Commander, civic leaders tour base

The 27th Special Operations Wing welcomed Lt. Gen. Eric E. Fiel, Air Force Special Operations Command commander, upon his Sept. 12 arrival at Cannon Air Force Base.

The three-star general arrived at the western home of Air Commandos as part of a local civic leader tour. These tours are used to give respected community leaders a better overall understanding of AFSOC, its vital mission set and the direction of its installations. The selected community partners are then enabled to act as key communicators and advocates for Air Force and AFSOC issues.

U.S. Air Force photo: Airman 1st Class Eboni Reece

CAPU.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Eric E. Fiel, Air Force Special Operations Command commander, poses with civic leaders in front of an MC-130J Commando II on the flightline at Cannon Air Force Base. Fiel visited Cannon as part of a civic leader tour.TION

More than a dozen of Cannon's civic leaders were warmly greeted by the AFSOC commander before the group sat down for lunch at The Landing Zone on base. After two quick mission briefs, attendees were shuttled to the flightline for a static display of five aerial assets.

The MQ-1B Predator, AC-130W Stinger II, C-146A, MC-130J Commando II and MQ-9 Reaper were proudly displayed in a U-formation for the tour group and had crew members standing by, ready to provide individual briefs on the aircraft for spectators.

"This is the greatest thing for us, coming out to the base and seeing more of what's happening out here," said Dan Stoddard, Cannon civic leader. "It's always so impressive to see what these amazing young Airmen are capable of.

"Before wrapping up their tour for the day, Cannon's guests visited the Air Traffic Control tower for an overview of flightline operations and were also shown flight simulators routinely utilized by flyers for training.

"We are all so proud to be a part of this civic leader program," Stoddard added. "Helping to support our Airmen and their families in any way we can is personally rewarding."