FORT WORTH, Texas -- The 301st Fighter Wing inducted 17 honorary commanders during its 2020 Honorary Commander Induction Ceremony, July 31.
The 301 FW Honorary Commander Program invites civic leaders to join a proactive community partnership focused on relationship building and education. It aims to increase public awareness and understanding of the Air Force Reserve, its mission and, most importantly, its Airmen who must balance the Reserve triad—family, employer and military service. The honorary commander is paired with and given a behind-the-scenes look at the mission and Airmen of their assigned group or unit.
301 FW Director of Staff Col. Kevin Zeller, the ceremony’s presiding official, challenged the honorary commanders to take the time to learn about their assigned units, Airmen and how each part fits into the wing’s mission—to train and deploy combat ready Airmen.
“We are citizen Airmen. Our Airmen work in our community,” Zeller said. “This is an opportunity for our civic leaders to see what [our Airmen] do on those weekends they give up every month and those two weeks every year. This [helps with] inclusiveness, [which] brings us all together because we are one team. We have great Americans who serve this country every day, and they do it with the backing of our population.”
Col. Allen Duckworth, 301st Fighter Wing commander, also shared some remarks virtually.
“I’ve been in the Reserve in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for about 12 years now, and I’ve never seen a community that serves the Air Force the way this one does,” Duckworth said. “That’s important to execute the mission. This community support system [also] helps open doors for new missions. [It’s] such a great program that provides a foundation for the community.”
Col. Duckworth’s newly assigned honorary commander, Mr. Bret Privitt, shares what he hopes to accomplish in his new role.
“I’m extremely honored to be able to be in this position,” Privitt said. “I’m looking forward to coming out to the base [when conditions allow] to learn … and then take that out to the community. We support [U.S. Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas], however, this [position] gives me an opportunity to help the community support the base even further.”
This induction ceremony was historic in that it welcomed its third class of honorary commanders since the program’s inception in 2016 as well as being conducted with social distancing protocols consistent with CDC guidelines. Local civic leaders were nominated earlier this year and selections were made by the wing commander. During their two-year term, they will be invited to various events in order to support Airmen and see how the Guard, Reserve, Active Duty and civilian components operate to accomplish total force integration.