LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
May 8 was not just another day for Brig. Gen. Mark A. Barrett; after two years he relinquished command of the 1st Fighter Wing.
"I am very humbled to have been a part of this organization for the past two years," said General Barrett. "Being with the folks who are doing the mission...flying, fixing, and supporting airplanes and the infrastructure of Langley AFB; all the stuff that makes Team Langley work, has been incredibly rewarding."
On April 30, 2007 General Barrett assumed command of the 1st FW. Although it was his third assignment to Langley, he was still surprised by the operations tempo of the wing.
"I had no idea how busy we are. We have visitors from Washington, D.C., Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Forces Command, and (people) from all over the world," said General Barrett. "I was just amazed how many people wanted to visit Langley and look at the airplanes or the base. Sometimes it was overwhelming."
The barrage of visitors wasn't the only thing keeping Langley busy when General Barrett took command.
"One of the challenges was how to take an immature F-22 weapons system and get it from Initial Operational Capability to Full Operational Capability," said General Barrett.
We had to get all the planes, all the tools, all the training, and all the personnel together and trained, so that I could tell ACC and the leadership of the United States Air Force that we could go to war and fulfill our wartime plans."
The F-22 was declared FOC in December 2007, four months ahead of schedule. However, that wasn't the only step in the F-22's road to being combat-ready.
The next challenge was proving the combined F-15 and F-22 wing was combat-ready by passing the Operational Readiness Inspection four months later in April 2008. By then the wing was also integrated with the Virginia Air National Guard's 192d Fighter Wing.
"We could go to the commander of ACC and Air Force leadership and say we've taken on this new weapons system, we've done all we can to build the wing and now we are ready to go to war. We proved it by going through the evaluation," said General Barrett.
The wing received an excellent rating from the ACC Inspector General's team. But, according to General Barrett, it wasn't the aircraft that made the rating possible; it was the people in the 1st and 192d Fighter Wings.
"Even though we are in some unsettled times and things are changing, the Air Force is still a great institution. And it's a great institution because of the men and women in uniform," said General Barrett.
Airmen doing the job is how the mission really happens. Be proud of wearing the uniform. Be proud of being a part of the 1st FW and Langley AFB. Continue showing the world just how great you are at doing the mission and providing security for our way of life and for America."
Colonel Matthew H. Molloy assumed command of the 1st Fighter Wing at 9:01 a.m. during a ceremony here at base operations.
General Barrett's advice?
"Enjoy every minute; the privilege, the responsibility and the honor of doing this kind of job is just tremendous. Serve this wing well, because they deserve the very best you can give them."