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JBSA News
NEWS | Sept. 4, 2020

Feedback Fridays

By Brig. Gen. Caroline M. Miller 502d Air Base Wing Commander

Feedback Fridays is a weekly forum that aims to connect the 502d Air Base Wing with members of the Joint Base San Antonio community. Questions are collected during commander’s calls, town hall meetings and throughout the week.

If you have a question or concern, please send an email to jbsapublicaffairs@gmail.com using the subject line “Feedback Fridays.” Questions will be further researched and published as information becomes available.

Q. Several months ago, I provided feedback regarding the lack of handicapped access at the JBSA-Randolph fitness center. The response was that the civil engineers would evaluate the situation.

Since nothing has been done as of yet, I’m curious to know if there are any plans or funding for this. After researching the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is evident that the gym is non-compliant, actually since 2013.

Respectively, and with our handicapped Vietnam vets in mind, some type of effort needs to happen.  I would like to keep this local, rather than register a complaint as prescribed in the ADA.  Thank you for your attention.

A. Thank you for your inquiries regarding Rambler Fitness Center ADA access.  Our civil engineers addressed the ADA access issue as a result of your previous inquiry. The maintenance team found that the ADA access door activation system was inoperable and the doors were repaired in June.

Due to COVID-19, fitness center use restrictions were implemented to limit access during the day to active duty, active Reserves and National Guard personnel. As a result, the doors are currently inactive.

Gym staff at the fitness center can allow authorized personnel to enter by activating the doors, when necessary. Please let us know if there are further ADA access issues that require action.

Q. Why is the 343rd Training Squadron not allowed to leave the squadron while off duty? Other squadrons are phasing up and allowing their Airmen to wear civilian clothes and actually receive perks for working hard and not seeing their families since leaving for Basic Military Training. 

Our Airmen are working long hours during day shifts and cannot even visit the gym or the big BX. Why? The gym in their squadron closes at 2 p.m. and is not open on the weekends.

The military constantly addresses that Airmen need to be in shape and the Air Force says they are a "priority" and are concerned about morale, yet the commander keeps taking away privileges and provides absolutely zero incentive to work and train hard. 

Get with the program, Air Force!

A. Thank you for submitting your concerns to the Feedback Friday forum. The specific concerns you are referencing are from a 343rd Training Squadron Policy Memo, Non-Prior Service Technical Training (NPS TT) Student Guidelines during COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, which was last updated July 10, 2020.

Like the rest of the Air Force, the 343rd TRS must weigh the risk COVID-19 presents to its Airmen and its mission capability. The squadron’s priorities during this pandemic are to protect the force and to preserve the training pipeline.

Guided by those priorities and informed by legal, medical, public health, and training subject matter experts, proactive measures are being taken to reduce risks of COVID-19.

Limiting student travel around base to a smaller footprint or smaller time windows reduces the risk that a student will be exposed to COVID-19 from a source outside the training environment.

The health of our students and staff is our first priority and the safety of their training environment is critical to mission success. We take the morale and welfare of our team and student population seriously.

Students with questions or comments about these measures are encouraged to speak with their Military Training Leaders, First Sergeants, or chain of command.