Ellsworth announces 2014 Honorary Commander program selectees

  • Published
  • By Steven J. Merrill
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Nineteen business and civic leaders selected to participate in the 28th Bomb Wing Honorary Commanders program were announced during an event Sept. 18, at the South Dakota Air and Space Museum in Box Elder, S.D.

During the event, which coincided with the U.S. Air Force's 67th birthday, Col. Kevin Kennedy, 28th BW commander, reaffirmed the importance of the strong relationships the base shares with Black Hills communities. 

While much has changed in the Air Force since it became a separate service, Kennedy noted its five core missions - air superiority, strike capability, mobility, command and control, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance - remain constant. Just as innovation by today's Airmen is crucial to increasing our capabilities across the core missions, he said strong partnerships are as equally significant.

"Through partnerships we are able to learn and adopt new practices in areas that impact our mission such as new technologies, education and leadership development," Kennedy said. "Our honorary commander program is a perfect example of that type of partnership. It's a way for our Airmen to grow and to link Ellsworth with our surrounding communities more closely."

Kennedy lauded the leaders completing their two-year terms in the program, designed to foster positive relationships between Air Force leaders and their neighbors throughout the Black Hills region, and thanked the incoming honorary commanders for volunteering their time and energy to the wing and its Airmen.

Once approved by the 28th BW commander, participants are matched with an organization or unit and serve a two-year term. For a complete list of base honorary commanders, click here.

All outgoing honorary commanders transition to the Friends of Ellsworth program - managed by the 28th BW Protocol Office - and are invited to attend base events and activities as a way of continuing the strong relationships they have forged with Ellsworth.

For more information about the 28th BW Honorary Commanders Program, call the 28th BW Public Affairs office at (605) 385-5056.