By Gabriella Bancheri
On Thursday, November 17, the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce held its last event of its Leadership series: a breakfast and presentation hosted by Wing Commander Col. Derek “Tazz” Routt.
Col. Routt, who has over 3,000 flying hours and a Master’s in Aeronautical Science, was a passionate, comical, and enthusiastic speaker during the presentation. He engaged the audience with valuable information about the 177th Fighter Wing (FW) peppered with lots of laughs. The 177th FW of the New Jersey Air National Guard is the oldest fire squadron in the Air National Guard (ANG). The base is located at the Atlantic City Airport in Egg Harbor Township.
The presentation was organized by Mike Chait, the Chamber’s president and one of the honorary commanders on the base, and was held at Stockton University in the Fannie Lou Hamer Event Room. The money raised from the event supported the 177th Air National Guard Key Spouse Foundation, which is a family mission to support the spouses and families of 177th unit service men and women by providing families with resources and assistance. The ACCOC also stated that they would be making a $1,000 donation to the organization.
During the presentation Col. Routt—who was the first ANG pilot to serve with the USAF Thunderbirds—offered a comprehensive mission overview and future goals of the 177th FW. He also stayed after the presentation to participate in a Q & A session that engaged the audience and offered some clarity on a few topics including deployment.
He shared the mission of the 177th FW, “to provide dominant air power and multi-capable airmen for America and New Jersey.” The Wing is made up of five sections: operations, support, medical, maintenance, and wing staff, and has focus areas that include overall mission, an emphasis on culture of personal accountability, work/life balance, and future missions, the latter of which focuses on future fighter preparations.
Col. Routt also emphasized the unit’s focus on family and what he referred to as “360-degree feedback,” which is in other words a way to engage with service members and check in on their mental health in order to “improve leadership.”
In response to one of the post-presentation questions, Col. Routt also clarified that the ANG has a planned deployment which is “not a result of the conflict in Israel.” He offered a bit of history, stating that in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the ANG had enough forces to be on a “called as needed” basis. Now, as Col. Routt explained, “there are so few forces that our ANG unit deploys every two years.
Another question was with regard to how many jets were on base, which Col. Routt answered in detail. He stated that while there are 25 F-16s physically present, there are only eighteen that are primarily assigned. This is because they are only “funded and manned” for eighteen. He also explained that the unit needs to be on 24/7-365 alert in case of an alert mission, for which at least six airplanes are needed.
If you missed the event and want to participate in the 177th Air National Guard (ANG) Key Spouse Foundation, the Greater Atlantic City Chamber is hosting a holiday party on December 1. The event will be held at The Yard at Bally’s AC from 5-6:30 pm. Additionally, the organization has a GoFundMe for those with tighter schedules who would like to donate.
Gabriella is a Ventnor City resident and graduate of the University of London with an MA in Creative Writing and Publishing. Her writing is featured in a variety of digital publications ranging from food and beverage to literature to ecotourism.
