Wing commander jumping into job with both feet

  • Published
  • By Nick Stubbs
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  If you are part of the 6th Air Mobility Wing or work at MacDill in another capacity, and you have not bumped into the new wing commander, Col. Lenny Richoux, you probably will sooon.

Becoming the 6th Air Mobility Wing commander means having to get a handle on a diverse list of groups, squadrons and units, not to mention the added diversity unique to MacDill Air Force Base and its various commands and mission partners.

Col. Lenny Richoux, who took command of the wing last week, is wasting no time working his way around the base in what can only be described as an intense immersion designed to not only bring him up to speed on each of the units under his command, but also get some one-on-one time with as many servicemembers as possible.

The 6th AMW mission is big, and the job at MacDill is just as large, which means jumping in with both feet is mandatory, said Colonel Richoux, who added he is anxious to meet everyone at MacDill and be fully briefed so he can get to work.

"I don't want the honeymoon to last long," Colonel Richoux said. "My idea is to get down to the work of the mission as quickly as possible."

The colonel isn't kidding. He'd already met on location with the the 6th Civil Engineer Squadron's Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, the 6th Operations Group, 91 Air Refueling Squadron, 310 Airlift Squadron, and 6th Operations Support Squadron by the end of his third day on the job. Since then he's met and toured with the 6th Maintenance Group, the 6th Mission Support Group, the 6th Communications Squadron and 6th Medical Group.

In the coming days, he'll be working his way around base, visiting elements of the wing, as well as mission partners and base tenants. It's an extended tour at a base as large and complex as MacDill, but essential to getting the perspective and understanding needed for effective and informed leadership, and to support the major DoD nerve center for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.