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Opening ceremonies mark official start for Air Mobility Rodeo 2007

  • Published
  • By By Senior Master Sgt. Matt Proietti
  • Air Mobility Rodeo 2007 Public Affairs
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  The head of Air Mobility Command welcomed more than 2,500 competitors and observers from the U.S. and 34 other countries Sunday to the largest Air Mobility Rodeo in history. 

"The fact that we had so many allies and friends that came to join us in this great competition, I can't tell you what that means to me as the leader of U.S. mobility air forces," said Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, commander of AMC, which has its headquarters at Scott AFB, Ill. 

A low ceiling of clouds obscured all but the flanks of nearby 14,410-foot Mount Rainier, which normally dominates the McChord AFB horizon. Two members of the base's 22nd Special Tactics Squadron parachuted from a C-17 Globemaster, one carrying the U.S. flag to a grassy area adjacent to a flightline crowded with airlift and refueling aircraft. 

General McNabb, Rodeo Commander Brig. Gen. Kip L. Self and 62nd Airlift Wing Commander Col. Jerry Martinez of McChord AFB wore cowboy hats and rode horses to a platform where they addressed participants. 

Wearing an off-white cowboy hat and the Air Force's new Airman battle uniform, General McNabb acknowledged the talented reservists and Air National Guard troops present, cautioning active-duty competitors to not let down their defenses. 

"In many cases it's a Total Force member who is not active duty who takes home all of the titles," he said.

General McNabb paid tribute to modern air mobility warriors who, he said, have been "tested in the crucible of war" and taken their places among those of the past, who flew supplies over the Himalayas in World War II, sustained the post-war Berlin Airlift and completed four decades of Cold War missions. 

Air Mobility Rodeo is the command's premier event in recognition of the 60th anniversary of the Air Force's founding Sept. 18, 1947.