Team McChord- Ready to win!

  • Published
  • By Col. R. Wyn Elder
  • 62nd Airlift Wing commander
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  McChord Field, we have reached the home stretch for the RODEO competition! International competitors began arriving Monday, followed Saturday with more than 110 United States teams.

Despite a high operations tempo, including many inspections, deployments and other events, the 62nd Airlift Wing, 446th Airlift Wing, 627th Air Base Group, and Soldiers from across Joint Base Lewis-McChord have been carefully planning and preparing for this event for more than a year as a total force team. Now, we're transitioning from planning mode to execution. Service members from across the installation have stepped up to volunteer as wranglers, distinguished visitor escorts, team hosts, liaisons and more. For the next week, these individuals will be busy behind the scenes, keeping our guests comfortable and RODEO running smoothly. While they will be showing off the hospitality of the Evergreen State, another group of 62nd AW and 627th ABG Airmen will show our guests our competitive side as our combined team.

Our team is comprised of professional air crews, aerial porters, maintainers, security forces and finance experts from the combined 62nd AW and 627th ABG team who will compete against the best mobility Airmen in the world. This is a friendly competition, but make no mistake, we're here to win! Like all the competitors, the 62nd AW and 627th ABG team has chosen its best to put forward, and I am confident we will bring home the trophies... just like in 2009!

The 62nd AW and 627th ABG Airmen deliver airlift excellence every day as we keep McChord tails flying to all corners of the globe. Now we will have the opportunity to prove to our colleagues that the men and women of the 62nd AW and 627th ABG are truly the best!

Take time to come out and support your fellow Airmen. Once the competition begins, installation employees can find out where to see teammates perform at https://private.amc.af.mil/rodeo/infocenter/infocenter.aspx. Make sure to check in before heading to events as the schedule is expected to change frequently.

Thank you to everyone, your contributions to this event will make this year's RODEO the best ever!