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AMC senior leaders visit Team Fairchild

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Ryan Lackey
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Air Mobility Command’s senior leaders visited Fairchild June 19 to 20 to spend time with Airmen and families, meet with civic leaders, immerse themselves in the mission, and reflect on the many ongoing successes here.

“Fairchild has set the standard for tanker aircraft excellence,” said Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II, Air Mobility Command commander. “Every day this base is getting the mission done wherever it is needed, and serves as vital support for all our commands worldwide. Our forces around the world need fuel, and this base has shown itself to be a key component in keeping our forces mobile.”

Everhart and Chief Master Sgt. Shelina Frey, AMC command chief, personally addressed Team Fairchild, congratulating the wing on its many recent accomplishments, such as being chosen as the preferred location for 12 additional KC-135 Stratotankers and winning the Omaha Trophy as U.S. Strategic Command’s top strategic aircraft wing for a second consecutive year. They also noted Fairchild taking a leading role as the DoD’s first installation to launch the Military Health System Genesis electronic health records program.

“Fairchild’s Airmen have distinguished themselves as top performers and it’s important that we let them know that,” Everhart said. “It is also important that they know we see how hard they are working and are committed to enhancing their quality of life.”

Everhart and Frey engaged Airmen across the base to get a first-hand look at how the units here strive to provide first-class refueling operations 365 days a year. 

“We know that it’s not magic, yet all of you make it look that way,"  Frey said. "You should be proud of the example this team sets."

“When I visit a base, it’s to check the pulse of that installation,” Everhart said. “I need to have direct conversations with commanders, Airmen and local leaders about how the base is doing. We do this to discover and understand the concerns of the people here and help them stay at their mission-ready best.”

Everhart and Frey addressed the needs of the base and the Air Force, imparting details on the issues that Headquarters Air Force and AMC are working on, such as facility improvements and retention of Airmen.

“We need to ensure we retain our skilled Airmen and flight crews,” Frey said. “These proven performers play a critical role in completing the mission and are needed now more than ever. We want to figure out what will motivate our people to invest in a career with us.”

Everhart asked Airmen to share their concerns openly with leadership, stating that communication from all levels was necessary to best address the needs of base.

“I can’t address a concern I don’t know about,” Everhart said. “When I hear about something I can address, I can share that solution with other major commands and before you know it, one Airman speaking up has changed something across the entire Air Force.”

Everhart highlighted the impact Fairchild Total Force Airmen have on the overall mission to include the global demand of aerial refueling operations. He noted that U.S. Air Force mobility air forces, including Fairchild, conducted 90 percent of the aerial refueling missions, or 34,000-plus sorties, in support of Operation Inherent Resolve since the outset of the operation. He said Air Mobility Command Airmen and capabilities are often the “first ones in and the last to depart” any military operation.

He concluded with a message to all Fairchild Airmen:

“Thank you. When I say thank you, I mean it from my heart. It’s Airmen that get the mission out the door, so I appreciate our Airmen and their families for what you contribute every single day to meet our nation’s needs. You are the team that gets the mission done and I can’t thank you enough.”