D-M, 355th Fighter Wing to change command

  • Published
  • By 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Brig. Gen. Paul T. Johnson will be relinquishing command of the base and the 355th Fighter Wing to Col. John A. Cherrey in a military ceremony here at 9 a.m. June 28, 2010.

Lt. Gen. Glenn Spears, commander of 12th Air Force and Air Forces Southern, will preside over the ceremony.

"Even after two years, I'm still amazed at just how special this place is," General Johnson said in a farewell message to the D-M community. "Now that I'm about to depart, I can only hope that every Airman and civilian here has some measure of pride in how they contribute to some of the most important missions in support of our nation's defense.

"However, the main reason we're good at what we do is you. Your professionalism, dedication, and willingness to sacrifice make it an honor to put on the uniform every day."

General Johnson came to D-M in July 2008, and he was promoted to brigadier general in August 2009. During his tenure, Team D-M's key accomplishments included:
  • Deployed more than 2,300 Airmen deployed in support of overseas contingency operations taskings
  • Wing Airmen flew 22,800 fighter sorties, totaling 49,100 hours, including 2,400 combat sorties & 10,000-plus combat hours
  • Developed innovative fix to A-10 wing crack crisis; achieved 107 percent flying operations despite 63 percent of fleet ground
  • Developed land zoning agreement with city, county, and state; secured 568,000 acres for D-M's future use
  • Directly responsible for ACC's largest sustainable energy initiative; 20-megawatt solar deal underway to provide D-M with 60 percent renewable energy
  • Established on D-M the first charter school ever on an Air Force installation
  • Oversaw 12th Air Force's largest air show, which hosted 140,000 visitors; contributed $450,000 economic impact to the community and had a perfect safety record.
General Johnson will be leaving to become the commander of the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.

Colonel Cherrey's most recent position was commander of the 451st Expeditionary Operations Group at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.