Range wing briefs Rachel community Published Oct. 22, 2009 By Airman 1st Class Michael Charles Nellis Publis Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- 98th Range Wing leadership joined county officials and held a town hall meeting with the citizens of Rachel, Nev., at a local restaurant in there Oct 20. In their first meeting with range leadership since 2003, the community of Rachel was given a familiarization briefing of the importance of the Nevada Test and Training Range and was also given a chance to ask questions concerning anything Air Force related near the town. "Without the support of communities like Rachel, we wouldn't be able to utilize a training asset such as the NTTR to the extent that we do," said Col. John Montgomery, the 98th RANW commander. "The Nevada Test and Training Range is the crown jewel of the Air Force because of its size and ideal weather conditions year long. Without these small towns' cooperation, it would be hard for the Air Force to find another area to hold training exercises." The 98th RANW is in charge of maintaining the NTTR. Because of Rachel's close proximity to the NTTR, wing leadership thought it necessary to answer any questions and field any complaints the community might have involving the constant flying near the houses in the area. Colonel Montgomery and Chief Master Sgt. Mark Darden, 98th RANW superintendent, greeted local citizens and county officials at the briefing. "It's an honor to be able to get to know some of the people in a community that sacrifice so much in being part of the NTTR," said Colonel Montgomery. "I was a little skeptical about all of the flying around the community; however, after our briefing I feel better about the noise," said Ruth Miller, a Rachel citizen. "It lets me know Air Force leadership is listening to our concerns." After the briefing, Colonel Montgomery escorted a group of people to view a static display of one of many surface-to-air missile systems used on the NTTR. The surface-to-air missile system is used in Red Flags around the NTTR to simulate aircraft threats during exercises. There they were given a tour of how it works and how it helps the pilots practice identifying ground threats. "I got the feeling a majority of the crowd understands how their cooperation helps to protect our security," said Chief Darden. Nellis will continue to reach out to the community that supports the NTTR to ensure their concerns are being heard and to tell them how much their cooperation has helped the Air Force mission.
