9th AF commander visits Moody

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman S.I. Fielder
  • 347th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  The commander of 9th Air Force visited here April 18 and 19 to welcome the 347th Rescue Wing back to Air Combat Command, as well as visit other 9th AF assets.

During his visit, Lt. Gen. Gary North, toured the Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham Airman Leadership School, various 347th RQW squadrons and the 820th Security Forces Group. He also spent time talking to Moody Airmen about what their future looks like in ACC.

In an Airmen’s call, General North addressed several key issues.

“It’s great to be here at Moody and to welcome the 347th (RQW) back to the ACC family,” the general said.

He said the wing’s mission will continue to be combat search and rescue. Everyone’s focus, from wing leadership down to the newest wing Airman, should be to ensure their deployment readiness and training processes allowing the wing to deploy and employ when tasked, while successfully executing the search and rescue mission.

The Airmen’s call also featured an opportunity for Moody Airmen to ask the general questions. In discussing what he called the “bottom line” validation, General North answered how the 347th RQW’s mission will change now that it is a part of ACC.

“No change ... in fact,” the general said. “The end recipient of what you do every day doesn’t care if there is an AFSOC or ACC patch on your uniform, whether it’s in the desert or picking someone up off of a house, like during (Hurricanes) Katrina and Rita. What they care about is someone is coming either by parachute, rappelling, boat or walking to save their life.”

General North also discussed the Air Force’s future and the ongoing transformation efforts. He said an additional part of Moody’s mission is to continually support deployed combat operations.

As the Air Force goes through many changes and transformations, from Base Realignment and Closure and Quadrennial Defense Review; Moody Airmen must continue to maintain the mission’s focus and excel in everything they do, said General North.

“If you’re a PJ, CRO, maintainer or security forces ,professional, no matter what you do or who you are in our Air Force, the most important thing is you do your job extremely well,” he said.

The general also addressed the road map for “right-sizing” the total-force structure during the next five years. General North said although it may affect some Moody members, it should not affect the job Moody completes every day or its deployed mission.

“We are gone a lot, and we will continue to be gone a lot,” the general said about the ongoing operations tempo. “In prosecuting this long war, we will be on the road for a long time.

“I believe the last military person in a sustained environment to redeploy from Iraq or Afghanistan will be an Airman,” he said, “and that Airman will probably be on a C-130.”

In addition to the 347th RQW, the general also visited Moody’s other ACC asset, the 820th SFG.

General North presented the Air Force Achievement Medal with Valor to Airman 1st Class Jonathan Clark for his actions during combat ground operations while deployed in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

Additionally, he reviewed the group’s operations plans, toured their facilities and met with several Airmen.

Overall, the general hopes the 347th RQW transition remains smooth and Moody Airmen continue to do what they do best.

“‘So others may live’ is an incredible motto,” said General North. “But it is more than that; it’s a lifestyl