Commander's Direct Line - Goal Days Published March 28, 2008 SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- (Editor's note: Direct Line allows members of the Eifel Community to voice their appreciation, questions or concerns directly to base leadership. To submit a Direct Line, e-mail DirectLine@spangdahlem.af.mil) Comment: Sir, I appreciated the wing-wide safety briefing you recently gave and concur that there's been more than enough discussion regarding DUIs, responsible choices, etc. While my squadron has not had any alcohol-related incidents in the last year, I have friends in maintenance who have not fared as well. I don't have a perfect answer, but I would like to offer some additional insight. We lead USAFE in many areas and have been the "test bed" for several programs. Of my almost six years here, nearly 25 percent of the wing has deployed. We're constantly pushing more programs and training events but someone, with far more stripes or brass than me, has to say "enough." We cannot continue with "business as usual" as we cut our numbers by huge margins. My friends who work in the aircraft maintenance units work 10 to 14 hour days, usually four to six times per week. Then, when USAFE has a Family Day (as in January), the 52nd FW canceled it so we could fly some more. Some of my friends actually say they love to deploy because the pace actually slows down and they don't have to participate in as many "initiatives." Again, I don't have a solid answer, but I think if we eliminate some of these extra home station taskings we're pushing on Airmen and give them the time off they need or deserve (we've already discussed the dangers of sustained wakefulness), we may actually see a turn of events. If I remember correctly, our Christmas holiday time was actually relatively calm in this regard and that's usually a time of year when things slow a bit The motto of "work hard equals play hard" was proven by the statistics given at the briefing. Reply: Thanks for your comments. I agree with you that the 52nd Fighter Wing is very busy, but that shouldn't be a surprise for a leading edge combat wing during a time of war. We've always understood the impact our high ops tempo has on deployed members and their families, but we're becoming increasingly aware of the impact these deployments have on home station personnel, who must "pick up the load" and continue to execute our Spangdahlem mission. Many times, we've heard the expression "doing more with less." But the reality is that we don't do more with less, we do less with less. The key is to "do less with less -- smartly." Many of the "test bed" programs you refer to are actually designed to improve our operational efficiency and reduce the burden on our home station Airmen. Additionally, we're continuing to utilize AFSO 21 to look for better ways to accomplish the mission. We'll need everyone's help as we continue to improve. In terms of recognition, I agree that it's important to recognize the hard work and effort we put forth every day at Spangdahlem. It's also important to understand the difference between USAFE Family Days and USAFE Goal Days. Family Days are down days directed by COMUSAFE, and unless mission critical reasons require, we always take these down days. Goal Days are designed to recognize overall wing performance measured against USAFE and wing generated goals. The USAFE policy specifically states that goal days will not be taken unless safety metrics are achieved. This was the driving force behind the wing not taking the last Goal Day. Because the wing had experienced a spike in DUIs prior to the goal day, the wing commander did not believe that our safety metrics had been achieved. This, and not the need to fly another day, was the reason the wing didn't take the last goal day. All that said, I've been highly impressed over the past few months with the hard work across the entire wing. After carefully reviewing the wing's performance and associated metrics, I've determined that the wing has earned the upcoming USAFE Goal Day scheduled for April 4. Congratulations Sabers! Let's continue to Seek, Attack, Destroy!