More than two dozen employers, Honorary Commanders, and Texas Air National Guard Citizen Airmen partook in the first Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Bosslift the 136th Airlift Wing has conducted since their C-130J Super Hercules conversion. ESGR is the lead U.S. Department of Defense program promoting cooperation and understanding between civilian employers and their National Guard and Reserve employees. VA Photo by Kat Bailey

Texas VHA director joins Texas Air National Guard inaugural Bosslift post C-130J conversion

Fostering commitment to Guard and Reserve Citizen Airmen

NAVAL AIR STATION JOINT RESERVE BASE FORT WORTH, Texas--More than two dozen employers, Honorary Commanders, and Texas Air National Guard Citizen Airmen partook in the first Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Bosslift the 136th Airlift Wing has conducted since their C-130J Super Hercules conversion to promote and enhance employer support for military service in the National Guard and Reserve.

ESGR is the lead U.S. Defense of Department program promoting cooperation and understanding between civilian employers and their National Guard and Reserve employees. 

J.P. Hogan, vice-chairman of Texas ESGR, said employer outreach is really their mission, talking to companies about what they are doing to support their service members.

“We like to bring the bosses to Reserve Component activities like this to show them what their Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines are doing when they are away,” Hogan said. “It’s education for the employer, the boss, and it gives the employees a chance to showcase what they do.”

Two loadmasters from the 136th Airlift Wing, Texas Air National Guard, open the rear of a C-130J Super Hercules in-flight during the first Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Bosslift the 136th Airlift Wing has conducted since their conversion to the new model. Courtesy photo by Julie Briden-Garcia, 136th Airlift Wing

And showcase they did! After a briefing about the wing’s mission and capabilities, the 136th Medical Group flight doctor and the loadmaster from the 136th Logistics Readiness Squadron cleared each attendee for the immersion flight around the Dallas/Fort Worth airspace on board the wing’s newest aircraft, the C-130J Super Hercules – an all-purpose vehicle, cargo, and personnel transport.

A representative from Kimberly-Clark and Dr. Wendell Jones, VA Heart of Texas Healthcare Network Director, view the city of Dallas from the flight deck of a C-130J Super Hercules during the first Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Bosslift the 136th Airlift Wing has conducted since their conversion to the new model. VA Photo by Kat Bailey

Dr. Wendell Jones, Network Director for VA Heart of Texas Healthcare Network, which encompasses most of the state of Texas and oversees operations for seven health care systems within the state, is one of the Honorary Commanders who attended the Bosslift.

“My continuing experiences with our service members in Fort Worth, whether it is in the air or on the ground, confirm their dedication and commitment,” Dr. Jones said. “We at VA are dedicated to serve them, in turn, while each member is still active, and after discharge.”

The wing has a strength of more than 1,000 personnel. About 75 percent of these Citizen Airmen are part-time, traditional Guardsmen who drill at least one weekend a month, and at least 15 days of active duty a year. The remaining 25 percent are full-time. 

VA Heart of Texas Healthcare Network employs more than 100 National Guard and Reserve personnel, a self-identified category, and over 7,500 Veterans out of just under 24,000 employees.

“It’s awesome to have the head of VHA for Texas in the room. VA knows what we do, but it’s good to refresh everyone’s memory on what this is all about,” Hogan said. “At the end of the day, what ESGR is really doing is showing America what our Department of Defense does.”

The 136th Airlift Wing is one of three flying units in the Texas Air National Guard. The Wing flies and maintains eight C-130J aircraft.