b'JUNIOR OFFICER OF THE YEAR 2023 by the NJ Lakes & Pines Chapter, MOAACongratulations go to 305th Air Mobility Wing, 1Lt. Rauff on earning this recognitionThe 14th annual Junior Officer of the We talked about how you can be a Year recognition took place at the NJ better as a leader and developing the Lakes & Pines Chapter, MOAA meeting on culture of your organization. Everyone 10 February 2024, at Pudgys, JB-MDL. left that experience with new tools inThirty-eight members and guests weretheir (management) bag. Two things present to greet the guest speaker, need to be present to have a successful Col. Scott M. Wiederholt, USAF, whoorganization. serves as the Deputy Commander, US AirThe people you lead have to feel valued Force Expeditionary Center, JB-MDL.and they need to know that what they do Col. Wiederholt thanked the Chapter formatters. If those two things exist, you inviting him to speak at this special event. will have a successful organization. He congratulated all the junior officerEverything else will fall into place. I want nominees saying it is a measure of youryoung officers to focus on how does one leadership for your commanders to submitcreate a culture in ones organization. you for this. It is good for you to becomeDoing simple things, creating moments, aware of this community and I hope you contribute to that culture.all become a member of MOAA. The first day someone shows up in your section - how First a little about me. I grew up in a small farm town (Remsen) in northern Iowa. My Mom anddo they feel? What will they remember? How many Dad still live there, on the farm where I grew up.of you who have gone to a new job, remember what They raise soybeans and pigs. I went to Creightonthe first day was about? That day stands out, doesnt University and did ROTC there. I really love that partit? If you put some energy in that moment to make of the country. From there I went to pilot training.it special and unique for that person when they show My first assignment was back in Omaha, NE atup, they will be happy to scrub the floor with a tooth Offutt Air Force Base. Col. Wiederholt has over 4,600brush! Those jobs are important! The NASA story hours in various aircraft including 940 combat hours. illustrates the point. The gentleman who was sweeping His career spans several operational and staff toursthe floors in the hallway at NASA said he was not a from Squadron, Joint, and Major Command levelsjanitor. Others asked him what are you doing here where he deployed or supported several overseas sweeping the floors?. The gentleman responded by contingency operations and humanitarian reliefsaying I am putting a man on the moon. efforts. He was deployed as Commander, 816thThis conversation occurred when America was Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Al Undid Air Base,engaged in the space race. When I was a squadron Qatar. He also commanded the 305th Air Mobilitycommander, we had a pretty delicate mission to Wing at JB-MDL. Col. Wiederholt has joint experienceexecute. With short notice which required several at Military Sealift Command, Washington Navy Yard,airplanes, this mission was a joint operation which Washington, D.C. and a Major Command staff tour required us to go in under cover of darkness at a low at AMC Headquarters where he served as Chief,level with C17s. As commander I was able to walk Senior Management. around the flight line to talk with the maintenance I have been blessed to be a commander four timespersonnel and flight crews as we readied to execute and twice as Deputy Commander. It is an honorablethis operation. Our maintainers were on the flight line experience because of the lives you can shape andand they had no idea what we were going to do. how you are able to represent the USA. I hope andI asked them, Do you guys know what we are pray you young officers get to have that experience. about to head out on? I told them I cant tell youLast week Major General Klein, who is passionatemuch, but I can say that we are about to go get some about culture, brought in all the squadron and wingAmericans who are in trouble and take them home. commanders under the Expeditionary Center.When those young airmen heard that, they turned Over 200 people were present and we talked abouton their flash lights back on and walked around the culture for a couple of days. We did not talk aboutairplane (to check things out) one more time to make mission, nor how to do performance reports and othersure everything was ready to go. They had that sense mundane tasks.of purpose. They knew what they were doing mattered 30 Military Appreciation Resource Magazine Thank You For Your Service'