Gulf Defender Page 3


325th FW CC shares words of wisdom


COL TOD WOLTERS
325th Fighter Wing commander
 Thank you for the wonderful
welcome to Team Tyndall... we
are honored to serve!
 As mentioned in my change
of command remarks, I often
marvel at the sacrifices of our
fallen comrades. One such
hero was Ruppert Sargent.
First Lt. Ruppert Sargent, serv-
ing as platoon leader on patrol
in the Hau Nghia Province,
Republic of Vietnam, paid
the ultimate price March 15,
1967. Lieutenant Sargent was
conducting a reconnaissance
run on a suspected Viet Cong
weapons cache and discovered
a "booby trapped" tunnel.
 As Lieutenant Sargent ma-
neuvered toward the tunnel
entrance a Viet Cong emerged
and threw two hand grenades
that landed in the midst of the
group. Lieutenant Sargent fired
three shots at the enemy then
turned and without hesitation
threw himself over the two
grenades. He was mortally
wounded and his selfless heroic
act saved the lives of fellow
warriors.
 I had the extraordinary for-
tune to meet Ruppert's family
and friends in 2004 and one
theme permeated from all those
who spoke of Lieutenant Sar-
gent ... Ruppert was a Soldier's
Soldier, an Airman's Airman...
a warrior who truly understood


 I erpetual optimism is a force multiplier ... a posi-
tive approach to any challenge will attract a crowd
of winners."

 COL TOD WOLTERS
 325th Fighter Wing commander


the fundamentals of life.
 We all face challenges, none
more dire than those men-
tioned in the spring of 1967.
At Tyndall, our days contain
numerous tasks and demanding
deadlines. The prioritization
and execution ofthese "issues"
can foster a confusing envi-
ronment. If every member of'
Team Tyndall embraces some
form of the fundamentals, I
contest our problems would
appear as challenges and our
critics would categorize all of'
us an Airman's Airman.
 Former U.S. Secretary of'
State Colin Powell published
"13 Rules to Live By" during
his ascent to Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff. I first
read these rules in the spring
of 1995 and often find myself'
conducting a review during
trying times or when contem-
plating the challenges fellow
service members face during
life-threatening scenarios, such
as today's global war on ter-
rorism.
 Here's an Airmen's interpre-
tation of Powell's "13 Rules to
Live By."


 It isn't as bad as you think;
it will look better in the morn-
ing ... failure will look far less
life threatening following a
good night's sleep.
 Get mad, then get over it...
anger consistently clouds good
judgment.
 Avoid having your ego so
close to your position that when
your position falls, your ego
goes with it ... the day you retire
from the Air Force nobody will
care if you were a numbered
Air Force commander or a
first sergeant, they just want to
know if you enjoyed serving
you country.
 It can be done ... get posi-
tive and you will be amazed at
what you can accomplish.
 Be careful what you choose,
you may get it ... pay close at-
tention to detail when decision
making.
 Don't let adverse facts stand
in the way of a good decision
... don't get tunnel vision on
the bad data when attempting
to rectify the wrong.
 Check small things ... atten-
tion to detail, every detail, will
tell the full story.


 Share credit ... if it went
well, they did it; if it went bad,
it was my fault.
 You can't make someone
else's choices, you shouldn't
let someone else make yours
... focus on what you have
control over not on what you
can't control.
 Remain calm, be kind ...
you think clearer when emotion
is divorced from the decision.
 Have a vision, be demand-
ing ... tell folks what you want
and challenge them to achieve
perfection, they will be hon-
ored you did.
 Don't take counsel of your
fears or naysayers ... set your
goals, get the facts, build your
plan and execute.
 Perpetual optimism is a
force multiplier ... a positive
approach to any challenge will
attract a crowd of winners.
 Chaos and confusion are a
way of life in today's complex
military environment. We can
best honor those who have
fallen before us by living our
lives in the most admirable
fashion possible.
 When times get tough
and you find yourself in the
"bogged-down" mode, re-
member how a great man like
Ruppert Sargent lived his life.
Heed the sage advice of Gen-
eral Powell and soon you will
be back on track! It is an honor
to serve at Tyndall.


 Airman sends

thanks to Wingmen

 Staff Sgt. Joseph Alers
and his family sent this
thank you note after they
received base-wide support
when their rental home
caught fire, destroying it
and all their personal be-
longings.

 "We, the Alers family,
would like to thank everyone
for the help and donations
we have received. My family
and I appreciated everything
you did. My coworkers and
the wing came together as
a family and provided us
with all the help we needed.
We are doing good now and
we had no major losses, just
material items."
 "We also thank God that
this fire happened when we
weren't home. We were
renting this house and had
renters insurance to cover
all the damaged items and
provide us with help in find-
ing temporary place to live.
Ifyou rent, renters insurance
is a good thing to have! Ijust
want to thank everyone for
their help and offers."


 The Action Line is your direct line to
me. It is one way to make Tyndall a better
place to work and live.
 The goal is to provide you with an ac-
curate, timely response. You must leave
your name, phone number or address to
receive a response.
 Questions or comments of general
interest will be published in this forum.
This avenue should only be used after
coordinating problems or concerns with
supervisors, commanders, first sergeants
or facility managers.
 If you're not satisfied with the response
or you are unable to resolve the problem,


call me at 283-2255.
 For fraud, waste and abuse calls,
you should talk to the 325th Fighter
Wing Inspector General's Office,
283-4646.
 Calls concerning energy abuse
should be referred to the energy hot
line, 283-3995.
 Below are more phone numbers
that help you in resolving any issues


with a base agency.
Commissary
Pass and I.D.
Medical and Dental
MEO


283-4825
283-4191
283-7515
283-2739


MPF


283-2276


SFS Desk Sgt. 283-2254
Sen/ices 283-2501
Legal 283-4681
Housing 283-2036
CDC 283-4747
Wing Safety 283-4231
ADC 283-2911
Finance 283-4117
Civil Engineer 283-4949
Civilian Personnel 283-3203
Base Information 283-1113
 Thank you for helping me improve
Tyndall and I look forward to hearing
from you.


Action Line
 Call 283-2255


COL. TOD WOLTERS
325th Fighter Wing commander


June 9, 2006