WEBVTT

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- [Voiceover] Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

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On behalf of the presiding official,

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Lieutenant General Timothy M. Ray,

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Commander 3rd Air Force and 17th Expeditionary Air Force,

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welcome to today's ceremony.

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This morning, Brigadier General John T. Thomas

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will pass command of the 86th Airlift Wing

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to Brigadier General Richard G. Moore Junior.

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Today's ceremony is considered an outdoor event,

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therefore the wearing of head gear

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and rendering of salutes during the playing

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of Ruffles and Flourishes, a General's March,

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and the German and American National Anthems is required.

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Additionally, verbal cues will be given,

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when it is appropriate to stand and sit.

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We are honored to have some special guests with us today.

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Please hold your applause

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until everyone has been introduced.

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Rhonda Ray, wife of Lieutenant General Ray.

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Kristen Moore, wife of Brigadier General Moore,

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and their son Mitchell.

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Representing the Minister of the Interior and for sports,

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the undersecretary Rudolph Steesh.

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Director Operations Strategic Deterrence

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and Nuclear Integration United States Air Forces in Europe

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and Air Forces Africa, Major General John McMullen,

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and his wife Kim.

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Deputy Chief of Staff Operations,

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Headquarters Allied Air Command,

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Brigadier General Kevin Huyck.

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Wife of the director Logistics Engineering

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and Force Protection United States Air Forces in Europe

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and Air Forces Africa, Mrs. Sharon Auguston.

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The leadership team from the 3rd Air Force

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and 17th Expeditionary Air Force,

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the Vice Commander, Brigadier General Christopher Craige,

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accompanied by his wife Penny and daughter Isabelle.

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Mobilization Assistant to the Commander,

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Brigadier General Jeffrey Barnson.

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And the Command Chief, Chief Master Sergeant Phillip Easton,

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accompanied by his wife Yolanda.

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Commanding General, Headquarters Regional Health

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Command Europe, Brigadier General Dennis LeMaster,

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accompanied by his wife Trudy.

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The leadership team from the 86th Airlift Wing,

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wife of the Vice Commander Kara Hallman.

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The Vice Director Mr. Bill Stewart accompanied by

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his wife Sue, and their daughter Sasha.

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And wife of the Command Chief, Tina Bennett,

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and their daughter Abigail.

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The leadership team from

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the 435th Air and Ground Operations Wing,

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the Vice Commander, Mathew Vallala,

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and the command chief, Chief Master Sergeant Todd Simmons,

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accompanied by his wife, Master Sergeant Melanie Simmons.

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The leadership team from

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the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing,

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the Commander, Colonel Thomas Cooper,

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accompanied by his wife Stephanie, and son Matthew.

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The Vice Commander, Colonel Bradley Spears,

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and the Command Chief, Chief Master Sergeant Mark Redden,

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accompanied by his wife, Paula.

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The leadership team from the United States Army Garrison,

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Rhineland-Pfalz,

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the Commander, Colonel Keith Idiardo,

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the Deputy Commander, Ms. Deborah Reynolds,

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and the Command Sergeant Major, Command Sergeant Major

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Edward Williams the third.

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Deputy Commanding Officer, 21st Theater Support Command,

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Colonel William Galbraith.

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The leadership team from Air Transport Wing 62,

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Wunstorf, and the 86th Airlift Wing sister wing,

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the Commander, Colonel Luger Betta,

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and the Vice Commander, Colonel Christian Yon.

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Vice Commander state command Rhineland-Pfalz,

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Lieutenant Colonel Angius Meyer.

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Mayor of the Rhineland-Pfalz state parliament,

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Marlies Kohnle-Gros.

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Representing the county commissioner, Kusel county,

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Jurgen Conrad.

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Lord Mayor Kaiserslautern, Doctor Klaus Weichel.

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Mayor, Ramstein-Miesenbach joint communities, Ralf Hechler.

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Mayor, Landstuhl joint communities, Doctor Peter Degenhardt.

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Mayor, Weilerbach joint communities, Anya Pfeiffer.

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Mayor, Schönenberg-Kübelberg, Karl Heinz Schoon.

