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Oregon Airman to take over at 1st Air Force

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Nick Choy
  • Oregon National Guard
PORTLAND --  A former Oregon Air National Guard wing commander has been appointed as commander, Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Command Region - 1st Air Force (Air Forces Northern).

Air Force Maj. Gen. Garry C. Dean is scheduled to assume the post from the current commander, Air Force Maj. Gen. Henry C. Murrow, during a ceremony at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., on Nov. 12.

"To have one of our own selected to run 1st Air Force is a great honor," said Army Maj. Gen. Raymond F. Rees, the adjutant general of the Oregon National Guard.

Dean served under Rees' command when he worked as the state director of Operations and as the assistant adjutant general for Air at Oregon's Joint Force Headquarters.

Rees said Dean's appointment to lead 1st Air Force is also a testament to the high caliber of people in the Oregon National Guard, and the organization's ability to train its members for leadership roles at the national level and beyond.

"Regardless of where Dean serves, it reflects well on our programs and our development of leaders here in Oregon," Rees said.

Dean is currently the deputy inspector general of the Air Force at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., a position he took in February 2008. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1978 and trained at Randolph AFB, Texas before serving as an F-15 pilot in Japan.

He joined the Oregon Air National Guard in March 1990, and has served in several leadership positions at the fighter wing and state headquarters.

Morrow will serve as the defense representative for the U.S. Liaison Office in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

"Hank has been one of the most effective and forward-thinking commanders I've had the pleasure of working with throughout NORAD and U.S. Northern Command," said Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, NORAD-USNORTHCOM commander. "While I'm sorry to see him depart, change is the nature of our business and I wish him only the best. We look forward to having General Dean on board."

The mission of 1st Air Force is air sovereignty and air defense of the continental United States. It's a mission Morrow said he will miss.

"The importance of the mission here cannot be understated, and it's one that gave me great pride to support," said Morrow, who assumed command here in 2006. "I was able to work with some of the best and brightest, and there's no greater highlight in an assignment than working with the most professional men and women in the Air Force and throughout the Department of Defense."