Northcom commander visits Laughlin

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LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The general, in charge of leading the team that protects the North American continent, checked out the newest weapons in the Air Force's arsenal when he spoke at their graduation here Jan. 23.

Gen. Victor E. Renuart, Jr., commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, both located at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., delivered the graduation address to class 09-04.

The class had 20 members destined for pilot assignments across the Air Force, ranging from Unmanned Aerial Systems to cargo aircraft, all ready to serve under Gen. Renuart if the need arises.

"I'm so very proud of what every one of you stands for," Gen. Renuart told the Air Force's newest pilots. He advised the pilots to make sure they take advantage of everything they learned during their last 52-weeks of pilot training here at Laughlin.

The pilot training graduates got a wealth of experience from the pilot, who's flown nearly 4,000 hours with 60 combat sorties over Iraq and was the commander of Joint Task Force - Southwest Asia in April of 2000 through May of 2001, which enforced the southern "No-Fly Zone" over Iraq.

He's also led several wings and held assignments throughout the Department of Defense.