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Mayor of Winnweiler joint communities,

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and city of Winnweiler, Rudolf Jacob.

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Director Superintendent Kaiserslautern,

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Department of Defense Education Activity Europe,

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Doctor Elizabeth Dunham.

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Representing the police president,

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Police Presidium West Palatinate,

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Police Director, Franz-Josef Brandt.

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Regional director,

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Federal Institute for Real Property Tests,

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Eloise Burder.

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(applause)

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We also welcome all host nation representatives,

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senior officers, commanders, directors,

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chiefs, first sergeants, friends, family,

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and the men and women of the 86th Airlift Wing.

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Thank you for attending.

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(applause)

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History reveals that in the middle ages,

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soldiers in the field would often not know

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or recognize their commanders.

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In response to this problem,

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the continental army of the United States

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conducted the first official change of command ceremony.

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Just as it has in the past,

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the formal change of command allows troops

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to witness the actual transfer of command

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between two officers,

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and see their new commander firsthand.

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The change of command also adds color

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and pageantry to military life, preserves tradition,

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and stimulates esprit de corps.

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Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the arrival

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of the official party,

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and the playing of Ruffles and Flourishes.

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(shouting military commands)

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(dignified orchestral music)

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(shouting military commands)

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(dignified orchestral music)

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- [Man On Stage] Order!

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- [All] Order!

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- [Voiceover] Please remain standing for the playing

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of the German and American national anthems.

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(dignified orchestral music)

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- [Man On Stage] Order!

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- [All] Order!

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(shouting military commands)

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- [Voiceover] Thank you Lieutenant Colonel Schofield,

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and United States Air Forces in Europe band.

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Chaplain Danette Boyd will now give the invocation.

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- [Voiceover] For those who are so inclined,

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please join me for a word of prayer.

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Lord we don't take lightly

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all the things you have empowered

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the 86th Airlift Wing to do,

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under Brigadier General John Thomas' leadership.

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You were the wind beneath our wings

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as we soared to levels we could never imagine

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and accomplished tasks we initially thought were impossible.

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Continue to be with the men and women

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of the 86th Airlift Wing,

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as Brigadier General Richard G. Moore Junior

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takes the yoke.

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Help us sore to even greater heights.

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Empower us all the more to succeed in our mission,

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become better, and care for one another.

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Be with General Thomas, his wife Leah,

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their children, Andrew, Lillian, Emma, and Emilia,

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as they transition to air mobility command.

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Allow General Thomas' gifts and leadership skills

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to continue to usher him forward,

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as he guides the Air Force

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to the next phase of air mobility.

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Bless General Moore and his wife, Kristen,

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as they take on the awesome task of leading the mighty 86.

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Leadership of the largest base

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outside of the continental U.S. is no small feat.

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So he will need your help, strength,

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and guidance to take us higher.

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Provide him with an extra measure of grace

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and energy for the challenges that lie ahead.

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Also be with their son, Mitchell,

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help him to make new friends,

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and be surrounded by a community

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that loves and nurtures him.

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Allow us all to do all things through you,

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who is our source of strength.

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In your everlasting name we pray.

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Amen.

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- [Voiceover] Thank you, Chaplain Boyd.

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Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated.

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It is my pleasure to introduce

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our presiding official for today's ceremony,

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Lieutenant General Ray.

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(applause)

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- What I'd like to do is begin

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with my introductions and my welcomes.

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Undersecretary Steesh, sir, thank you so much

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for taking the time to make it here.

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Very special to have you here.

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Counsul General Herman, I believe you're here

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with us today, thank you for making the trip.

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Lord Mayor Weichel, sure is great to have you here

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and all the mayors in this KMC area,

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I want to say thanks to all of you

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for making this such a great community,

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and all the support that we get from you.

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It's absolutely wonderful to see how well

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you open your homes and your communities to us,

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and you make it all possible.

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Thank you.

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I get to say hello to my lovely bride,

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this gets me big points at home

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when I single her out in public.

