TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- When he was in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at Loyola Marymount University, a young Jeff King never dreamed of becoming a major general in the United States Air Force.
“When I was a youngster, I just wanted to fly jets,” said King. When that didn’t pan out, he turned to aircraft maintenance.
“I realized I wanted to be as close to the mission as possible,” he said. “I quickly bonded with the [aircraft maintenance] career field and the people doing the work. And, frankly, I’ve never looked back.”
Now, he has a front row seat to watch the men and women of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex “perform minor miracles each and every day” that translate into operational success for the Air Force.
On a recent episode of Tinker Talks, King discussed his career, the OC-ALC mission and the more than 10,500 military and civilian professionals who do their part to deliver combat power for America.
King describes the OC-ALC workforce as “dedicated, disciplined, innovative and tenacious.”
“Those are just a few words that come to mind when I think about the OC-ALC workforce,” he said. “These people know there are sons and daughters, mothers and fathers out there counting on what we do.”
In fact, the Air Force is powered through the work done by the ALC workforce. The complex performs programmed depot maintenance and modifications on KC-46, KC-135, B-1B, B-52, E-3 and Navy E-6 aircraft, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul for F100, F101, F108, F110, F117, F118, F119, F135 and TF33 engines, and a wide variety of commodities for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and foreign military sales partners.
“I guarantee the OC-ALC and the impact we have on readiness keeps our enemies up at night,” King said. “For us, that’s job one. This is an incredibly proud team of Americans. While it isn’t always easy, we are always focused on the mission.”
King took command of the ALC in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which has had an impact on the production.
“COVID has been an incredible disrupter,” the general said. “I am so proud of our people and their ability to fight through COVID, despite the many challenges we’ve experienced.”
Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or at https://www.dvidshub.net/audio/68354/tinker-talks-oc-alc-commander-talks-career-mission-and-people.