Control and Command Post sweeps honors at MAJCOM

  • Published
  • By Mary Lou Gorny
  • Hilltop Times editor
HILL AFB, Utah --  Hill's Consolidated Command Post, or HCCP, took top honors at the Air Force Materiel Command level in the large Command Post category. The Command Post supports six wings and personnel from seven major commands at the base and is the largest AFMC command post.

Senior Master Sgt. Robert L. Bush, Command Post superintendent, said that his staff must understand the missions of the Ogden Air Logistics Center and all wings and tenants at the base, work closely with commanders at all levels, assess readiness to fulfill those missions and do all this with authority and diplomacy. HCCP must also communicate effectively with Air Force Headquarters, major commands and military services of all types with respect to their missions.

Bush noted the honor was the seventh consecutive such award for HCCP and that Hill nominees took all the unit level category awards at the 2009 AFMC command post unit-level.

Senior Airman Toccara M. Survillion, Senior Emergency Actions controller won AFMC Command Post Unit-Level Airman of the Year. "She provided Command and Control Operations and unwavering support to five wing commanders and 49 units on a continuous basis," Bush said in his appraisal of her major contributions as noted in her nomination package. Survillion submitted time critical operational reports to AFMC Headquarters, Air Combat and Control, Air Force Headquarters and the National Military Commander Center with a 100 percent accuracy rate. She also coordinated politically sensitive international treaty compliance information with senior leaders and higher headquarters.

Staff Sgt. Jeannie K. Ruzek, Status of Resource and Training (SORTS) Office assistant non-commissioned officer in charge, was honored as the AFMC Command Post Unit-Level Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year. Ruzek manages the installation SORTS program including five wings and 17 units and processed more than 100 reports to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with a 98.75 percent accuracy rate. She implemented the installation's Defense Readiness Reporting System, training 23 personnel and maintained a 100 percent rating for 11 units. Bush said, "She was instrumental in installation response to an F-16 mishap, executing Command and Control (C2) during base power and communication outage."

Master Sgt. Bruce Valk II, NCOIC C2 Operations, won AFMC Command Post Unit-Level Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year. He deployed to Afghanistan and established a Joint Personnel Recovery Cell. There he aided in search and recovery of 57 military and civilian personnel. He managed four high visibility programs in support of Operation Enduring Freedom international Security Assistance Force Headquarters. He processed more than 1,500 evasion plans of action, providing aircrews direction in isolated situations. Also while deployed he created a comprehensive personnel recovery training program for future personnel recovery watchkeepers.

Hill's Command Post is one of only three air logistics center command posts and personnel there must be highly effective in working with leadership at all levels. They also do their fair share of deployments with an average of 20 percent of personnel deployed at all times. "This enables our controllers to provide command, control, communications and information support throughout the full spectrum of operations to include peacetime, emergency and disaster situations, crisis, contingency and war," Bush said. "Our controllers have flight followed aircraft sorties, coordinated medical patient air evacuation missions, personnel recovery missions and implemented base attack reporting procedures. Locally we have coordinated the response for 75 in-flight emergencies, 28 ground emergencies and 244 weather notifications. Our command post was key to the response of an F-16 crash off-base and the C2 lead for an F-16 bomb and fuel tank jettison emergency. Our command post manages the installation SORTS program for four commands and submitted 366 reports for 28 units with a 98 percent accuracy report to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

So, how does all this play out as they use their skills to fulfill their mission?

"Based on the nature of our business and being manned 24/7/365, the command post receives phone calls at all hours either requesting or providing information," Bush notes. "Command Post controllers must have an understanding of each mission on base to either direct the questions to the correct organization or run the appropriate quick reaction checklist to handle the situation as well as timely and accurate reporting to the different MAJCOMS, Air Force Headquarters, and as high as the National Military Command Center."

Bush also credits the support from the OO-ALC, wing and tenant commanders in the ability of Hill's Command Post in its ability to fulfill the mission. "Leadership plays a vital role. The majority of our responses focuses around leadership. When the command post receives messages or guidance from higher headquarters our first call is to leadership to determine the appropriate response."

Bush praises the HCCP personnel for their work in security and safety issues. "Protection of operations security, information security and communications security in our career field is paramount. Our controllers are highly trained and diligently strive to protect and ensure the integrity of Hill Air Force Base as well as national security."

The command post is on an AFMC installation and was nominated by the installation commander, Col. Patrick Higby, 75th Air Base Wing commander, for the honor.