A Message from the Wing Commander

  • Published
  • By Col. Raul Rosario
  • 149th Fighter Wing
Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas --  

Gunfighters,

I'd like to extend my gratitude to every single one of you for making this wing the premier fighter wing in the Air National Guard. Your commitment to service and your sacrifice truly make a significant difference in providing combat capabilities to the Air Force and greatly contribute to the defense of this great nation. It is truly an honor to be leading this outstanding wing. You are Gunfighters. You dominate all of your mission sets because of your unwavering uncompromised excellence! 

I want to briefly outline my command priorities.

1. "Gunfighters First": Recruit and retain an agile, resilient and adaptive force.  This includes efforts to provide proper pay/bonuses, grow a robust professional development plan that includes civilian sector strengths from our DSG force and provide opportunities for growth.

2. "Roll Your Socks Down ... Open Up the Chainsaw": In the F-16, the more g's you pull, the more your socks get rolled down. This is indicative of the level of effort toward accomplishing the mission. Employing a fighter aircraft's gun sounds like a chainsaw.  This is all in keeping with our mission objectives. We will focus on increasing the wing's full spectrum readiness. We have to be ready to deploy and employ at the tactical level all the time to support the National Defense Strategy. We have to remain ready and relevant. What we do in training has a direct effect on combat readiness.

3. "Take Care of the Saloon": Family and Community. Of course, we cannot maximize readiness without the support of our families and community. We must continue our history of supporting our families and serving our communities. We have to partner and communicate our message, not only at the local level but at the national level. We are committed to the success of the State Partnership Program to increase our defense posture and build lasting relationships at the international level.

Once again, I want to give my sincere thanks for your selfless service. My family and I are here to serve you.

Roll your socks down!

Gunfighter 1
Col Raul "Kuda" Rosario