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Gen. Johns makes first trip to MacDill as AMC commander

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Katherine Holt
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Gen. Raymond E. Johns Jr., commander of Air Mobility Command, and his wife, Diana, visited MacDill AFB, Fla. Jan. 5 to 7. Since taking command of AMC Nov. 20, the general has made it his top priority to see the air mobility mission "through the eyes of the Airmen."

General Johns' visit to MacDill was his first full installation visit to an active duty base since taking command. While at MacDill, he was immersed in the "One Team-No Seam" philosophy of the 6th Air Mobility Wing and the 927th Air Refueling Wing, visiting facilities, meeting Airmen, and even handing out SrA Below the Zone stripes.

"It is great to see two wings brought together," said General Johns about the partnership of the 6th AMW and 927th ARW. "It is necessary to preserve the richness of guard, reserve and active duty."

General Johns also commended both wings on their deployment abilities and explained that he understood the Airmen of today will be raising their families different than the Airmen of the past.

"When I first entered the Air Force there were no deployments," he said. "We arrived at our new base and stayed there." Many would classify today's operations tempo as a "surge," but as Gen Johns pointed out, for those who joined the military in the last nine years, this is "business as usual."

The general also emphasized to MacDill's Airmen the critical need of all skills, across both wings. "The military exists to defend the homeland," said General Johns. "With that, the Air Force exists for global reach, global power, and global vigilance."

General Johns also recognized the Air Force's newest master sergeant, Christopher Dehm, 6th Logistics Readiness Squadron, whom the general STEP promoted the day before.

Before his departure from MacDill AFB, General and Mrs. Johns were provided an aerial tour of MacDill and the surrounding Tampa Bay community by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department's Aviation Division, in order to get a bird's-eye view of the base's footprint and infrastructure.