering Airmen and adapting to global changes. This group manages six squadrons, providing comprehensive logistic and personnel support, maintaining infrastructure, offering security, and operating the base's computer systems.
The day began with honorary commanders meeting the leaders of the 17th Security Forces, Communications, Contracting, Logistics Readiness, Force Support, and Civil Engineering Squadrons. These meetings highlighted each squadron's unique contributions to Goodfellow's mission and their interactions with the San Angelo community.
Honorary commanders toured on-base housing for students and permanent party personnel. They also visited the firetruck maintenance building, where they learned about the collaboration between the San Angelo Fire Department, Wall Volunteer Fire Department, and Goodfellow. This partnership focuses on training, equipment maintenance, and education to meet safety standards on and off the base.
“The base is incredible. We all know how important Goodfellow is to our community, so it’s great to get to come on base and really learn about the different facets here,” explained Molly Turk, 17th Training Wing honorary commander. “There is a lot that I didn’t know they did, especially today while learning about the mission support group. Goodfellow really is its own tiny city, and they have people that take the time to care for and manage it.”
At the Vance Deployment Center, they examined the gear issued for deployments and learned about the 17th Logistics Readiness Squadron's role in keeping service members mission-ready through the Expeditionary Readiness Training program. This program is designed to create Mission Ready Airmen with competencies that increase their lethality, survivability and enable deployers to support Agile Combat Employment operations in a deployed environment.
The immersion concluded with a visit to the 17th SFS, where they learned about the squadron's efforts to keep Goodfellow secure. This includes base safety, weapons training, and agile operations worldwide. The visit featured a demonstration by military working dogs, showcasing their skills in base defense.
“Today we are honored to host the honorary commander immersion at the 17th Mission Support Group,” emphasized Col. Dalby, 17th MSG commander. “The relationship between Goodfellow and the San Angelo community is vital to what we do, and this was a great opportunity to showcase what the 17th MSG does for the 17th Training Wing and supports fostering new relationships with community members.”