News>Maj. Gen. Hertog assumes command of 2nd Air Force
Photos
Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz, commander of Air Education and Training Command, hands the 2nd Air Force flag to Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog during the change of command ceremony Sept. 9, 2009, at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. General Hertog took command of 2nd Air Force from Maj. Gen. Alfred Flowers. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz (from left), Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog and Maj. Gen. Alfred Flowers salute the colors as the honor guard passes during the 2nd Air Force change of command ceremony Sept. 9, 2009, at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. General Hertog took command of 2nd Air Force from General Flowers. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz, pins the Distinguished Service Medal on Maj. Gen. Alfred Flowers during the 2nd Air Force change of command here Sept. 9. Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog took command of 2nd Air Force from General Flowers at the Levitow Parade Field
by Angela Cutrer
81st Training Wing Public Affairs
9/9/2009 - KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- When Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog assumed command of 2nd Air Force at Keesler Air Force Base Sept. 9 from Maj. Gen. Alfred Flowers, Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz called the two generals "two of the finest leaders the Air Force has known."
"When I meet with Airmen, I always tell them 'you're the next great generation' and it's true," said General Lorenz, Air Education and Training Command commander, during the change of command. "With the training, professionalism, pride and values the 2nd Air Force instills in them, great Americans are born, and they are the heart and soul of the Air Force.
"Your watch is full of outstanding accomplishments and highlights, and your fingerprints are etched upon Airmen's lives across the command," he told General Flowers.
Second Air Force is the AETC organization that oversees technical and combat training for 250,000 students annually.
General Flowers, the first career finance and budget officer to command a numbered Air Force, is heading to the Pentagon as Air Force budget director.
General Hertog, accompanied by her husband, Herm Hertog, a retired chief master sergeant, smiled when General Lorenz commented that "success is a family business" for the Hertogs.
"I am honored and thrilled to be home again in 2nd Air Force," General Hertog said. "I look forward to candid feedback about our training, because every aspect of training supports the Air Force. We train and graduate 250,000 students a year, but it's not just training that we do; we provide leaders."
General Hertog is a career security forces officer whose most recent assignment was director of the Air Force's security forces. She has worked at the unit, major command and Air Staff level in various positions, including commanding several large security forces units and a technical training group. Prior to her assignment in Washington, D.C., she was commander of the 37th Training Wing at Lackland AFB, Texas, one of the largest training wings in the Air Force.
General Lorenz welcomed General Hertog "back into the AETC family" with the comment that, "The chisel is now in your hands; the stone is before you."
General Hertog replied, "It all starts here. Training helps determine our future because leadership makes a difference. I thank you for the honor and the privilege."
Comments
9/24/2009 1:36:10 PM ET I want to congratulate General Hertog for her promotion to Major General and for assuming command of 2nd AF. Having served with her in the past I will rest easy knowing she is in charge of training our future leaders. She is one of the great leaders of my career and has always had the respect and admiration of her troops. Thank you Major General Hertog and I look forward to reading about the things you are doing for our USAF
