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18th AF commander speaks at Tinker Senior Leaders Forum

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. Armstrong
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE --  Maj. Gen. James Hawkins spoke Feb. 13 at the Tinker Senior Leaders Forum. More than 50 senior military and civilian leaders attended the event at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center.
   The event, an initiative by Maj. Gen. Loren Reno, OC-ALC commander, is the first of several throughout the year. The purpose is to expose senior Tinker leaders to other senior Air Force and Department of Defense members and hear their experiences and advice.
   "(The forum) addresses one of three priorities that our Chief of Staff has - to care for our people--Airmen, civilians and their families," said General Hawkins, 18th Air Force commander at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. "This is a great opportunity General Reno has set up for the folks who work here at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center."
   During his briefing, General Hawkins spoke about the 18th AF, a customer of the OC-ALC, and the Air Force core values.
   The 18th AF is a warfighting component within Air Mobility Command. It is responsible for five aircraft including the KC-135 Stratotanker, and seven operational support aircraft. The 18th AF employs more than 54,000 military and civilian members.
   Yet, his main focus was leadership.
   "One of the things I always like to think about when it comes to leadership is how it goes back to our Air Force core values," General Hawkins said. "The core values are something we either truly espouse or we don't."
   Though he said he was convinced everyone in the anaconda room abided by the core values, General Hawkins read stories about three people's actions to express his point. Each character emulated a specific core value.
   "I'm a pretty simple-minded guy and when you talk about these things to me a story is worth 1,000 words in terms of what remembering what integrity means, what service before self means and what excellence means," General Hawkins said.
   General Hawkins concluded his briefing by answering questions from the audience. When he finished, General Reno presented General Hawkins with a coin and a salute.