Alamo Wing welcomes new commander

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Lindsey Maurice
  • 433rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  Col. Thomas "T.K." K. Smith Jr. assumed command of the 433rd Airlift Wing during a ceremony here Jan. 30, 2016. Maj. Gen. John C. Flournoy Jr., 4th Air Force commander, presided over the ceremony.

"When (the previous 433rd AW commander) told me he was going to move on, the first person that came to my mind was this person right here," said Flournoy gesturing to Smith. "T.K. I just want to say congratulations for stepping up to this big challenge. This is a fantastic opportunity. I am confident you are the right person for the job."

Smith, who served as the 433rd Operations Group commander from 2007-2012, returns to the wing after serving as the 507th Operations Group commander, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and then the 459th Air Refueling Wing commander, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

"It's good to be back serving in the Alamo Wing here in San Antonio. We are so excited," Smith said. "Thank you General Flournoy for trusting me to serve a second time as wing commander and in 4th Air Force."

"To the men and women of the Alamo Wing, our country needs the best from us all," he continued. "Each month it seems we are faced with doing more with less. The Alamo Wing has proven time and again that we can meet that challenge."

"From the commanders down to the Airmen working base operating support duties or the Airmen fixing our airplanes, I ask you to influence, inspire, and impact," Smith said. "Use continuous process improvement to find new and better ways of operating. Without continued improvement through change we risk becoming irrelevant.

"The military profession we've all chosen is not easy. It's not a second job. In the words of Maj. Gen. Flournoy, 'This is tough stuff!' My and certainly many others definition of true professionalism is the recognition of being part of something bigger than yourself, in our case, the defense of the United States. I have no doubt the Alamo Wing team will meet the upcoming challenges and continue providing world class combat and military power and mobility power to our combatant commanders."

As the 433rd AW commander, Smith directs the operations and activities of approximately 2,400 people assigned to the wing headquarters and 21 subordinate units. The Alamo Wing is the home of the Formal Training Unit for all C-5M Super Galaxy aircrew training.

Smith is a command pilot with more than 6,500 hours, which include more than 350 combat and combat support hours. He is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and holds a Master of Science degree in Flight Structural Engineering from Columbia University, New York.