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ASC COMMANDER DELIVERS JOINT BASE CHARLESTON'S NEWEST JET

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Bill Walsh
  • 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. --  A shiny new C-17 was delivered to Joint Base Charleston by Lt. Gen. Thomas Owen, Air Force Aeronautical Systems Center commander, Feb. 25, 2011 and during a planeside ceremony upon arrival the general handed keys to 315th Airlift Wing Commander, Col. Steven Chapman.

Col. Martha Meeker, 628th Air Base Wing commander and Col. John Wood, 437th AW commander were also presented keys to the $200 million jet which will be flown by both the active and reserve wings at Joint Base Charleston.

Reserve members of the 317th Airlift Squadron here picked up the new aircraft with General Owen at Boeing's C-17 factory in Long Beach, Calif. Before taking delivery, General Owen spent some time with the hundreds of workers who built the aircraft and thanked them for their service and hard work.

"I'm proud to be here and to have the opportunity to thank you for your dedication to building one of the finest airplanes in the world," General Owen said. "As a young captain, I saw visions of the future with the YC-14 and YC-15 which were just designs. Roll the clock forward 20 years and I'm the program manager of what that has become."

The C-17 provides rapid global mobility for America and is the backbone to our countries military response around the world. Being able to lift over a half million pounds into the air and transport it across the planet is what the C-17 is all about.
Charleston took delivery of the very first Globemaster III back in 1993 and with this new addition, now has 61 jets to answer the country's call.

"I'm thrilled to be a part of this delivery team," said Lt. Col. John Russi who was the delivery team's aircraft commander. "It's not everyday you can go out to the factory and pick up a new airplane."

One of the many missions the C-17 provides is aeromedical evacuation of wounded warriors. As a flying hospital, the C-17 transports patients around the world with medical teams on board.

"This airplane and the men and women who operate it are saving lives everyday," said General Owen as he showcased the various roles the aircraft plays in today's military including humanitarian missions. "Every time there is a hurricane, earthquake or disaster, you'll see that big 't-tail' showing up with needed help. It makes me very proud."

Boeing has produced 208 C-17's for the Air Force and has also sold the jets to countries such as England, Canada, Australia, Qatar and others. Joint Base Charleston remains one of the country's major C-17 hubs and training centers.

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