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Chief Master Sgt. Mike Seger assumed the role of 125FW command chief during a change-of-

authority ceremony held here immediately following the change of command. Chief Master Sgt.

Sharon Ervin relinquished the position to Seger after six years of service.

"For anyone who knows how a fighter wing really works, and what makes a fighter wing great, you

look to the quality of the chief master sergeants, and let me tell you ours are incredible," Simpler

said.

The wing command chief is the senior enlisted advisor to the wing commander for the enlisted

force, which comprises nearly 850 Airmen of the 948 total members of the 125FW. As such, the

command chief advises the commander and senior staff members regarding enlisted members'

health, morale, and welfare. The command chief also serves as the functional manager to seven first

sergeants.

by Technical Sgt. William Buchanan

125FW Public Affairs

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HITTING THE TARGET

First, you are the weapon that fires these metaphorical bullets: Your body—much like any issued

weapon--must be well maintained, serviceable, and fully functional. Your judgment and vision, much

like your sights, must be clean and free of fog. Practice makes perfect and you can never be content by

just being good; you must always set higher goals. Goal accomplishment, just as the experience gained

at the range, will provide you a key ingredient of leadership--it will build your confidence.

Small goals build your confidence, teach you a sense of accomplishment, and polish you up for

the bigger goals: By upholding the highest of standards and by exercising skilled discipline and wise

judgment, you ensure that your aim is accurate and that your rounds are on-target. In order to remain

proficient, you must frequent the range and improve your technique. If you don't, your skills will

degrade. Hitting the bull’s-eye once does not make you a sniper; just as one single school will not make

you an effective leader. Continue to get better every day by always applying the fundamentals and

ensuring the basics are covered. You cannot afford to regress.

As your marksmanship improves, remember the fundamentals of shooting: Always begin with the

basics. In marksmanship, the basics are to breathe, concentrate, aim, and never take your eyes off the

target. Never get cocky as you improve. Just like marksmanship, remember the basics for good

leadership. You must remain humble throughout the process and be reasonable with setting goals. It

takes time, patience, and dedication to be proficient. Do not give up when you miss the target or lose

focus. Always have perseverance, dedication, and faith in your abilities.

On the subject of humility, do not ever think--or tell yourself--that you know everything: At the

range there are always opportunities to improve. If you can hit the

target in a fraction of a second from the five-meter line, then move back to the ten-meter line and work

to achieve the same accuracy. Subsequently, when you perfect your skills at the ten-meter line, move to

the twenty-meter line and start working on that goal. Perfection is a product of dedication and

continuously challenging ourselves. I was never a 'know it all'. When I stepped on the range, I knew

that in order to maximize my resources--bullets and range time--I had to pay close attention to detail. I

always had someone else there to acknowledge when I was on target; a range-master (mentor) always

checking my shot placement.

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We cannot accomplish this or any feat alone: Choose your range-masters wisely. They must be

people who are 'straight-shooters'. They teach keeping control of the weapon (self-discipline), shooting

technique (task accomplishment), and shot placement (goal accomplishment). They are there to assist

when your weapon malfunctions (to overcome setbacks). They are the ones that candidly tell you when

you miss, give you a sight correction, and be there to follow through when you fire your next round.

They ensure you hit the target every time.

This is what I learned while trying to perfect my skills: (1) You must stop, listen, and ask questions

from those who can make you better. (2) Do not waste bullets by talking the talk--firing up in the air--

and never walking the walk. To talk without following up with actions is like shooting blank

ammunition. You only make noise and there is no impact. (3) You never let frustration fog your lens-

-calmly wipe it while keeping your sights on target. (4) Lastly, never give up, stay until the job gets

done, and utilize your skills and knowledge to make the next generation better.

Silver Bullets for Effective Leadership Vol.3 by: CMSGT Ramon Colon-Lopez

“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be

without one, be without strategy.” Norman Schwarzkopf

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Well we did it again! The 125th

SFS helped raise $228 for the Special Olympics by

participating in the 2013 Law Enforcement Torch Run. I stated that I wanted the double

last year’s amount, and we did by $132 dollars. Although not everyone who contributed

could attend, a special thanks to everyone who had a hand in making this happen.

