New WG/CC answers questions

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ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  What do you want Arctic Warriors to know about you? 

First of all, Brigadier General Tinsley was a good friend of mine. His loss hit me personally, so I feel the pain of the wing; I understand and I empathize with everyone. I knew Tom (Tinsley) very well and know that he was mission oriented, people oriented and would want us to move on and ensure we're ready to go because the nation is counting on us. I'm here to help lead the wing: to help heal and then to move on so were ready to conduct our mission. 

What are some of your goals while you are here? 

My goal is to be the best commander I can and lead the Airmen that I'm so fortunate to lead. The job of a wing commander is all about the Airmen they lead. My goal is to build an organization where the Airmen flourish, their families are well taken care of, and they have the training and tools necessary to do their mission since we are a nation at war. 

What do you think about the civilian community outside of Elmendorf? 

I've had the opportunity to be here only for a couple weeks and have really enjoyed downtown Anchorage. By reputation, the Anchorage community and Alaska in general is legendary for their support for the base, Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen that are fortunate to live in this area. I'm really looking forward to getting to know the community leadership and spending a lot of time enjoying Alaska. 

Elmendorf has had a tough last couple of weeks. What would you like to say to Team Elmendorf about the recent tragedy? 

I've known General Tinsley almost my entire career so I personally feel the pain of his loss and was shocked to hear about it. I've gone through the grieving process as well, so I can truly empathize with the whole community here that was fortunate to have him as a commander. I also know that we are a nation at war and realize we are called in the military to deal with tragedy and move on because the mission does not stop. I'm here to support the base, the community and move forward. 

Throughout your career, you've spent the majority on east coast bases. How do you feel coming to Alaska? 

My first assignment was at Kadena Air Base in Japan, so that's either way far east or west depending on how you look at it. I'm thrilled to be up here. I've flown up here before in Operation Northern Edge in the first F-22 deployment. I had the opportunity to see the different Alaska ranges where we train. I grew up in the mid-west, I love the cold and snow and all of the winter sports that come along with that. 

When you were the commander of the 71st Fighter Squadron from June 2001-January 2003, the squadron won the Raytheon Award for air superiority. What did you learn from the work put into winning that award and how can that help the three fighter squadrons here? 

I learned that it's not one person, it's the entire squadron that does it. So it's really good-old-fashioned team work: everybody doing their part of the mission, taking their job seriously and understanding their part of the overall mission is critical. If anybody fails, we all fail together. I think that's the biggest thing to teach any team or any organization; make sure every single person is connected to the mission and that they know they're important. If they do that and we lead and inspire them to do their job well, then we'll be successful. 

You worked for General Hal Hornburg when you served as the executive officer at Air Combat Command. What was the most beneficial lesson that you learned from him? 

I learned a tremendous amount. The rare opportunity to work for a general officer is something I will cherish forever, because you get insight into how they think and how they operate. You get humbled by their ability to handle extremely complex problems very simply or at least they make it look easy. Like Michael Jordan, who makes a jump shot look easy, these guys can take a briefing and dissect it in about five minutes and find the root cause and make a decision. It was very impressive to watch them operate. 

What are your thoughts on Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson? 

I can tell you that at Langley (Air Force Base), where I was previously stationed, there was a joint basing initiative with Fort Eustis. I have discussed and know some of the concerns from both sides about joint basing. We are going to move out and do it and do it well. We are so fortunate here at Elmendorf to have the 4th Brigade Combat team and 25th ID living right here at Fort Richardson. I can't tell you how proud I am to be neighbors with them. When I was in Iraq I got to watch firsthand their tremendous successes and difficulties in the combat that they faced there. They lost a number of soldiers, but they did a tremendous job. You talk about courage. That unit is a courageous unit and I'm proud to be their neighbor. I will commit to them, we will be great neighbors, and I will help teach our Airmen about Soldiers and hopefully soldiers can learn something about Airmen as well. 

With the Reserves already breaking ground on their new facility and the Kulis Air National Guard moving to Elmendorf, how do you foresee the progress with Total Force Integration? 

At Langley (Air Force Base), we integrated the Virginia National Guard from Richmond into the F-22 program. They moved their entire wing to be joined at the hip with the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base. This is what we need to do in the Air Force to be able to leverage all of the great capabilities that active and reserve components bring to the fight. It is a necessity and so we have to do it and do it well. From my experience, it can be very, very successful. You can't assume there won't be any problems. There will be things that we have to work through. I found that by just sitting down and talking about some of these issues, we were able resolve them at the local level. The experience that the guard and reserve component brings is tremendous. As soon as you start lashing up the young Airmen with 25 years of experience, you can't help but be better and learn something. This is a good thing and we're doing that here in Alaska. 

Are there any changes that you would like to implement? 

There will be no major changes initially. I think the wing has been humming on all cylinders; people are doing a fantastic job. The most important thing for me is to learn what's going on around here. I fully expect for the first 30 days, I will be along for the ride as we collectively come together to help me learn about this wonderful wing. After that I'll be better prepared to set some intermediate and long-term goals for our wing. 

Anything you'd like to add? 

It is an honor to be here. Command is not a right, it is a privilege and I understand that. I am privileged to be the commander of one of the most important wings in our Air Force. We're in a strategic location with our newest fighters, transport aircraft, control aircraft, and Airmen latched up with the Brigade. I take the job of commanding very seriously and I look forward to leading and inspiring young men and women to greater things.