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  • U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Durham Campbell, 169th Medical Group superintendent, August 5, 2021 at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Edward Snyder, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    January Chief's Perspective

    In this month’s Chief’s Perspective I want to talk about leadership. Leadership is the ability to influence and drive change. Change within oneself, change within a workplace, or change in a process. We have the ability to change those around us because that’s what we do. We lead as Wingmen. Being a leader is not something that comes with rank. From the newest Airman to the wing commander, we are all leaders. Our actions impact those around us and we have free will of choice on how we are going to lead every day. If we have a bad attitude, or poor work ethic, we will lead our peers to substandard performance with second and third order effects contributing to workplace issues.  However, if we choose to control our attitude, and have good work ethic, we will lead our peers to McEntire’s legacy of Semper Primus.
  • U.S. Air Force Capt. Kirby Whitley, 169th Fighter Wing chaplain at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, May 4, 2021. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Edward Snyder, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    January Chaplain's Reflections

    Hello Swamp Foxes! Welcome back after a month filled with festivities, food, and fellowship. If your December was like many, it was a blur and now 2022 is upon us. There are expectations and desires to look forward to with the coming of the New Year, a chance to reboot, reflect, and re-center ourselves.
  • Retirees from the South Carolina Air National Guard gather for their monthly luncheon at the Fort Jackson NCO Club on Feb. 7, 2020.

    January Retiree's Corner

    This will be my 13th Desert Storm Article honoring all Desert Shield/Storm Call-Ups, and the last of 10 articles honoring the 169th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (CAMS). I have tried to achieve the listing of as many people who were in a position of leadership during Combat Operations. Yet many were not named or listed, but by now hopefully anyone reading the Desert Storm articles understand there is only so much room in an article and everyone should realize they were a part of history and part of SCANG that was highly recognized by all, all the way to the National Guard Bureau and Pentagon.
  • Michelle Walker, the Recreational Specialist at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C., poses for her photo in the base gym on November 2, 2011. Michelle was hired to work at the base gym to train, educate and encourage McEntire�s airmen to remain �fit to fight� and excel in the new Air Force fitness standards. (SCANG photo by TSgt Caycee Cook)

    December Fitness Tips

    Holiday Fitness Tips and Recipes
  • Retirees from the South Carolina Air National Guard gather for their monthly luncheon at the Fort Jackson NCO Club on Feb. 7, 2020.

    December Retiree's Corner

    This will be my 12th Desert Storm article honoring all Desert Shield/Desert Storm call-ups, and the 9th of 10 articles honoring the 169th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. I have expanded more key personnel listings, and my goal is to name and honor as many people as I can in this article and subsequent articles.
  • U.S. Air Force Maj. Christina Pittman, 169th Fighter Wing chaplain, August 15, 2021 at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Edward Snyder, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    December Chaplain's Reflections

    In your life, did you ever wish you could go back and start over? I remember a few times when I assembled a piece of furniture and put the wrong side together or used the wrong screw and partially disassembled the unit and started again. Or when I took a wrong turn that increased my travel time because I was rerouted. Or when I typed on the computer and made a mistake, I hit the back arrow in Word. The option to go back to the prior edited page saved me from consumed time for corrected mistakes. When life just happened and there was no “restart” button, I considered creating a new beginning and moved forward.
  • Master Sgt. Daniel Tatum, 169th Civil Engineer Squadron first sergeant

    December Shirt Blast

    We are part of an organization that is constantly adapting, striving to be as efficient as possible. Whether you joined before 9/11 when the deployment ops tempo was much slower than we have seen over the last few decades or you have been in the Air Force for only a few years, you can look back and see how the Air Force has changed since you raised your right hand. If we are part of an organization that is constantly improving and reinventing itself, then we also need to have the same mindset.
  • U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Thomas McQueen Jr., A-1 Superintendent for Joint Forces Headquarters, South Carolina Air National Guard at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, Nov. 14, 2021. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Edward Snyder, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    December Chief's Perspective

    What books have you read lately? Share some insights gleaned. I love asking this in an interview. And I’m really not looking for any particular type of reading. Could be related to leadership development, marvelous feats of physical strength and endurance, cooking technique, motorcycle maintenance for beginners, or a novel by Rowling or Clancy. I’m primarily looking to see if there is an interest or discipline to continue learning. Even fiction provides opportunity to expand your mind and grow.
  • U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Gareth Fleischer, 169th Civil Engineer Squadron commander at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, Dec. 1, 2021. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Edward Snyder, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    December Commander's Corner

    Infrastructure is for all leaders! Resilience of our infrastructure supports the ability to fight and provide the quality of life and service we all want for our Airmen and their families. McEntire Joint National Guard Base is exceptional because it’s one of three Air National Guard (ANG) installations that actually own and operate a comprehensive airfield. A tremendous amount of maintenance and planning is involved to support a real property portfolio consisting of over 2,400 acres, 64 buildings, runways, taxiways and aircraft aprons. Keep in mind that the typical ANG installation is co-located on a metropolitan airport with a fraction of the acreage.
  • U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Akshai Gandhi, Assistant Adjutant General, Air for the South Carolina Air National Guard at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, Sept. 22, 2021. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Edward Snyder, 169th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)

    November Commander's Corner

    Thank you for everything you do every day.  The wing has had a great many successes over the past few years.  From wailing on ISIS, defending America’s interests across the globe, and crushing every inspection, our accomplishments are really yours.  You led the way. At home whether it was a hurricane, domestic unrest, or a pandemic, nothing stopped the Swamp Foxes.  While we took appropriate measures to protect our force, you knew we could not simply hide under a rock.  You knew we had a job to do, and you made sure we were “Semper in Missione”—Always on Mission.  
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