Under new command
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on July 1, 2016 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Col. Christopher Sage, right, takes command of the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base as he accepts the ceremonial flag Thursday from Maj. Gen. Scott Zobrist.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
The Spirit of Goldsboro is shown with the name of its pilot, Col. Christopher Sage, during the name changing ceremony Thursday at Seymour Johnson.
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Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is officially under new leadership.
Col. Christopher Sage formally assumed command from Brigadier Gen. Mark Slocum before an audience of hundreds at the official change of command ceremony Thursday. With civilians and fellow airmen looking on, Maj. Gen. Scott Zobrist, commander of the 9th Air Force, transferred the ceremonial flag to Col. Sage, and with it responsibility for the approximately 6,000 airmen and civilians living on Seymour Johnson.
Zobrist opened the ceremony with a glowing commendation of Slocum, who he said took it upon himself to massively improve quality of life on the base.
"He made us better than we thought we could be," he said, referring to the morale-boosting "Make it Better" campaign that Slocum championed during his time as commander. The program was responsible for the creation of over 100 airmen-led clubs on the base.
Zobrist praised Slocum as a man who put those under his command first.
"It's always about his airmen," Zobrist said. "He's truly a rare breed of leader."
Zobrist also offered glowing praise for the airmen of the 4th Fighter Wing, who he said are some of the best in the world.
"Let there be no doubt that the men and women of the 4th Fighter Wing are leading the fight against those who wish us harm."
Before receiving his final salute as base commander, Slocum thanked the network of fellow leaders and other airmen who had aided him along the way. He lauded his staff for their efforts, and made it clear that his time at Seymour Johnson went above and beyond a simple assignment.
"It has been the honor and highlight of my career to get to serve with you for the last two years," he said. "We do this because our people are worth every single bit of our effort."
He also took time to thank his wife, Xavi, and his two children, Ava and Michael, for their ceaseless support.
Sage, who grew up in North Carolina, said that he was excited to be back in his home state after nine years abroad. Sage most recently served as the senior military assistant to the deputy chairman of the NATO military committee at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. He said his position as commander at Seymour Johnson is one he values highly.
"There is no greater honor than to be asked to serve as commander," he said in a press conference after the ceremony. "Coming back from Europe, my family is very excited, and I'm very excited."
This is the third time that Sage has been stationed at Seymour Johnson -- he came here first in 1996 as a student pilot and then again from 2004 to 2007. Now returning as wing commander, Sage said that he returned to a better Seymour Johnson and a better Goldsboro each time.
"It's changed in positive ways. The connection to history has increased, and the base relationship with Goldsboro has really improved," he said.
"It's been a fabulous welcome from the community, they've welcomed us with open arms."
With each new position, Sage's mindset has had to shift as well. Returning to Goldsboro at the head of the 4th Fighter Wing, Sage said that his frame of mind has had to evolve with each new task set before him.
"When you're young, you're mostly focused on your technical skills," he said. "But when you become a leader, you become focused on building a team."
That team, he said, has done a great job thus far. When asked about his plans for the base, Sage brought up what has become a signature ideal of his -- courage.
"As for my specific goals, to lead with courage," he said. "We're here for one reason and one reason only, to deploy aircraft to fight America's enemies."