LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – First Lt. Veronica Arnold, 47th Operations Support Squadron weather flight commander, was chosen by wing leadership to be the “XLer of the Week” of Oct. 7, 2019 at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas.
Arnold recently evaluated her flight’s contingencies for severe weather outbreaks, which resulted in Laughlin’s newest and most simplified process for delivering weather alerts. Not only does her new plan collaborate with several agencies on base, but also sets the footprint to creating collaboration with the neighboring community of Del Rio, Texas.
“It’s outlining everything to make sure our message is getting across to the base, and protective actions are being taken,” she said. “It’s a lot of moving pieces to make sure the base and the people are taken care of.”
She also spearheaded a modernization of her flight’s ‘mission execution forecast,’ or MEF, which delivers detailed forecasts to the base and its pilots. Her flight’s newest MEF’s are now simpler, more efficient to generate, and available more rapidly for use.
“We made a much simpler version that’s much easier for my forecasters to use, while giving more information to the pilots,” she said. “It reduces everyone’s workload, and everyone wins.”
Arnold, seeking to contribute to the morale and wellness of Laughlin’s community, cooked more than $800 worth of food for two of the chapel’s ‘Single Laughlin Airmen’s meal,’ or SLAM program.
“In a small base where you see a lot of the same people over and over, it’s great to build that sense of comradery,” she said. “We are isolated here, so when you build those connections it’s better for everyone.”
For her work in modernizing, simplifying, and executing a leaner weather forecasting pipeline, and for contributing to Laughlin’s SLAM meals, 1st Lt. Veronica Arnold has earned this week’s “XLer.”