192nd FW Maintenance Group Airmen participate in stand-down training

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Meghan Skrepenski
  • Virginia Air National Guard Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LANGLEY- EUSTIS, Va. --  Airmen from the Virginia Air National Guard's 192nd Fighter Wing Maintenance Group took a break from their typical unit training assembly duties of maintaining the F-22 Raptor and participated instead in a day focused on individual and small group training.

The stand down training included front-line supervisor training, Airman Comprehensive Assessment training, human factor training, and specialty-specific maintenance training. This training focused on performance feedback and building positive rator and ratee relationships. In addition, training was provided on the Airmen's Comprehensive Assessment tool, a recently developed tool used to provide performance feedback within the AF evaluation system.

"The 192nd FW leadership, from the commander down, planned this stand-down as drill weekends for the 192nd MXG are normally focused on just flying and maintaining aircraft, and Airmen have requested to have more time for professional development," said Chief Master Sgt. Raymond C. Dawson, the 192nd Maintenance Group chief. Col. Robert Grey [192nd FW commander] and Col. Stephen Bunting [192nd FW Maintenance Group commander] decided to  decrease the aircraft sorties this drill to allow this stand-down for the 192nd MXG," said Chief Dawson. "This allows the Airmen to focus on the professional development they need to be successful guardsmen." 

"The commander's are really good about hearing the requests of the Airmen and it's important they continue to respond in the way they have, by offering things like consolidated trainings," said Senior Airman Lacie J. Harmon, an avionics maintenance apprentice "Training like this saves time so that we are able to focus uninterrupted on hands-on training later."

The trainings also included combined human resource and human factor training focusing on how to support the Airmen who support the 192nd FW, and other specialty-specific training.

"The commander ordered the training, and he is behind it 100%, which shows us all that it is important and let's us know that training is a top priority to him," said Senior Master Sgt. Jeffrey J. Griffith, the 192nd Avionics Maintenance Supervisor. "It's hard to put things on hold to train, but organizing things like this allows you to complete the necessary training and knowing that it is completed for the whole group allows us to focus for the next drill."