AMC leader continues visits across command

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SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) --  Gen. Raymond E. Johns, Jr., commander of Air Mobility Command, has made it his charge since taking the reins in November to meet the Airmen in his command. The general's most recent trip, Jan. 23 to 27, included stops at the 62nd Airlift Wing at McChord Air Force Base, Wash.; the 146th AW at Channel Islands, Calif.; and the 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March Air Reserve Base, Calif.

The general's first stop was McChord AFB, where he was previously assigned as the 62nd AW commander from 1998 to 2000. His visit included an airdrop training mission with the 7th and 8th Airlift Squadrons, as well as a briefing from the Joint Base Lewis-McChord command team. McChord AFB will be known as JB LM effective Feb. 1.

General Johns toured and spoke with Airmen at numerous base units, as well as the Washington Air National Guard Western Air Defense Sector operations center and the Air Force Reserve's 446th AW headquarters. He addressed Airmen during a commander's call, speaking about the Air Force and AMC's role, with significant reflection on the role of the C-17 Globemaster III and McChord Airmen.

"You are the very best at what you do and it's so important to our Air Force," said General Johns. "Each day you make a difference and it is marvelous to see the changes and improvements here on McChord and to see how well you take care of each other and your families." The general also visited the fitness center, the Airman and Family Readiness Center, and the construction site of McChord's privatized on-base housing area.

The general's next stop was Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, where he met with reservists from the 146th AW, a reserve component of AMC responsible for maintaining the Modular Airborne Firefighting System, or MAFFS. A MAFFS unit is a pressurized 3,000-gallon tank installed on a C-130 Hercules, providing emergency capability to supplement the existing commercial air tanker support on wild land fires. The Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, and U.S. Forest Service use the MAFFS in a joint effort to help with aerial firefighting.

"The mission of the 146th is critical in maintaining a unit that provides this capability, particularly in this region where the spread of fire is prevalent," said General Johns. "Our Reserve counterparts are doing a tremendous job to ensure these MAFFS are ready when needed."

The commander's final stop was to meet the men and women of the 452nd AMW at March ARB. As the Air Force Reserve's largest and only unit-equipped air mobility wing, it is home to eight C-17s, 10 KC-135R Stratotankers and more than 4,000 reservists, and is operationally gained by AMC. The wing's mission is to organize, train and equip aircrews to provide air refueling and strategic airlift any time, any place. The general's visit included stops at the 336th Air Refueling Squadron and 752nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron where he talked with operations and maintenance personnel about the importance of their mission in the ongoing operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom operations.

"We are a Total Force team, and every component plays a significant role in today's fight," General Johns said.  He toured the deployment processing center that is staffed by an all-volunteer force who meets incoming and outgoing flights 24/7.  In 2009 alone, more than 49,000 Marines transited through the March ARB deployment processing center en route to Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The 452nd is a prime example of how everyone plays a key part in supporting efforts around the globe," he said.

On his initiative to see the mission firsthand and meet the people who are making it happen, General Johns has visited more than 10 AMC-owned units and bases, to include deployed Airmen in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, since he assumed command.

(Senior Airman Kirsten Wicker, 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs, contributed to this article)