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Team Tyndall stop on AETC CC tour

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Veronica McMahon
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The new commander of Air Education and Training Command made his first visit to Tyndall Air Force Base in that role Sept. 24 and 25. The four-star general spent his time meeting with the members of Team Tyndall and local civic leaders.

Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz shared his personal and professional philosophies with several audiences throughout the visit and took the time to answer as many questions as possible.

During a breakfast with junior Airmen, he said the most important thing they could do to succeed in today's Air Force is to live by the Air Force core values. His second piece of advice was for them to invest in themselves through educational opportunities and the thrift savings plan.

Following breakfast, the general held a base-wide commander's call and shared his personal history of being a third generation Air Force officer and the struggles he faced while making his childhood dream of attending the Air Force Academy come true.

"I fought my way into the Academy... then I found the hard part wasn't getting in, it was staying in," joked the general. "But you cannot ever, ever, ever give up!"

He offered some experiences to inspire the crowd, including time spent addressing fatalities at the U.S. Air Force Academy as the commandant of cadets and his "life changing" visit to the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad Air Base, Iraq.

The general invited the crowd to ask him any questions or address any complaints. Team Tyndall members asked about the new 'Heritage' service-dress uniforms, officer retraining, and various educational opportunities being ramped up for enlisted, officers and civilians - including master's and Ph.D. programs.

On the subject of deployments, the commander was proud to talk about the role of Airmen in today's joint fight.

"Our Airmen do a fantastic job supporting the mission and the joint force commanders in the field," he said. "From start to finish we get the job done and I'm proud of that fact and what we bring to the table."

The four-star closed his commander's call with kudos to all Air Force members present.

"Thank you for doing what you do. Team Tyndall is very professional - you know what you're doing and you know how to do it well," said the general. "You are the next great generation and are stepping up to the plate to do great things."

General Lorenz took command of AETC in July and is responsible for recruiting, training and educating all Air Force personnel. His command includes the Air Force Recruiting Service, two numbered air forces and Air University. AETC trains more than 340,000 students per year and consists of 13 bases, more than 88,000 active-duty, Reserve, Guard, civilians and contractors, and 1,485 trainer, fighter and mobility aircraft.