Johns inspires Airmen during first official visit

Senior Airman Kirsten Wicker/62nd Airlift Wing

The Air Mobility Command commander visited McChord Field last week, his first official visit as the new AMC commander.

During the visit, Gen. Raymond E. Johns Jr. inspired Airmen during a commander’s call, flew an air-drop training mission, toured McChord units and received a briefing from the Joint Base Lewis-McChord command team.

Johns was previously assigned to McChord as the 62nd Airlift Wing commander, from 1998 to 2000. This visit marked the last time Johns will visit the installation under its old name; JBLM initial operational capability started Jan. 31.

Johns visited multiple units within the 62nd Airlift Wing, toured the Washington Air National Guard, Western Air Defense Sector operations center and the Air Force Reserve’s 446th Airlift Wing headquarters.

He also visited the Fitness Center, Airman and Family Readiness Center, the Escape Zone and the construction site of McChord Field’s privatized on-base housing area.

Tuesday, Johns addressed Airmen during a commander’s call at the base theater, speaking about the Air Force mission and Air Mobility Command’s role, with significant reflection on the role of the C-17 and McChord Airmen.

“You are the very best at what you do, and it’s so important to our Air Force,” he said. “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.”

AMC’s primary mission out of the three Air Force missions areas of global vigilance, global reach and global power, is global reach. McChord’s C-17 Globemaster III aircraft provide critical airlift and airdrop with speed and accuracy, able to reach anyone and anyplace in the world within 18 hours. McChord Airmen are simultaneously engaged in supporting operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Antarctica, and, now, in Haiti, in the aftermath of the devastating 7.0 earthquake.

“You maintain and employ a machine that keeps Soldiers and Marines on the ground in the villages of Afghanistan safe,” Johns said. “The speed and accuracy of our precision airdrop mission gets food, water and ammunition to them without putting them in harm’s way.”

McChord Airmen also play a vital role in the aeromedical evacuation mission, driving survival rates of the sick and injured on the battlefield up to 96 percent.

“It is remarkable to see our Airmen saving lives through this very important aeromedical-evacuation mission,” he said. “The C-17 has never been busier.”

The general also remarked on the 10 years of support McChord has provided in Antarctica, through Operation Deep Freeze.

“Developed in painstaking detail by McChord Airmen, the C-17 now has the ability to land on ice in the dark through the use of night-vision goggles,” Johns said. “There is no place in the world we can’t go.

“You do these missions, and you are the best at it,” he added.

During his commander’s call, Johns announced that AMC has provided McChord $675,000 to upgrade the Fitness Center annex with an indoor running track, larger locker rooms and electrical system upgrades. The construction is projected to be completed around Labor Day.

Johns, then recognized retiring long-time federal employee, William “Pappa J” Johnson, 62nd Force Support Squadron athletic director. The Fitness Center upgrade was the last in a long series of Johnson’s efforts to improve McChord health and wellness programs and facilities.

Johns also recognized Cheryl Vollmer, 62nd Force Support Squadron, director of the Airman and Family Readiness Center, who retired after 22 years at McChord and 32 years’ total federal service.

Vollmer was responsible for growing the Airman and Family Readiness Center from two employees in 1988 to 11 in 2010, initializing the Escape Zone, a family resiliency center for parents and children and building a job-placement program for spouses of military members and veterans.

Johns departed McChord Tuesday, continuing his official travels to include visits to the 146th Airlift Wing at Channel Island, Calif., and to the 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March Air Reserve Base, Calif.