Barksdale AFB, La. -- It's the end of an era as 307th Bomb Wing Commander Brig. Gen. John J. Mooney III will be leaving the 307th for a new adventure. General Mooney took command of the 917th Wing in March 2010 and departed the 307th BW during a change of command ceremony Feb. 11 at Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
General Mooney came to Barksdale Air Force Base in March 2010 from the 10th Air Force at Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas, where he served as the assistant vice commander and chief of staff. It wasn't long after his arrival that changes began to take form within the wing. "When I got here as commander of the 917th, I really didn't know that we were going to become the 307th Bomb Wing," said the general. "That kind of evolved fairly quickly after my arrival. We spent the last year and three-quarters basically closing down the 917th Wing and then building a bomb wing and a separate fighter group from scratch. We kind of had to shift gears mid-stream and readjust fire."
General Mooney came up through the ranks as a B-52 navigator, holding positions as a standardization and evaluation instructor navigator, radar navigator, standardization and evaluation instructor radar navigator, flight commander, B-52G/H command evaluator and B-52G/H senior radar navigator. Adapting to the changes that have occurred throughout his almost 30-year career has helped him get to where he is today. "I would say the only constant has been change. I try to impress among people that tend to yearn for the status quo that in this day and age, in this environment, you have to embrace the change - you have to look forward and not view it as a negative but view it as a positive. I think we have done that here."
While the Maine native has enjoyed his time with the wing, he looks forward to moving on as the Air Force Reserve Command Inspector General. "You certainly hope that as you move forward, you put a few more tools in your toolbox," he said. "My prior staff experience and now being here running a wing, I'm ready to go up and handle the challenges as the Air Force Reserve Command Inspector General. I look forward to it, I'm excited about it, and the many, many challenges for the Command ahead as we figure out how to do TFI (Total Force Integration) inspections with the other MAJCOMS. It's very exciting."
Thinking back on his approximately two years here, General Mooney offers this advice: "One of the best pieces of advice I received early on about being a commander is it's important to first, make sure your folks have ownership of the process, that there's buy-in there, and second, you don't always have to be right."
"You need to set the strategic mission, let your folks understand where we need to go as an organization and then stand back and let your good people get you there," he added. "This has been the best job in the world, the best people, the best citizen Airmen, I think, in the Air Force Reserve -- right here at Barksdale."
As General Mooney relinquished his command in a ceremony to Col. Jon Ellis, he offered these parting words: "I think that Colonel Ellis is going to do a great job building on what the good folks here have accomplished, and wished everyone the best of luck going forward."
(Editor's note: This is the first in a series of articles concerning the 307th BW change of command. Contributions to this story were provided by Master Sgt. Mary Hinson, 307th BW Public Affairs)