General describes stay at Seymour Johnson
By Steve Herring
Published in News on March 29, 2015 1:50 AM
Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry O. Spencer sat down with The News-Argus for a brief chat Saturday night before delivering the keynote address at the second annual Friends of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Gala.
Spencer was asked to reflect on his time at the base in the 1990s and the men and women he served with.
"Seymour Johnson, my tour here, it was my first command tour," he said. "I got here at a unique time. I arrived in the summer of 1990 just prior to Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. It was really a tough time. A challenging time. But I love it because the airmen here were just fabulous.
'They responded as the country asked them to. It was just eye-watering for me to watch how our troops came together. Quite frankly what was as impressive to me was the community's support. They came out in droves. They opened their arms to our folks -- saw us off and saw them back in. This was clearly our (his and his wife's) favorite assignment."
Spencer said the relationship between the base and community is one like he had never seen before.
"The community embraces the base," he said. "It embraces the airmen and everyone here just loves it here. It is a great place. When I was here I lived in the community. I interacted with people in the community. I felt at home.
"The other thing is Seymour Johnson has a great mission. The 15-Es are here. It is a great airplane. It has a great mission. The reserve wing here, the KC-135 refuelers. You have the perfect combination here of a great base, great location, great community support and it all works together."
Sequestration is a concern, he said. That does not provide the level of funding needed to support the county's defense "the way we think it ought to be supported," he said.
"That is something that I do worry about, but for now we have the best air force in the world because we have the best people and the best airmen in the world.
"So I don't think that part is going to change. I think we are going to continue to attract the best young men and women from the United States to come into the military. That is the good news."
Where the budget end up is in the hands of Congress, since the budget has been submitted, he said.