Connett shares excitement of training mission Published Sept. 10, 2009 By Susan Griggs 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- When she was at Keesler five years ago as 81st Mission Support Squadron commander, Col. Lynn Connett was "one of those folks working hard behind the scenes." Now that she's the 81st Training Group commander, "I find myself at the center table -- it's almost surreal." Colonel Connett's journey back to Keesler took her through a position on the assignment floor at the Air Force Personnel Center, a year at National War College and an Air Staff position in which she helped develop new career development opportunities for civilians. "I felt more prepared coming into this position than any other job I've had in the Air Force," said Colonel Connett, who assumed command of the 81st TRG June 25. "I can tie every job I've ever had to this Air Force mission. The opportunity to lead the MSS enabled me to understand the 81st Training Wing organization. While assigned to AETC HQs, I learned the dynamics of the command's strategic mission -- recruiting, training and education. Then fast forward to Air Staff and the work I was involved in with force development. Each of those positions, and others, prepared me for the training group's mission." In her new position, she speaks to a variety of different audiences, but her key message remains the same. "Whether they're students or instructors, they're training group members," she emphasizes. "Everything we do makes a difference, not just for today but long term. We are truly building our next generation of Airmen. What we do today will ripple through the Air Force for the next five, 10, 15, 20 years. "You're laying the groundwork and growing tomorrow's leaders for the operational Air Force," she reminds her training team. "Today's airman basic may someday be a chief. That young second lieutenant will be one of tomorrow's senior leaders." While at the Pentagon, Colonel Connett learned that training for military members is a very deliberate, synchronized process -- right time, right place, right opportunities. "They come to Keesler for initial skills training, they come back for upgrade training," she explained. "They may come back for advanced training or cross-training. We'll touch Airmen through their entire careers, to get them ready for that next level of leadership and to take over as us old-timers prepare to walk out the door." Not long ago, Colonel Connett heard a comment at a retirement ceremony, "I have fewer years ahead of me than I do behind me in my career." That realization is guiding her leadership path at Keesler. "I have 22 years in the Air Force -- I have fewer years ahead of me than behind me," she remarked. "Now I'm in a position to ask, 'How can I help the Airmen behind me to be ready for the challenges that will face them? How can we put them on the right track?'" One of Colonel Connett's favorite parts of her job is welcoming nonprior service Airmen to Keesler each week. "I ask all the new force support, personnel or manpower students to stand up," said the colonel as she focuses for a moment on perhaps a dozen students moving into her own functional community. "I tell them, 'Welcome to the Air Force's best (Air Force Specialty Code). Here's why we're important to the Air Force mission.' "Then I look at the rest of them and say, 'When you get out of tech training at Keesler, I hope you'll be able to articulate to me why your AFSC is the best in the Air Force and why it's the most important career field in the Air Force,'" she continued. "'We all support the operational Air Force mission, and if you can't understand why it's important for you to go to work every day, if you can't tie what you do directly to the mission, you don't need to be here.'" Colonel Connett also considers wise use of technology resources to be one of the most significant challenges for the 81st TRG. "We must take the newest technology available and integrate it into training to make our work more effective and efficient, not just because it's there," she emphasized. "There may be courses where e-books are the right way to go; there are other courses for which you want that hard-copy paper-bound book. The same goes for distance learning -- some courses lend themselves to this approach, but others don't. We have to use the technology to deliver the courses that train the individual more efficiently and effectively, not just technology for technology's sake." Colonel Connett stressed that it's important to remember that Keesler's training mission doesn't exist in a vacuum. "The training group needs the mission support group, the medical group -- we need every single person on this base to help us do our mission," she pointed out. "Since I've returned to Keesler, all I've seen are fantastic working relationships with the entire wing focused on ensuring that our training mission is accomplished. This is an incredible opportunity and I'm honored to be here." On a personal note, Colonel Connett is married to Lt. Col. Jay Stone, a clinical psychologist in the 81st Medical Operations Squadron's mental health flight. They have three children. "My husband is preparing to deploy to Southwest Asia for six months," she said. "When we were in Washington, he helped establish policy for the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder. This is going to be an incredible opportunity for him."