Haas, who was awarded the Legion of Merit during the ceremony, said he was thankful for the opportunity to lead ENJJPT, and thank those who helped him successfully complete his mission including his family, the men and women of the 80th FTW, the 82nd Training Wing, as well as community leaders and partners from outside the fenceline. You worked hard to make sure every nation and every partner had an equal voice and an equal vote in our future, and thatвЂ™s not always easy to do.вЂќ вЂњYour transparent approach, your straight-forward style quickly proved to all that youвЂ™re a leader to be trusted. вЂњIвЂ™m most proud of your efforts to strengthen this alliance,вЂќ the general said. Perhaps more impressive, he said, was HaasвЂ™s transparency while fostering an environment of respect, togetherness and unity within ENJJPT. Through it all, military, civilian and contract employees continued to generate training sorties. The continued threat of COVID-19 upon his arrival two years ago and two significant weather events posed significant challenges to the program. Wills also thanked Haas for his leadership during some tough times at ENJJPT. вЂњDuring the timeframe that IвЂ™ve had the opportunity to be connected to (Orgeron), thereвЂ™s a constant theme, and that is you send him to do a tough job and soon afterward, your friends call and tell you what a fabulous job he is doing in tough circumstances,вЂќ he said. The totality of his opportunities to this point, he said, has prepared him to take on this unique challenge of training combat pilots for the Alliance. The general said Orgeron learned the true value of training as a FAIP, and followed that experience in the operational world by flying the Air ForceвЂ™s air superiority fighter, the F-15E Strike Eagle. For ENJJPT, that team is Orgeron and Chief Master Sgt. Wills said one of the best parts about being in the Air Force is that as one leadership team is transitioning out of an assignment, another team is waiting in the wings to continue carrying the torch of excellence. вЂњI work for you to knock down the roadblocks so you can get after the mission.вЂќ

вЂњMy personal perspective on leadership is the servant mentality,вЂќ he said. The colonel said he looks forward to getting to the business of the worldвЂ™s only multinationally run and managed flying training program and working beside the men and women of ENJJPT.

Orgeron said events in Eastern Europe are examples of the importance of training and operating together, and building those relationships start at ENJJPT from Day 1. Our alliance has never been more important.вЂќ вЂњWe train combat aviators that are going to go out and fight for our alliance. He said he also understands the role of the program for the Air Force as well as its NATO partners. Orgeron acknowledged the accomplishments of Haas during his two-year tenure, adding that he experienced the professionalism of Airmen in the wing in May when he attended pilot instructor training. Wills, 19th Air Force commander, officiated the ceremony. Haas Jr., who relinquished command during the event. Coincidentally, he was a few classes behind his 80th FTW predecessor, Col. The colonel, who accepted command during a ceremony, began his Air Force career in Air Education and Training Command as a First Assignment Instructor Pilot at Randolph AFB, Texas, after completing undergraduate student pilot training at Columbus AFB, Mississippi, in 2000. Orgeron returned to familiar territory June 24, 2022, when he took command of the 80th Flying Training Wing here, home to the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program.

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