Former wing commander returns to Kadena

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jason Lake
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  The general who led the 18th Wing at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks returned to Kadena Jan. 11 to speak face-to-face with Airmen for the first time since taking command of Pacific Air Forces last August.

Gen. Gary North, who served as the Air Forces Central commander prior to becoming Pacific Air Forces' senior leader, applauded Kadena Airmen for their professionalism, dedication and ingenuity as they contribute to the security and stability of the world's largest region while also supporting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I've been extremely impressed with the understanding of the mission, pride of mission and forethought of the young Airmen here," the 33-year Air Force veteran said before wrapping up his theater-wide orientation visits to the nine major installations in the region. "I saved Kadena for last [because] it is our largest base in the Pacific, largest combat wing in the Air Force, and arguably the wing in the most strategically important position in the world today."

During a commander's call at the Keystone Theater, General North encouraged Kadena supervisors to not only take care of themselves, but to also look out for the Airmen under them.

"Before 9-11, Airmen might deploy five or six times in their entire career, but now we have Airmen who have deployed 10 times since 9/11," he said. "Our senior airmen and staff sergeants are doing the work that used to be done by master sergeants and we ask our lieutenants to do work that used to be done by majors. They've advanced so far so fast that we have Airmen who know nothing other than combat operations. There is strain and stress and we understand that."

The general, who has flown more than 80 combat missions from Operation Desert Storm in 1991 through Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2009, stressed to Airmen the importance of staying fit to fight as the Air Force continues to support joint and coalition missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We have to be physically fit in this business," he said. "We need our Airmen fully capable of sustaining the stress and strain of the physical demands of our missions. We can't afford to have our airmen be casualties on the battlefield because they can't sustain the pace or the tempo."

Whether preparing for a deployment or recuperating from deployment at home station, the general added that today's Airmen have great responsibility.

"An Airman in our business can have a global strategic effect," he said. "That could be an Airman that prevents an enemy bomber from bringing an IED into a facility, or an Airman standing watch on the flightline, or an Airman who stops another Airman downtown from doing something they didn't really mean to do."

Next week marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security signed by American and Japanese officials Jan. 19, 1960. The general said the commitment and relationship between the two allies remains strong.

"We've had 50 years of peace and stability and that's credited to the strength of our two nations and the partnership between our people," General North said.

Kadena's wing commander from 2000 to 2002 said families here have the opportunity to explore a unique culture on a tropical island and build lasting friendships with their Okinawan hosts.

"I had the opportunity to gather with our dear friends from the Okinawan community from our time 10 years ago, and it felt like it was just yesterday ... like no time had passed," General North said.

The general said he fondly remembers working with local leaders on various community projects ranging from AmericaFest, Golden Run and the Kadena Special Olympics program that marked its tenth successful year last November.

"One of the things we will always be proudest of is how the community came together to kick off the Special Olympics. It is certainly one of the cornerstones of the longstanding relationships we have here in Okinawa."