Wolf all call: We are a family

  • Published
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  The 8th Fighter Wing commander conducted six all calls at the base theater on Kunsan AB, ROK, Dec. 24, 2014, stressing airminded resiliency, moral courage, and how the Wolf Pack succeeds as a family unit.

"As we celebrate this holiday season and prepare for the long Christmas weekend, I wanted to spend today reminding the Wolf Pack of the impact you have on the mission and each other," said Col. Ken "Wolf" Ekman, 8 FW commander. "We are a unique base where it's not enough being ready to fight tonight--we must be ready to fight right now."

Wolf stressed how mission readiness is each Airman's task and emphasized how the wingman concept enables the Pack to succeed, both on and off duty.

"When I am flying a mission, I know I am more successful because I have people to my left and to my right who have my back," Wolf said. "This same contract for action applies to a social outing. Before you go out, you should be thinking, 'Who is the designated driver tonight?' 'Which part of the game plan do I own?'"

Using anecdotes from recent and historic air battles, Wolf expressed that mission success involves more than expending ordnance--it is about the personal moral courage of each individual in the fight.

"I flew with an individual on a deployment who came back from her first combat mission without expending any ordnance because the potential targets did not match up to the designated criteria for expenditure," Wolf said. "She knew the ROE [rules of engagement] and refused to break them even if it meant returning with all of her bombs. She did the right thing, and for that, she's one of my heroes."

While the wingman concept and moral courage set the foundation for mission success, Wolf expressed how proud he was of the Wolf Pack for its success in the year 2014.

"This year, you have weathered the storms during multiple OREs [operational readiness exercises], led two iterations of Exercise Max Thunder--the largest flying training exercise on this peninsula, and you still made time to serve the Gunsan City community through orphanage and elderly home visits," he said. "These are but a few examples of how you demonstrated your commitment to this base and to the ROK-U.S. Alliance. I am so proud of you, and I look forward to continue serving with you in 2015."