3AF/CC visits Aviano; presents 8 medals to TAC-P Airmen

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Michael O'Connor
  • 31st Fighter Wing public affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Lt. Gen. Phil Breedlove, 3rd Air Force commander and former 31st Fighter Wing commander, returned to his old stomping ground Oct. 16 after departing Aviano Air Base in June 2005.

"It's been a magnificent visit," said General Breedlove who previously commanded the 31FW from June 2004 to June 2005. "It is like coming back home. The thing that struck me during my visit is the same thing that struck me when I first arrived here. It's a great facility and a magnificent unit getting better all the time."

General Breedlove said the wing was very busy during his tour as the commander of the 31FW. He said he was struck by how well the Airmen of this wing have handled the increased operations tempo since he departed three years ago and the great people, teams and facilities the base has.

"This wing fits into the Third Air Force mission in a lot of different ways," said General Breedlove. "Right up front, the force providers, the Airmen of the 603rd Air Control Squadron, 555th and 510th Fighter Squadrons are providing that very visible combat power, and in other ways as well as the this wing has no aircraft deployed, but they have more than 500 Airmen deployed supporting various operations down range. Clearly, this wing is engaged in the mission."

The commander said his top priorities are taking care of the Airmen and then letting the Airmen take care of the mission. He said these have pretty much been his top two priorities throughout his career and that by taking care of the Airmen and their families, and ensuring they are all squared away, that the Airmen will in-turn be able to take care of the mission.

"It is really good to come back here and see this team is still focused, on target, and on time," said General Breedlove. "It is a great place to live, but it is a challenging mission. Keep up the great work. You're making us proud."

The commander concluded his visit by presenting six Airmen from the 8th Air Support Operations Squadron with three Bronze Stars and five Air Force Combat Action Medals before departing the base.

"You guys have acquitted yourselves amazingly in a pretty tough environment," said. General Breedlove. "From what little I've seen of Afghanistan it's a tough place to have to do anything, much less go and fight like you did. I can't tell you how proud I am of you ... having served as an air liaison officer with the Army ... I know how important it is to show them our very best ... and you guys are on the pointy end of doing that every single day."

The commander spoke briefly about his time as an ALO in the mid-'80s when he was fast-roping out of helicopters as a captain and how the Air Force transitioned to recruiting enlisted Airmen to do the same mission previously done by officers. General Breedlove said the actions of the Airmen he presented medals to are just a few of the shining examples which have proven Air Force senior leaders right that young Airmen and non-commissioned officers can get the job done.