Capt. Melear, Capt. Thompson, SMSgt Pangelinan, MSgt Davis, MSgt Koonce, MSgt

Wilkerson, MSgt Bargeron, MSgt Liberty, MSgt Wilkie, TSgt Woodard, TSgt Fernandez,

TSgt Pelton, SSgt Perez, SSgt Randolph, SSgt Mistisshen, SSgt Wright, SrA Castillo SrA

Murray and Mark Frank.

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TSgt Woodard, SSgt Randolph, and I recently went on a TDY to St. Kitts & Nevis, an island nation in

the West Indies. We were part of a Military Police Exchange Program, providing training and exchange

of ideas to their defense and police force. Both their defense force and police force work together to

keep peace and provide law & order to their small nation. We provided guidance on several law

enforcement techniques such as vehicle and personnel challenges, handcuffing & searching, responding

to domestic disturbances, crime scenes, room clearing, and responding to alarms. The participants were

very engaged in the training and really enjoyed what we brought to the table. They were able to relate

to a lot of what we instructed with their day-to-day duties and will be taking what they’ve learned to the

field.

SSGT ARLIES PEREZ

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Athletes 1. Don't Be a Fatty

There are a few ways to guarantee that you'll be a fatty, so let's address them head on. Remember, all

healing starts with the truth. If this bothers you, then I'm probably talking about you.

Stop eating a bunch of crap food. Cut out breakfast cereal, stop buying the school lunch, and kill

the fast food when your friends take their weekly (or daily) trip to Zaxby’s. Stop skipping

breakfast.

You need to eat three good meals along with some smaller meals in between. This will actually

lean you out if you keep protein high, and fats and carbs moderate.

Commit to eating stronger, more nutritious foods. Your friends will think you're crazy and you

won't fit in with the "normal crowd," but who cares? Being normal sucks and normal never

helped create any champions.

2. Live By Your Word It's a shame. An honest person is hard to find. If you say you're going to do it, then do it—and go

all out. If you give your word, don't make excuses; make it happen.

3. Leave Everything in the Gym This boils down to honesty. Be honest with yourself. When you look yourself in the mirror after

your workout, ask yourself, "Did I give my all today?"

That is what training is all about. You are your own enemy. Push yourself to your limits and

beyond. Learn what it means to tolerate pain and break through the pain barrier.

Break records and always train to become at least one percent better than the last workout.

4. Excuses Pave the Road to Nowhere People make excuses about why they can't have a strong breakfast, why they ate a crappy lunch,

and why they can't get to the gym more than twice per week. Really? You only train twice each

week and on the other five days you can't train? The athletes who make excuses are simply giving

themselves a green light to lose. You must be brutally honest with yourself if you want to achieve

success.

Avoid making excuses and learn to take responsibility for all your actions. Learn this skill now

and you will be powerful not just during your years as an athlete, but for the rest of your life if

you continue living the code of no excuses.

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5. When Things Go Wrong, Keep Fighting

You will hit walls, setbacks, and obstacles, but this is when the true champion rises to the

occasion. There is always a way to train, to rise above, to conquer and crush obstacles. You will

see big changes in your success when you have the right mindset.

You have nothing to lose when you step up and give it your all. You can walk away with your

chin held high knowing you did all you could to achieve your goals.

6. Beat the Guy Next to You Every Time

When you train, get in there and compete. This goes for the weight room, practice, and life in

general. Average doesn't cut it in sports or life; the two go hand in hand. When you train, you

should push at high intensity and making everyone else rise to your level.

If you've got a job, then don't be satisfied with only doing what's in your "job description." Go

above and beyond the job description because that is what it takes to go from average to YOU

setting the example.

7. Don't Be Afraid to Fail

This is where many younger athletes go wrong. They set their sights on small goals, feeling they

are not ready for the bigger goals.

First you must decide that you are going to achieve a big, specific goal. That goal will drive your

actions to greater heights. Every rep, every set, every workout, and every meal they will all be

done with the motivation to kick ass and take names to achieve your goal. Without a big goal,

you will go stale and you'll hit a wall.

Each workout must push you out of your comfort zone so you begin getting used to overcoming

obstacles, winning when the odds are against you, doing the little extra to prove to yourself that

you're capable of achieving more than you thought possible from the onset.

Every workout, become one percent stronger on the inside, not just on the bar. You might be

wondering how the heck you can achieve this. Well, let me preface my words by telling you that

it's going to hurt. You're going to have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. In the end, you

decide how great you will become.

By: Senior Airman Chelsie Murray

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