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Who's in charge here anyway? Part one of the 379th AEW leadership series

  • Published
  • By Capt. Carla Gleason
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing public affairs
Southwest Asia --  When a unit undergoes a leadership change, the effects ripple throughout the organization. But when a wing holds more than a dozen change of command ceremonies at various levels in the span of six weeks, something different happens entirely; the face of the base changes.

The Desert Eagle will highlight some of these leadership changes over the weeks to come, beginning, fittingly, with the new 379th Air Expeditionary Wing commander, Brig. Gen. Randy "Church" Kee.

What is a day in the life of the 379th AEW commander like?

"Busy," said General Kee during a late-night interview Tuesday. "But I love it, there's no better way to put it -- it's a privilege to serve in an expeditionary wing, and there is nothing more thrilling than being part of the team, making things happen."

General Kee is, by all accounts, a boots-on-the-ground kind of leader. He is fond of the phrase "servant leadership" and he strives to live that philosophy daily as he spends time out and about interacting with Airmen and the wing's coalition mission partners.

"Truly I'm just one member of the team here," said General Kee. "It's a servant leadership thing. I lead from the front, yes, but as a leader I also have to know that it's not about me."

Who is it about? According to General Kee, it's about you -- each and every one of you. It's about those serving in the wing, the mission partners who join in the fight, and the Emir's air force, who serves as our host.

"A magnificent aspect of serving as an expeditionary wing commander is that you get to execute," said General Kee. "We are all in the support business here, supporting our ground commanders in the field in the fight. Our job is to make certain they are successful, and their measure of our merit is the one that counts the most. It's the same way here with our mission partners; we all have a stake in this effort."

General Kee outlined his basic daily priorities for the wing in a triad: the mission, the people who serve here and the relationships that bind it all together. By sharing perspectives, partnering together, training and setting the conditions up correctly for future operations, General Kee said each member of the 379th is responsible for the mission, each other and the relationships we develop as host nation guests.

"We are a diverse wing," said General Kee. "Medical, maintenance, operations, support: it takes each of those groups, and each of those squadrons, and each of those flights, and each of those individuals pulling together to get the job done."

In addition to the daily priorities, General Kee said coordinating the wing's future plans and strategic communication is an integral aspect of the job.

"As each of us serve here, we can never lose the focus on the fact that we need to always and in every way, be respectful guests as an honoring tribute to the tremendous hosts we are fortunate to serve with at this installation," said General Kee.

"Serve with passion, with energy and with compassion for the Airman next to you, and at the end, you can go home with your head held high, your chest puffed out and be well equipped to tell that good story of your individual and collective accomplishments."