Time out with Chief Barron: AMC Command Chief visits Pope Published Dec. 22, 2007 By Airman First Class Mindy Bloem 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Barron, Air Mobility Command's command chief, visited Pope with the AMC commander, Gen. Arthur Lichte, Dec. 18 and 19 to see how Pope carries out its mission. The chief last visited Pope in October during the air show when he served as an Air Force spokesman and granted interviews to local media. While on the ground for barely 24 hours, the chief witnessed the excellence of Pope's Airmen. "To have the opportunity to watch three combat action medals and one air achievement medal with valor -- to be a part of a step promotion -- all within a 24-hour period is something you don't get to see everyday," said the chief. During the visit, Chief Barron discussed his priorities for enlisted Airmen in the upcoming year. "With no surprise, and in line with our Chief of Staff of the Air Force and General Lichte, my priorities are winning the Global War on Terror; caring for, developing, and preparing our Airmen and their families; and getting the word out to the public about how vital it is to our national security to recapitalize and modernize our Air Force now," the chief stated. Chief Barron believes it's important to show Airmen the Air Force cares about their morale as well as their success. "We know how busy they are, how much they're deploying and how much time they're spending away from home," he said. "We have to make sure we continue to provide the same quality of life, the same services we provide for our Airmen and their families, and that we don't disappoint them or change any of that. I think that's what gives us the ability to not only attract recruits into our Air Force, but to retain the quality of people we currently have." "They know we're going to take care of them -- that we're going to provide that quality of life for them, and we're going look out for their families while they're away," he added. In addition, the chief sees positive changes on the horizon for today's Airmen. "I see the quality of our enlisted force changing in a positive way because our enlisted Airmen today are smarter, more dedicated and more innovative than I have ever seen in my Air Force career," he said. "Airmen are extremely busy right now. They are working harder than they have ever worked before, but they are also learning to do things smarter, more efficiently and more effectively with fewer people." Chief Barron stressed the importance of supervisors at all levels looking out for their Airmen. "I think our supervisors need to be more involved with the Airmen who work with them," he said. "We've got to continue to stress how important it is for supervisors to take an active supervisory role with the Airman they supervise. They are the ones who ensure the Airmen are set up for success and put into positions of greater responsibility, so the Airmen, in turn, become more competitive." The chief also comes from the school of thought that diligence is essential for success. "Work hard and take advantage of every opportunity the Air Force offers you, whether it is educationally or within the Air Force as a career -- opportunities to do things not only within your career field, but in special duty assignments as well," he said.