615th CRW commander bids farewll

Col. Tony Hinen, 615th Contingency Response Wing commander speaks with Gen. Arthur Lichte, commander Air Mobility Command, and Col. Joseph Zahn, 615th CRW vice commander, during the general's visit to Travis recently. Colonel Hinen will retire after relinquishing command of the 615th CRW Sept. 23.(U.S. Air Force photo/Dave Cushman)

615th CRW commander bids farewell

Published Sept. 18, 2008
By Col. Anthony Hinen
615th Contingeny Response Wing commander

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- It has been my distinct honor and privilege to serve the men and women of the 615th Contingency Response Wing for the past 21 months. During that time my focus has been on improving our combat readiness and taking care of our Airmen. I am incredibly proud of our Airmen and their accomplishments during my tenure: an "Excellent" Operational Readiness Inspection, an "Outstanding" Logistics Standardization Evaluation Program, hosting 1,000 participants in our Hydra exercise; the largest Joint, Total Force air mobility exercise west of the Mississippi, evacuating more than 6,000 people from New Orleans in 26 hours during Hurricane Gustav, and consistently beating the Air Force promotion rate on all enlisted and officer promotion boards.

Our success could not have been possible without the strong support of our partners in the 60th Air Mobility Wing and the 349th Air Mobility Wing. Much like the three strands of a rope make it much stronger, the three wings at Travis make this base the "crown jewel" of Air Mobility Command. The entirety of the Total Force AMC mission is represented at Travis by these three phenomenal wings. I am also thankful for the outstanding leadership of Brig. Gen. Mark Stearns, the commander of the 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force and my boss. He created a wonderful environment where our Airmen could thrive and provided the resources and support we needed to be successful.

Finally, I am confidant of our future and excited about the new heights this wing will achieve under the leadership of Col. John Lipinski when he takes command on Tuesday. As I reflect on more than 27 years of commissioned service, I am amazed at how far our great Air Force has progressed and even more impressed with the quality of the people who serve our country as Airmen.

Most of all, I am grateful for my loving wife Lou Anne and my two sons, Jeremy and Joshua, for their unconditional love and support over these many years.

Like many military families, we have traveled across the country and around the world, this final move is our seventh move in eight years - it's time for us to settle down. To our many friends at Travis and in the surrounding communities, "thank you" and may God bless you and may God continue to bless America.