JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
The 89th Airlift Wing supported President Barack Obama’s final flight for the year on Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Dec. 16, 2016.
The First Lady accompanied President Obama along with their two daughters to his native-state of Hawaii for the holiday season.
"The members of the 89th Airlift Wing are honored to be a part of this mission,” said Col. Casey Eaton, 89th AW commander. “We flew President Obama aboard Air Force One 138 times this year, and our Airmen set the standard for safety, comfort and reliability. I couldn't be more proud of our team."
The 89th AW provides global special mission airlift, logistics, aerial port and communications for the president and other senior military and elected leaders as tasked by the White House, Air Force chief of staff and Air Mobility Command.
The wing comprises an air expeditionary, combat-ready force of more than 1,100 personnel, including Airmen who work at Joint Base Andrews’ passenger terminal to ensure the president’s air travel is a flawless operation.
Senior Airman Steven Shorter, 89th AW special air mission agent, was on duty at the passenger terminal for the president’s final flight of the year and he said his role has been both an honor and a privilege.
“Like other SAM agents, I was hand-selected by the Air Force to facilitate the president’s movements here at Andrews,” Shorter said. “Not many people get to be within arm’s reach of the president. I’m very fortunate.”
For the president’s flight, Shorter was tasked with escorting members of the public who came to the base’s passenger terminal to observe the president’s movement on the flightline from Marine One to Air Force One. Another of Shorter’s tasks was to position the staircase truck so the president could safely board Air Force One before it departed to Hawaii.
Since it began operating out of JBA as an Air Force wing in 1991, the 89th AW has strived to fulfill its number one priority of flawless mission execution.
While in Hawaii, President Obama is scheduled to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Pearl Harbor Dec. 27, 2016. The prime minister’s visit will be the first time a Japanese leader accompanies a U.S. president to the site. In 1951, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida visited Pearl Harbor during a stopover from San Francisco to Tokyo where he signed a treaty to restore relations between Japan and most of the Allied countries from World War II.
“[Prime Minister Abe’s] historic visit will stand as a tribute to the power of reconciliation and to the truth that the U.S. and Japan – bound by an alliance unimaginable 75 years ago – will continue to work hand-in-hand for a more peaceful and secure world,” said President Obama in a statement on the 75th Anniversary of the Attack of Pearl Harbor.