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| Col. Mike Stencel, wing commander, 142nd Fighter Wing, Oregon Air National Guard, greets Maj. Gen. Garry C. Dean at a reception following Dean's change of command ceremony, at Tyndall AFB, Fla., Nov. 12. Dean, an Oregon Air Guard member, assumed command of 1st Air Force during a ceremony attended by some 500 airmen, friends and family. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Nick Choy, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs Office). |
Maj. Gen. Garry C. Dean of the Oregon Air National Guard assumed command of headquarters, 1st Air Force, Air Forces Northern, during a morning ceremony at Tyndall, AFB, Fla., Nov. 12.
He assumed command from Maj. Gen. Henry C. Morrow in a ceremony attended by Maj. Gen. Raymond F. Rees, the adjutant general of the Oregon National Guard, who led a group of about 20 Oregonians to Tyndall AFB, near Panama City, Fla.
While Dean remains attached to the Oregon Air National Guard, his new assignment as commander of 1st Air Force, AFNORTH leverages command positions he has held within the Oregon National Guard and his ties in the state, Rees said.
"This is a wonderful day for Oregon, and a great day for the U.S. Air Force and our nation," Rees said.
About 500 well-wishers, friends, coworkers and family members filled Hangar #2 at the base. Some of those in the audience included; Gen. Craig McKinley, director of the National
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| Gen. Victor E. Renuart, Commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, presents the 1st Air Force guideon to Maj. Gen. Garry C. Dean, during a change of command ceremony at Tyndall AFB, Fla., Nov. 12. Dean, a member of the Oregon Air National Guard, takes over as commander of 1st Air Force and Continental U.S. NORAD. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Nick Choy, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs Office). |
Guard; Maj. Gen. Ernesto Rivera, chief of staff for the Mexican Air Force, and Brig. Gen. Andre Viens, Deputy Commander, Continental U.S. NORAD.
Gen. Victor E. Reunart, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command/U.S. Northern Command, welcomed Dean back to Tyndall AFB.
"We are extremely pleased to have him here with us," Renuart said of Dean.
Reunuart said Dean is a strong and successful leader, and a great follow-on to Morrow. "(Dean) truly understands the business of sovereign safety," Renuart said.
"Command is a team sport," Dean said.
Dean said his new assignment is a homecoming of sorts. In 2006, he served as the Air National Guard Advisor to the commander of AFNORTH/NORTHCOM.
"I started off as a member of the 1st Air Force team, and now I have the privilege to lead that team," Dean said. "I will do my utmost to lead this command to new levels of success."
Dean recently completed an assignment as the Deputy Inspector General of the Air Force, in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, he served as the former wing commander of the 142nd Fighter Wing, Oregon Air National Guard, and at the Oregon National Guard's Joint-Force Headquarters, as the State Director of Operations and Assistant Adjutant General for Air.
