Strengthening military communities – Nashville leaders tour MacDill

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Lauren Cobin
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  In an effort to expand outreach and community partnerships, MacDill Air Force Base hosted nearly 40 members of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce for a base tour May 4, 2023.

Business leaders, program managers, and other influential members of the Nashville community met here for a leadership study mission, to better understand the Tampa area, MacDill, and its key components.

The group of community leaders, with a strong interest in supporting the military, toured a KC-135 Stratotanker and attended a mission brief to better understand MacDill’s role locally and impact globally.

“The primary goal of our visit to Tampa is focused on riverfront redevelopment, affordability and accessibility, regional talent pipeline, and innovation and economic development,” said Paige Anderson, director of investor engagement with the Nashville Chamber of Commerce.

Study missions bring together leaders from peer-sized cities to partner and educate the public on topics such as the similarities and differences of military and civilian operations.

“I think it was great for our group to hear about the economic impact MacDill has on the Tampa region and heard first-hand about [service members] transitioning and integrating into the community when transferred.”

The representatives who attended the breakout session at MacDill AFB each have a special interest in understanding and supporting their own military community in Tennessee at Ft. Campbell.

“We have been strengthening our relationship with Ft. Campbell,” Anderson shared. “We will have a full session around the military workforce, primarily focusing on transitioning members of the military community and spousal support for those families.”

Airman 1st Class Dakota Gross, a boom operator with the 50th Air Refueling Squadron, acted as a tour guide for the group, showing them around the KC-135.

“I think it’s really interesting how we are able to make connections with leaders from different regions of the United States,” said Gross. “It feels good knowing that people care so much about building strong relationships with service members and rally our local areas to be just as supportive.”

As a pillar of the Tampa Bay community, MacDill AFB is committed to continually improving their relationship with civilians in the surrounding area. The Nashville Chamber of Commerce tour is one example of the ongoing and ever improving relationship between the 6th Air Refueling Wing and its civilian counterparts.