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And to all of our other guests here,

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our distinguished guests,

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senior flag officers, spouses, commanders, chiefs,

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first sergeants, and of course,

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the men and women of the 86th Airlift Wing.

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This is a very special day.

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Not long ago, the question came to this headquarters

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about what we were gonna worry about in 2016.

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It was really an interesting question,

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because they were really angling for a certain answer.

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And the answer they got really wasn't

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the one they were looking for.

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We replied that the Air Force, the United States Air Force,

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does five things: provide air and space superiority,

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rapid global mobility, global ISR, global strike,

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and command and control of air and space power.

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And if we don't do these five things,

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the entire combined and joint team will not prevail.

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They will just not succeed.

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Now in 2015, I believe they had absolutely no idea

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when and where they were gonna apply those things.

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But the call will be made

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and we'd have to perform the standard,

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and we did.

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2016, my answer at the beginning of 2016

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is I have absolutely no idea where this is gonna play out.

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But rest assured, those five things will be called upon,

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and this team will be able to deliver.

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And it's only 3/4 of the way through the year,

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so here we are, and we're ticking them off one by one.

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It's an amazing and dynamic environment that we're in.

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We do ISR at the strategic tactical level,

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and the Mediterranean, the Baltics, the Black Sea.

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We do strike against counter-terrorism targets

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all over the place, Africa, and Asia.

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The mobility performance has been stunning,

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from our air refueling,

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to our strategic and tactical airlift,

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makes a tremendous difference

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on both sides of the Mediterranean.

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And certainly the community control opportunities

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that we have in this very dynamic environment

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are fascinating, and it's an incredible time to be here.

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The 86th Airlift Wing has been

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right in the middle of every bit of that.

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Ty, your leadership has been elemental to the success.

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As I just reflect on the number of hours

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that this wing has flown,

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and the number of sorties and missions

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nearly 2,300, or nearly 2,000 sorties

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700 missions, 73,000 tons of cargo,

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and only, and 0 class A or class B mishaps.

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They've had the best unit effectiveness

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in inspection and the command in decades.

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And if you could just take those two criteria alone,

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you would say it's been an amazing ride.

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But it goes much deeper than that.

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And when I consider the help that you've given me

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in the KMC role, commander of the KMC role,

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Ty, your leadership has been a tremendous help.

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When I think about all the GSUs,

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the geographically separated units

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and the challenges that have been associated

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with all of those in your leadership,

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the expert, senior leadership that we've relied on so much.

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When I think about all the work you've done

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to partner with the NATO nations

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and with their African partners.

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And certainly when I think about the most important parts,

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what I consider the direct support relationship

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that we've created with the commander of

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Joint Task Force HOA,

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it simply underscores the incredible work

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that airmen can do when let free

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to go to the things that they do best.

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And the results are absolutely stunning.

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And certainly we can look at all the great work

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you've done here at this installation.

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When I think about the most important part, Ty,

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you and I would quickly agree,

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that when we asked to take all of the civilians

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out of insular Turkey for an ordered departure,

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this wing absolutely crushed it.

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It was a stellar display of teamwork and support.

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Ty, I think you will take this away

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as the biggest accomplishment,

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and when you could see the satisfaction

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and the comfort on all those families' faces,

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and to get all those cards and letters

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that say, "Thank you for taking care of us",

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that's the stuff that makes us a greater force.

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It's not the airplanes or the people.

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It's that kind of leadership,

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and that kind of integrity.

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Thank you so much for what you've done.

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As you head to the cornfields of southern Illinois,

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I'm sure you're excited about that,

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but it's a great job,

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and you're gonna be fantastic in that role,

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and we send some of our very, very best to do that.

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I know Leah and the kids couldn't be here,

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and we certainly miss them,

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and I look forward to the good news

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that you're gonna enjoy your time,

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your family tradition on the beach here,

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on Labor Day weekend,

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and I certainly wish you the very best there,

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and tell them we miss them

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and look forward to seeing them soon.

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Now the good news for everybody here in the room

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is that the 86th Airlift Wing

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is one of the most important wings

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in the United States Air Force.

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And because of that, we bring only the very best leaders.

