Logistics director visits Pope Airmen Published June 5, 2006 By Senior Airman Stacia Zachary POPE AIR FORCE BASE, NC -- The director of logistics for Air Mobility Command met with base leaders Wednesday and Thursday to check logistics and maintenance procedures, check facilities and meet with Bronze Star recipients. Maj. Gen. Loren M. Reno will bid goodbye to AMC as he prepares for his position as the Defense Logistics Agency vice director at Fort Belvoir, Va. As the general toured Pope’s facilities and met with logistics Airmen, he also partook in a “run with the troops” for morning physical training and held a logistics call at the base theater. In his second day of touring Pope, General Reno met with the Iraq convoy operators. The 43rd Logistics Readiness Squadron supports the regular billet for Airmen to perform convoy operation duties. The general also met with two Bronze Star recipients. Master Sgt. Dobie Strong and Tech. Sgt. Dwayne Harris were rewarded for heroic measures performed while attached to convoy operations in Iraq. Sergeant Strong was humbled by his meeting with the general. “I feel honored that a two-star general found the time to stop by and visit,” he said, “but I don’t feel I did anything heroic. (What I was able to accomplish) was more a credit to my training I received for the missions I completed.” As for Sergeant Harris, he felt that General Reno’s visit showed Pope Airmen that “Headquarters AMC and the 43rd Airlift Wing are all about (supporting) their Airmen.” The general’s arrival was important to Team Pope because it gave them an opportunity to show off their wares and brag about their accomplishments. “(His visit) displays a real concern for personnel that are performing tasks outside their career field,” said Sergeant Strong. “For those of us that have deployed to have someone of his stature verify the accomplishments of the people only adds to the importance of the career field.” In all, the 12 Airmen involved in Army convoy operations have garnered several awards to include one Purple Heart, three Bronze Stars and nine Army commendation medals. On a final note, while General Reno’s visit to Pope signaled to all Pope logistics Airmen that they are valuable, he was also given proper justification that his role as director of logistics has been important and necessary. “For the general, there’s nothing like hearing how your programs have helped those under your chain of command. Thank you,” said Sergeant Strong.