Command Post: Base focal point Published Dec. 27, 2011 By Staff Sgt. Melissa Mekpongsatorn 23rd Wing Public Affairs MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- This holiday season most people spent Christmas day with their friends and family, but not the men and women who worked the Command Post. They work 365 days a year, 24 hours a day to fully support the needs of Moody Air Force Base. The command post is the central focal point for anything that happens on base, including all emergencies on base and those involving Airmen off base. "The command post is the 23rd Wing commander's 24 hours seven days a week operations center," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Kenneth Schiessl, 23rd WG Command Post officer in charge. "We are his eyes and his ears." The Command Post is down to minimal manning during the holidays, meaning they had one person working and one on stand-by. This year Tech. Sgt. Shalanda Hill, the post's NCO in charge of systems, was the eyes and ears for Moody on Christmas Day. Emergency action message reporting is the reason someone must be in the Command Post at all times. These messages are of the highest priority to national defense and are time sensitive. "There must be someone here every minute of every day to ensure those messages are passed quickly and accurately from higher headquarters to the wing commander," added Schiessl. During normal operations they monitor law enforcement and emergency response activity, respond to readiness condition changes from higher headquarters, receive and disseminate information, and alert base leadership. "We are the focal point of the base," said Master Sgt. Curtis L. Johnson III, 23rd WG Command Post NCOIC of reports. "We work so everyone else can go home and enjoy their holidays."