ACC commander visits Hill AFB Published Sept. 28, 2010 By Airman 1st Class Melissa Dearstone 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Gen. William M. Fraser III, the commander of Air Combat Command, visited Hill Air Force Base Aug. 30 and 31 to meet with Airmen and gain a first-hand look at how Hill maintains operational readiness. The 388th and 419th Fighter Wings, 4th Fighter Squadron and 421st Aircraft Maintenance Unit were just a few of the facilities General Fraser toured while discussing topics of interest with Airmen. One of the first topics addressed during his tour was Hill's selection as a preferred alternative location for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. "I was delighted when I heard Hill was a preferred alternative selection," said General Fraser. "It's positioned well here with access to the range and a superior training environment. Coupled with the total force, this makes it a natural blend, and I am looking forward to a final decision." The visit to Hill helped the general meet some of his goals during his time as ACC commander. "I wanted to get out in my first year and visit all of our bases and listen to our Airmen to find out what's on their minds, what their issues are and see if we can work them," said General Fraser. "To open up the lines of communication has been key, and it helps me better understand the issues they face." The commander also gave his thoughts on how the Ogden Air Logistics Center, which is responsible for the depot maintenance of the F-16, A-10 and C-130, contributes to the goals of ACC. "The OO-ALC is a critical part of our weapon systems," General Fraser said. "The work they're doing on the F-16 is certainly a key part in keeping the aircraft in today's fight. I appreciate all the hard work that has gone in to making sure those aircraft are ready to go forward and not going to be requiring a lot of additional work by our Airmen downrange." Lastly, General Fraser discussed Hill's upcoming operational readiness inspection, which is scheduled in November. "I'm not concerned about the upcoming inspection, because as I've gone around Team Hill today, I have noticed that everybody is doing their job to the best of their ability," the general said. "It's about doing our job the right way all the time not about an inspection. We are in a marathon not a sprint to an inspection and we need to always do our job in a safe manner and prove that we can generate and deploy and then fly, fight and win." General Fraser said that he was very pleased with the way Hill AFB is run and how all Airmen work together as a team to get their jobs done right."As I look forward to the future, I want to make sure that we continue taking care of our Airmen, do everything that we can to fight today and be prepared for tomorrow within the resources that we have," General Fraser said.