Airman credit to military

I got to witness history Monday as the 27th Fighter Wing, which my husband has been a member of for several years, stood down at Cannon Air Force Base.

In its place is Air Force Special Operations Command.

We said goodbye to the world’s most lethal warfighters and hello to the Air Commandos.

While I attended the ceremony in a work capacity, the Air Force wife in me enjoyed the pomp and circumstance and my eyes misted over as the national anthem played.

I also got an up close look at several of AFSOC’s aircraft. I was most impressed with the CV-22 Osprey. It’s part helicopter, part airplane and totally cool.

Special Ops crew members said we should be seeing them around Clovis in the next couple of years.

But, the highlight of the day was working with the airmen from Cannon public affairs. These are the guys who are tasked with corralling the media and their job could never be described as glamorous. They are bus drivers, baby-sitters, errand runners and hosts.

They showed up at the visitor’s center at the crack of dawn, dressed in their short-sleeved blues, with fresh hair cuts and smiles on their faces. Sgt. Williams, the newest member of public affairs, did a great impression of a tour guide advising us “to please keep our hands inside the bus.”

Lt. Tobias, chief of public affairs, even went back to the gate to retrieve a media member’s forgotten camera battery. They found the reporters seats, worked with the camera crews and stood the entire time.

And the highlight of the day (for me at least) was scoring an interview with Cannon’s new commander, Col. Tim Leahy. I knew he was going to be a nice guy because he thanked his wife and two children for supporting his career during his change of command speech.

So, all in all it was a good day to be an Air Force wife but an even better day to be a journalist.

Tonya Fennell is the news coordinator for Cannon Connections. She can be reached at:

[email protected]