Hill making great progress after tough years, departing general says
HILL AIR FORCE BASE — A change of command at the Ogden Air Logistics Center is immediate. When Maj. Gen. Kathie Close yields command to Maj. Gen. Andrew Busch on Thursday, she leaves that day.
Busch will be in charge of the four wings that support Hill Air Force Base's major mission: making sure planes and missiles are ready for combat.
He'll be responsible for the good and the bad at the base.
It's similar to 2007 when Close took over for then-Maj. Gen. Kevin Sullivan, who was later demoted after four electrical fuses for ballistic missile nuclear warheads were mistakenly shipped from Hill Air Force Base to Taiwan in 2006. The shipment was supposed to contain helicopter batteries.
Even though Close wasn't the commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Center at the time, she received a formal reprimand once the mistake came to light.
"When you accept that flag on the stage, you take on the responsibility whether you know it or not," she said.
And she's spent the past year working to right the situation. A major investigation was launched and found weaknesses in logistics procedures. Supervisors have been removed or reassigned, Close said. New controls and procedures are in place. And when Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Air Force Secretary Michael Donley visited Hill on May 30, they gave Close the thumbs up.
But she knows there's more work to be done.
"I am very proud of what the center has done as a result of that investigation," Close said. "Was it tough? Absolutely."
On Thursday, Close, 52, will finish preparations for a cross-country drive to Ohio, where she will take the reins as director of logistics for Air Force Materiel Command. The new job will give the highest-ranked woman in Utah a chance to work on policies that affect materiel command bases.
Though Close doesn't consider the job a promotion, she will be able to direct policy for the three air logistics centers in the United States.
She said she hopes to make changes to the way mission assignments are done and to help the command shift from being purely functional to a more enterprising role.
All of that starts July 20 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where Close will see at least one familiar face. Col. Linda Medler, formerly commander of the 75th Air Base Wing at Hill, is chief of staff to Gen. Donald Hoffman, commander of the Air Force Materiel Command.
Wright-Patterson isn't exactly new territory for Close. This is her third assignment there since 2000. And that's where she was born.
E-MAIL: jdougherty@desnews.com
TWITTER: desnewsdavis
Comments
- High school girls basketball: Top 20 1:40 a.m.
- High school swimming rankings 1:28 a.m.
- High school girls basketball rankings 1:19 a.m.
- High school boys basketball rankings 1:00 a.m.
- Preps of the week 12:49 a.m.
- Y. volleyball beats UVU 12:46 a.m.
- Sports on the air 12:43 a.m.
- Utah Jazz: Game at a glance 12:40 a.m.
- Williams' late jumper tops Spurs 12:34 a.m.
- Revive full food tax? 12:19 a.m.
- Cougars going back to Vegas
- Utah/BYU rivalry can be more civil
- TCU to play Boise in Fiesta Bowl
- Witness: Mitchell stalked victims
- Y. profs: Beck not all-knowing
- Bring the true spirit of Christmas
- Utes excited to go to San Diego
- BYU professor remembered
- Winter weather is here to stay
- Answers for the BCS
- Y. profs: Beck not all-knowing
261 - TCU to play Boise in Fiesta Bowl
203 - Letters: Global warming a lie
156 - Cougars going back to Vegas
147 - Utah/BYU rivalry can be more civil
134 - George lost in rivalry hatefest
119 - Ed Smart 'appalled' at testimony
100 - Harpring's NBA career is over
96 - Utahns want health care reform bills
78 - Utes excited to go to San Diego
75
For the latest news in the health care debate and how it affects you...
Amazon.com, Target.com, Sears.com, Walmart.com, Kmart.com and...
When Boozer was shooting the free throws, why Sloan didn't substitute Mathew...
actions, I will be forced to be accountable for them. I refuse. I am an...
What's with the Utah fans flashing the double L sign?
@mark: So Sam da Ham... you were just making it up?" I'm a climate...
"I have no idea why BYU fans are talking smack about bowl opponents. Even if...
You say to "quit whining and play somebody." Isn't that what everyone is...
Reading these comments, I start wondering-- Whatever happened to faith? Why...
All those numbers when all you reall need to know is that BYU has beat Utah...
All thos numbers when all you reall need to know is that BYU has beat Utah...
So Sam da Ham, when you said this: "Not so. Al Gore is poised to make...



You can be the first to comment on this story.