Honorary commanders make history

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Samantha Mathison
  • 301st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
NAVAL AIR STATION FORT WORTH JOINT RESERVE BASE, Texas --  The 301st Fighter Wing inducted seven community leaders as honorary commanders Feb. 6 in a historic event here.

The 301 FW implemented an Honorary Commanders Program, called "Wings of Honor", for the first time in history. The program is designed to increase public awareness and understanding of the wing's mission by pairing a civic leader with a unit commander.

Each civic leader held a guidon with their 301st unit commander before senior military leaders, family and friends during the induction ceremony. This action symbolized their affiliation with, and support for, their designated unit.

Col. Kevin Zeller, 301st Operations Group commander, shared his guidon with a Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce member and the first official 301 OG honorary commander inductee.

"I'd really like to increase education on the Reserve construct and what we do," Zeller said. "I think increasing that knowledge, seeing what our Citizen Airmen do and how interconnected we are in the community, will open up the aperture so we can come to them for support, or in turn, if they need our support. It becomes more of a mutual relationship."

Unit commanders will invite newly inducted honorary commanders to ceremonies and events during their 24-month tenure, to allow for opportunities to exchange ideas, experiences and friendships.

Commanders calls, ceremonies, deployment send-offs and returns, and family days are just a few of the events honorary commanders will attend.

One such event occurred an hour before the ceremony. Col. Robert Buchanan, 301 FW vice commander, flew his F-16 "fini-flight" before he retired after 28 years. Honorary commanders witnessed this time-honored Air Force tradition for pilots and celebrated with Buchanan and his family on the flight line. 

Jason Hoisager, President and Chief Executive Officer of Arabella Exploration Incorporated and 355th Fighter Squadron honorary commander, was honored to witness this tradition.

"I saw on their faces that they take a lot of pride in what they do and it was an honor to see a pilot's last flight. That's a special event in the Air Force and his career, so it was great," Hoisager said.

Honorary commanders can gain insight into Air Force customs and traditions, while commanders within the wing can receive advice and support from them regarding regional and state issues that affect civilians and military members.

For Betty Harvey, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Workforce Development and Military/Veterans Affairs director and 301 OG honorary commander, this opportunity is a way to increase communication.

"I really feel like it's a nice opportunity for us to connect with businesses and to help them understand what the military does, while helping me understand and communicate better," she said.

The first 301 FW honorary commanders will be able to serve as military advocates within their spheres of influence, which will help to bridge gaps in the employer-reservist relationship.

Col. John Breazeale, 301 FW commander, explained these benefits to the honorary commanders during the ceremony.

"We will provide more awareness of what happens with our Citizen Airmen to you," Breazeale said. "That benefits us, because you take that to the community and you become an ambassador for the 301st Fighter Wing."