Goldsboro sees stars

  • Published
  • By Capt. Shannon Mann
  • 916th Air Refueling Wing
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. --  It is not too often an Air Force Reserve unit gets a visit from a flag officer, but in late January the 916th Air Refueling Wing saw stars two days in a row. 

On Thurs. Jan. 26, 2006, Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander of Air Mobility Command, visited North Carolina’s only Air Force Reserve unit located at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. 

The general was here for a dual purpose. To visit with reservists and see his son-in-law graduate from active duty F-15 training. General McNabb made the most of his trip to the 916th by also taking part in the quarterly Base Community Council luncheon. At the luncheon, which gathers leaders from the base, city and county, the general served as a keynote speaker talking about the sacrifices of military members of yesterday and today. 

General McNabb spent time getting mission briefs by both the 4th Fighter Wing and the 916th ARW. He then took time to do a commander’s call with nearly 100 reservists, thanking them for the jobs they do and sharing his experiences with troops returning from Iraq. 

Before his time at the 916th was over the general recognized several individuals for the accomplishments they had made to the wing and the Air Force by presenting them with his commander’s coin. 

Before the unit could even debrief Gen. McNabb’s visit, Lt. Gen. John Bradley, commander of Air Force Reserve command, was on his way to the unit for a two-day visit. 

General Bradley arrived on Fri. Jan 27 and had a whirlwind afternoon at the Reserve unit meeting with group commanders, reservists and ESGR representatives before being whisked away to a party in his honor at the home of the Military Affairs Committee past-president, Troy Pate. More than 40 base and community leaders turned out to welcome the General and Mrs. Bradley to Goldsboro. 

The next day the general visited several sections on base to include security forces and logistics readiness squadron. He inspected troops in the hangar as they conducted chemical warfare training for the upcoming Operation Readiness Exercise. 

Finally before heading back to Washington, DC, the general conducted a mass re-enlistment for nine reservists. 

“I’m proud to re-enlist these folks,” General Bradley said, handing each one a commander’s coin upon re-enlistment. 

He too thanked the 916th ARW for the great service they provide in the nation’s defense.
“Thanks for working for us,” he said. “I know that you all do a heck of a lot of work for us. It's a great outfit to be in.” 

At the end of the weekend a sigh of relief could be heard across the wing as two high visibility visits closed in success. 

“It’s nice that they took time out of their busy schedules to visit our unit and thank our reservists,” said Col. Paul Sykes, 916th ARW commander. “It means a lot to everyone here that they came and had a good time while with us.”