Hyten: Wing changing warfare, world

Published Aug. 10, 2016
By Dave Smith
21st Space Wing Public Affairs staff writer

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- When General John Hyten, Air Force Space Command commander, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1981, no space command existed. Since it was stood up in May, 1992, the 21st Space Wing has left its mark on the Air Force and beyond.

General Hyten and Chief Master Sgt. Brenden Criswell, AFSPC command chief, visited the wing August 4. The visit culminated with an all call in the Peterson Air Force Base auditorium.

General Hyten presented the Curtis E. LeMay award to the 21st Force Support Squadron. The 21st FSS was recognized as the best services organization in the Air Force at a base with at least 6,000 personnel. He also presented the award for Best Aero Club program in the Air Force to the 21st FSS.

After recognizing the accomplishments, General Hyten thanked the members of the wing for changing the world and making sure the job of space superiority is handled. Saying so is not overstating the matter at all, he said.

“You’ve led the way in fundamentally changing warfare,” said General Hyten. ‘And it will never be the same again. You cover the entire world and (are) critical to the mission.”

He said his command priorities to win today’s fight, prepare for tomorrow’s fight, and take care of our Airmen and our families, have not changed. But, how the wing responded to the massive hail storm that swept Peterson AFB on July 28, made the last of those priorities most evident. The storm included softball size hail that gave buildings and vehicles a thorough beating.

After the storm, General Hyten made his way around the base to see what damage befell the installation.

“It looked like a war zone,” he said.

Driving through the dorm parking lots was a particularly sad moment for him. General Hyten saw many vehicles rendered unusable by the storm and remembered how important his car was to him as a young Airman.

Within days, however, evidence of any significant weather event were hardly noticeable, he said. It would have been easy to give up, but what makes Team Pete special is the desire to lift each other up and help each other out.

“There were still signs, but it didn’t look like a hurricane hit it,” said General Hyten. “It looks like a beautiful base again, because you guys step up and do your job.”

During the briefing, General Hyten took time to address a less than happy topic, yet a gravely important one: suicide. He encouraged Airmen to look out for each other and be a good wingman every minute of every day.

“I really want everybody to think about it, because it’s a big problem,” said General Hyten. “All (Airmen) can help, one person at a time.”

Taking responsibility for wingmen is something anyone should be able to do, he said. Simply asking how someone is doing and then, if the answer is not “awesome,” take time to discover the reason it is not.

“If (their answer) is less than perfect, stop and find out why,” General Hyten said. “Even if I talk to them 10 minutes and have 100 people waiting for me, well they are just going to have to wait.

“Nothing is so bad we can’t help you through it, especially if we work together. We’ve got to look out for each other the best that we can every day.”