Maj. Gen. Frederick Martin assumed command of the Air Force Expeditionary Center at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., this week. Gen. Paul Selva, head of Air Mobility Command, presided over the Sept. 9 change-of command ceremony, according to McGuire’s Sept. 11 release. Martin succeeded Maj. Gen. William J. Bender who ran the center since October 2010. “There is mobility happening everywhere on every continent of the globe,” said Martin upon assuming command. He said the center builds relationships that lead to partnerships. Martin comes to the Expeditionary Center after a year as deputy director of the Office of Security Cooperation-Baghdad, Iraq. The center is the Air Force’s center of excellence for advanced expeditionary combat support training and education. (McGuire report by Capt. Brooke Brzozowske)
Gene Smith, Former POW and AFA Chair, Dies at 91
Jan. 19, 2026
Lt. Col. Richard “Gene” Smith, who overcame five and a half years as a prisoner of war in the notorious Hanoi Hilton from 1967 until 1973, died Jan. 16. He was one day short of his 91st birthday.
