Another Tinker star

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. Armstrong
  • Tinker Public Affairs
On Nov. 12, Tinker celebrated one of their own.

Brig. Gen. Bruce Litchfield, 76th Maintenance Wing commander, was promoted to major general. More than 200 people gathered at Hollywood and Vine in Bldg. 3001 to celebrate the occasion.

"I truly am humbled by today," said General Litchfield. "This is something I really try to carry with me. When I pinned on one star, I was excited. When I got in the receiving line, the first person came up to me and said, 'Congratulations, General,' and it shook me from head to toe. It was the first time I heard it, but it was really the first time I thought, 'Wow, I have to live up to that.' So now, I only want to remember when someone says 'general' and they're referring to me, that it always shakes and humbles me."

General Litchfield said he doesn't want to take the new rank for granted. He wants to be able to accomplish whatever is asked of him.

"I have to step up even more to help the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines do what they do," he said. "But, we're going to do it as a team and there's no better team to be on than, Team Tinker."

General Litchfield arrived at Tinker in January 2009, a year-and-a-half after he pinned on his first star. Since coming here, he's led the maintenance wing to earn an "excellent" rating on the November 2009 operational readiness inspection and aided the wing to pass the Logistics Compliance Assessment Team evaluation in March of this year. He is also credited with driving substantial mission improvements within the wing.

"I'm proud that the Air Force was wise enough to promote Bruce, because not only does he deserve it, but it's the right thing for the Air Force," said Maj. Gen. David Gillett, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center commander. "Bruce, I'm glad to call you colleague and glad I've had a chance to serve with you and look forward to continuing to serve with you."

Per military tradition, General Litchfield's second stars were pinned on by his wife, Linda, and their two children, Matthew and Jennifer.