General salutes Taegu
Quality of life, runway, people take center stage during day-long visit
By Senior Airman Harold Barnes III
51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TAEGU AIR BASE, Republic of Korea - The recent Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration exercise held on the Korean peninsula demonstrated the vital mission of Taegu AB, a co-located operating base.
Innovations and upgrades continue to make Taegu Air Base a critical part of Osan's mission and were showcased during a visit by the mobilization assistant to Lt. Gen. Lance Smith, 7th Air Force commander.
Maj. Gen. Richard Collins spent a day with the staff at Taegu getting a glimpse of what the warfighting mission was all about.
Lt. Col. Charles Westgate III, 607th Support Squadron commander, was eager to share the results and lessons learned with the newest general on the 7th Air Force team. "Taegu worked all aspects of RSO&I," said Colonel Westgate, who mentioned that much of their actions began weeks prior to the formal kick-off. He said it was "worthy training."
Col. William Moseley, 607th Air Support Group commander, took the opportunity to clarify specifics of Taegu's mission as a COB and how it relates to the security efforts on the peninsula and to the theater.
The Air Force and the way it conducts business have changed significantly from the first time General Collins was part of the ROK team in 1985 as an aviator during Team Spirit, an annual combined forces exercise. He said it was great to see "the magnificent job people are doing."
Though Colonel Westgate strives to maintain high quality of life - one of his main objectives -- through the occasional steak and lobster dinner at the dining facility, the unit also has a mission to provide base operating support for the U.S. Army's Echo Company 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
An increase of contract support has helped the service members focus on streamlining mission operations while still increasing quality of life on Taegu.
As the only United States-certified Korean firefighters in the Department of Defense the Taegu Fire Department is one prime example of the strong relationship the units have with the Republic of Korea.
"Our relationship with the ROK Air Force here is incredible," said Colonel Westgate. "The Army and ROK AF partnership is strong and we work hard to keep it that way."
Environmental protection efforts are also on the rise on the base with new fueling facilities that provide safe, efficient operational requirements to the Taegu team.
"This gives me a lot of insight . as to how the COBs operate," saidGeneral Collins who was impressed with the mission operations and quality of life efforts which Taegu leadership continues to make a priority. (PACAFNS)
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