I attended the Airlift Tanker Association Conference in Nashville, Tennessee from Oct. 29 through Nov. 1. I was selected along with two other Airmen and my chief to attend the conference. Learning that I was selected to attend the conference made me a bit nervous. I thought to myself, ‘‘What am I going to do when I get there? How will the atmosphere be since there are going to be a lot of high-ranking individuals?” Luckily, our chief had attended an ATA conference before and he gave me a good idea of what to expect once I got there.
Upon arriving at the conference, I saw that there were Airmen from many different bases and ranks from airman to general. There was an exhibit hall with many different vendors from all over the country. There were many seminars to attend. Some of the seminars that were offered were Enlisted Force Development, the Aerial Refueling Enabler and the Command Chief Master Sergeants panel. There were also seminars that the leadership of our Air Force presented. General Norton Schwartz and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Roy presented major addresses, while the outgoing Air Mobility commander, Gen. Arthur Lichte, provided closing remarks for the conference.
The seminars themselves gave a lot of good information about the Air Force now, while envisioning the future. Out of all the seminars that I attended, the Command Chief Master Sergeants panel was my favorite. The Chiefs panel was a question and answer session in which multiple Air Force issues were addressed. I also got a chance to meet and take pictures with a lot of people. I met General Schwartz, General Lichte, and Chief Roy. I met people from across the Air Force and strengthened relationships with Airmen from my own wing.
I think the ATA conference was an excellent learning experience for a young Airmen like myself. Just meeting and listening to our leaders of the Air Force made me have a different outlook of my serving in the Air Force. I would highly encourage anybody who is offered the chance to attend an Air Force conference to go. Especially the young Airmen. The ATA conference was a fantastic experience for me, and given the opportunity, I would definitely go again.
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