Community leaders join ENJJPT trainers to foster relations
From briefing to takeoff and more, three area mayors got to experience ENJJPT. An experience they call continuing to build community relations.
'I actually thought I might [be getting] pranked,' Wichita Falls Mayor Tim Short said when asked about his reaction to the invitation.
Short, along with Holliday Mayor Brad Litteken and Iowa Park Mayor Jeff Pogatshnik, took to the sky inside T-38s, an opportunity Short was quick to accept when invited.
'This shows just an added level of support between our community and our NATO partners to be able to come out and have this kind of experience is quite an honor,' Short said
Littleken said Sheppard is sewn in all surrounding communities. As Holliday's mayor, getting a glimpse of ENJJPT helps him better his community.
'It's a big outreach,' Litteken said. 'It's definitely necessary, but we need to build those bridges with them. We've got plenty of pilots and things that live [in Holliday], so they're obviously directly connected to it.'
Flights took off around 10:50 a.m. and lasted a little less than an hour.
80th Training Wing Commander Colonel Jeffery Shulman said bringing community partners on base will be a win-win for everybody.
'It's nice to be able to share some of that with them. To bring the military family together with the community. That's why we do these kinds of things,' Shulman said. 'We cannot do our mission; our families cannot be successful without the support of the communities around the base.'
As communities come together, they continue to support the mission of ENJJPT.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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