Dobbins Day gives Honorary Commanders taste of 94 AW Published Aug. 20, 2015 By Staff Sgt. Daniel Phelps 94th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- Members of the Honorary Commanders Association participated in their annual Dobbins Day, visiting various units on Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga. Aug. 20. The HCA was treated to unique tours and briefs where they were able to get up close and personal while flying a U.S. Air Force C-130 simulator and experiencing the difficulty of a smooth landing. “I apologize for the crash landing,” joked Mandy Burton, WellStar Health System marketing strategist. “Landing is so hard.” The base tour taught the HCA class how Dobbin’s personnel fit into the local community, said Chris Pruitt, Cobb County engineer. “It’s good to see people from the community who don’t know much about Dobbins get to experience first-hand what (the U.S. Air Force Reserve) does,” said Staff Sgt. Andrew Cline, 700th Airlift Squadron loadmaster. Many were blown away as they saw the realism of the 94th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron’s simulations trauma victim and the training he can provide. The highlight of the day for the HCA was when they were taken up in the air by Col. James Devere, 94th Operations Group commander, in the Hercules for a civic leader flight. “It was so amazing,” exclaimed Sherry King, Marietta All State Agency, who was able to sit in the cockpit for take-off. “We were grounded for a bit because of lightning… then we were cleared. The coordination between the pilots and the crew, the maintenance personnel and base operations was seamless – amazing.” The HCA is a Cobb County Chamber of Commerce entity, whose main purpose is to take local civic leaders and introduce them to the U.S. military. “The best part of this program is the connection between the military and civilians from the local community,” explained Vicki Aghajanian, LGE Community Credit Union community relations director. “It’s great to learn about what our military does on a daily basis.” (Contributions from Staff Sgt. Alan Abernethy, 94th AW public affairs)