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You've seen the great performance of Ty Thomas,

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the record shows for itself, and rest assured,

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we bring you another great leader in Rick Moore.

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Rick is a long time Airlifter

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with tremendous operational credentials.

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Wicked smart, strategist, tons of energy,

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he was USS commander at Charleston,

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the vice wing commander at McChord.

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He commanded the wing at Dover,

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and he's fresh from the air staff,

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right in the middle of all the work

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that it takes to build our Air Force,

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with the funding, and the plans, and the programs.

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And he's done absolutely brilliant work.

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So we're very fortunate to have him

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and his wife here, Kristen,

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and of course, there's Mitchell.

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It's amazing you've sat still this long, brother.

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(laughs)

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We wanna say welcome to the both of you,

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and we just certainly hope that your time here

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at Ramstein is as good as it is for all of us,

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and we just say welcome, and thanks for being here.

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To the men and women of the 86th Airlift Wing,

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let me just say thank you for all that you do.

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To your families, for the sacrifice,

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and the time that you spend

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in the exceptional performance day to day

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doing what you do best.

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Remember, the mission of the Air Force,

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fly, fight, and win.

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Thank you very much.

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(applause)

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- [Voiceover] Thank you General Ray.

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Ladies and gentlemen,

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please stand for the medal presentation.

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(shouting military commands)

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Attention to orders.

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Citation to accompany the award of the Legion of Merit,

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third oak leaf cluster, has been awarded

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to Brigadier General John T. Thomas

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for meritorious service from 19 June 2015,

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to 17 August 2016.

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Brigadier General John T. Thomas

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distinguished himself by exceptionally meritorious conduct

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in the performance of outstanding service to United States,

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as commander, 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein air base, Germany,

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from 19 June 2015, to 17 August 2016.

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During this period, General Thomas commanded

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United States Air Forces in Europe,

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Air Forces Africas, largest wing comprised of seven groups,

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32 squadrons, and 8,500 members

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across four bases in Germany, Spain, Belgium, and Portugal.

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He led the execution of a

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348 million dollar operating budget,

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and maintained nine billion dollars

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of airfield infrastructure.

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And sharing strategic access to Europe, Africa, and Asia.

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His leadership was critical to the execution

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of European commands, largest airdrop trainee exercise

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in 30 years,

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resulting in the airdrop of 2,000 paratroopers

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originating from two continents,

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and successfully demonstrating United States

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power projection capability to eastern European allies.

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Moreover, during his tenure,

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the 65th air base group, Lajes Field Portugal

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realigned under his command,

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and provided air traffic control service

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to over 12,000 multinational flights

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and ground support to the first F35 transatlantic flight.

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Furthermore, he led the efforts of 350 personnel

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in the planning, preparation, and reception

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of more than 750 civilian and military dependent personnel,

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ordered to depart various locations in Turkey,

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under secretary of defense and secretary of state direction,

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in response to specific threats against United States

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military installations.

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Moreover, he deployed assets to eastern Turkey,

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in support of Operation Inherent Resolve,

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establishing a bare base from which United States

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central command conducted personnel recovering missions,

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supporting combat operations in Syria and Iraq.

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Additionally, he led the short notice

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outload of hellfire missles to Incirlik air base Turkey,

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enabling the first remotely piloted

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aircraft strike operation launched from Turkey's soil

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against the Islamic state of Iraq, and the Levant.

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Finally, his leadership and development

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of a comprehensive wing strategic plan

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were tantamount to wing receiving the commands

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first ever, highly effective rating,

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in a major graded area for improving the unit,

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shilling an overall effective rating

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for the 2016 unit effectiveness inspection.

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The superior initiative outstanding leadership

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and personal endeavor displayed by Brigadier General Thomas

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reflect great credit upon himself,

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and the United States Air Force.

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Signed, Frank Gorenc, General, United States Air Force.

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(applause)

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Thank you General Ray.

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Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated.

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It is my pleasure to introduce

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the commander 86th Airlift Wing,

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Brigadier General John T. Thomas.

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(applause)

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- Well, thank you.

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And I'll tell you what, we have not.