ANG Executive Safety Summit focuses on safety, training Published May 7, 2015 By Staff Sgt. John E. Hillier Air National Guard Readiness Center Public Affairs VOLK FIELD COMBAT READINESS TRAINING CENTER, Wis. -- Risk, resilience and readiness were the watchwords for adjutants general, wing commanders, command chief master sergeants and other Air National Guard leaders who gathered during the 2015 Executive Safety Summit here May 5-6. More than 270 ANG senior leaders and safety professionals met at the Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center to exchange ideas and experiences as well as discuss the practical application of safety principles across the ANG. Air Force Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Clarke III, director of the Air National Guard, U.S. Navy Capt. Barry Wilmore, also a NASA astronaut, Jeff Skiles, first officer on the "Miracle on the Hudson" US Airways Flight 1549, Tech. Sgt. Douglas Matthews, Silver Star Medal recipient and Oregon ANG combat controller, were some of the distinguished guest speakers. "[On any given day,] we have assets deployed to every continent around the globe," said Clarke. "We have members of agile combat support deployed ... On that same day, we have intelligence, cyber, medical and others doing missions around the globe. The only way this continues is if we do it in a safe manner, because once we break the model for safety, everything else starts to stumble." The tone for the meeting was set by Air Force Col. Edward Vaughan, director of safety for the ANG, who discussed Airmen lost and safety mishaps during the past year. "We show statistics about mishaps and reports, but behind every one of those statistics and charts are Airmen," said Vaughan. "They are our Airmen. They are our family. If you don't have that culture in your wing right now, work on it and get it, because your Airmen desperately want it." One of the prime areas of focus was incorporating safety into every aspect of the ANG mission, from training to execution. Matthews, the 2014 ANG Outstanding NCO of the Year, spoke about his experience in combat after his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. "The only reason things turned out the way they did [during the engagement] was because we had trained on this so many times," said Matthews. "Things were just coming at me so fast I had no idea what to do other than going through what I'd been taught. It really, really works." The reliance on training, and training with safety in the forefront doesn't just apply on the battlefield, said Wilmore. It has an effect on every job that one does. "In the military, you train like you fight," said Wilmore. "We do the same thing at NASA. Everything we do is with that mindset, and that does make a difference I think. You can't be lackadaisical in your training, because it turns out that you're lackadaisical in your operations." "I think we've seen that here," agreed Clarke. "Whether it's surviving an attack by the Taliban, landing a disabled airliner on a river, or flying into outer space, that training makes you as good as you can be." Wilmore and Matthews also stressed the importance of ensuring family members are involved in resiliency efforts. "Family is vital to the success in all that we do," said Wilmore. "If things are good on the home front, things are good at the workplace. When we are there, we need to make them a part of what we do as much as we possibly can." "The resiliency programs that are in place to help us return are so vital," said Matthews, who shared how difficult it can be for traditional Guard members to re-integrate into their lives upon return from combat. "The only reason I feel that I'm as happy as I am and doing as well as I am is because these programs are in place. It was not even 10 days between this incident and me being back in the States. I was at a Christmas party and my shoulders still hurt from wearing my body armor. It's difficult for any squadron to know exactly how to handle that and go forward, especially for our traditional Guardsmen." Clarke challenged leaders to ensure that what they discussed during the event is delivered to their Airmen. "It's important that you get to hear it, but it's nothing if you don't take it back to your unit and use it," said Clarke. "Make sure that whatever we do here flows out to every Airman that we have, and they know they are value added. I don't care what [Air Force Specialty Code] they are, they are all valuable."