General, spouse recognized for AF contributions

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Monique Randolph
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --   A former Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, wing commander and his wife recently received the 2008 General and Mrs. Jerome O'Malley award.

Brig. Gen. Darrell D. Jones and Mrs. Holly Jones were recognized for their contributions to the nation, the Air Force and the local community as a commander-and-spouse team while General Jones served as commander of the 37th Training Wing at Lackland from June 2006 to January 2008.

"I miss having the opportunity to interact with Airmen on a daily basis," said General Jones, who now serves as the director of force management policy at the Pentagon. "I miss being able to work with them and support the training mission; we turned out warrior Airmen everyday, from both technical and basic training. It was great being a small part of the mission."

The general said he can count on one hand the number of basic military training graduations he and Mrs. Jones missed; a small number considering there is a BMT graduation ceremony every week at Lackland.

"Military members and their spouses can have such a huge impact on our younger Airmen by simply spending time with them and letting them know they're appreciated," General Jones said. "Every Airman in our Air Force volunteered to be here, and it means a lot and shows them you appreciate their service when you're there for special times like graduations and promotions. Just being there can have a huge impact."

Mrs. Jones said it is just as important for spouses to get involved with base and community organizations and events as it is for military members.

"It's well worth your time, and you get back so much more than you could ever put in," she said.

At Lackland, General Jones oversaw the operations of the 37th TRW, the largest wing in the Air Force, made up of 21,000 people. Every year, about 60,000 Airmen graduate from basic, technical, international and joint training at Lackland.

During General Jones' tenure, Lackland specialists developed the "Airman's Creed" video that is now used to instill pride and the warrior ethos in Airmen throughout the Air Force.

In November 2007, BusinessWeek.com recognized Lackland as the eighth best place in the U.S. to raise children -- out of 25,000 cities considered -- an accomplishment both General and Mrs. Jones attribute to the relationship between the base and the San Antonio community.

"The San Antonio community is a big part of the base; it's 'Military City, USA, and they've earned that title," he said. "Holly and I had outstanding community support, great honorary commanders, and a fabulous team of commanders, spouses and senior noncommissioned officers who all came together for the common cause of serving our Airmen everyday. Our vice wing commander and command chief, along with their spouses, were there every step of the way. We really feel like this is a team honor that should be viewed as another award for the outstanding professionals at Lackland."

General and Mrs. Jones will be formally recognized in an awards ceremony at the Pentagon later this year.

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