Gen. Wooley Honored at Order of the Sword

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  • By Master Sgt. Andrea Porter
  • Public Affairs
Hurlburt Field, Fla. --  Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command Lt. Gen. Michael W. Wooley was inducted to the Order of the Sword during a ceremony September 21.General Wooley, who has led AFSOC since July 2004, became the sixth AFSOC commander to receive this honor.

The 675 Airmen in attendance formed a human cordon to greet the general and his guests as they entered the Emerald Coast Conference Center through a sea of Air Force blue.

"There were more folks wanting to be here than we could fit into the place," said Chief Master Sergeant Michael Gilbert, AFSOC command chief. "I think that speaks for the feeling the Airmen have for their boss."

"I'm glad my glasses were fogged up so you couldn't see me crying", General Wooley said. "What a great honor. This is bar none the worlds best enlisted force without peer that's doing this nation's business, and I couldn't be more proud in my position of each and every enlisted member of AFSOC. Words can't express how much I love you guys."

Mother Nature must have known this night was special, because she stopped the downpour just before the general's arrival.

"All the constellations are lining up, the rain stopped just in time and it's not often we get to pay tribute to such a great leader, and with General Wooley, we got the right man," said Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey Richardson, 1st Special Operations Wing command chief.

The Order of the Sword, an adaptation of the old "Royal Order of the Sword" dating back to Sweden in 1522, was adopted by the noncommissioned officers of the United Stated Air Force as a method of paying tribute to those who have made significant contributions to the enlisted force. It is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a leader by the enlisted corps.

The consensus around the command was that General Wooley was an easy pick for the Order of the Sword because of his personal concern for the well-being of all enlisted men and women and for his continuous advocacy of AFSOC's people and programs.

One of the special guests, the ninth Chief Master of the Air Force James C. Binnicker, praised AFSOC's enlisted for having the wisdom and foresight to select General Wooley, in his address to the crowd. "I have seen a lot of general officers in my life... I have not seen any that would equal his compassion, his interest and love for his enlisted corps."

"The thing about General Wooley is his genuine sincere concern, I've known a lot of leaders, but with him, he goes out of his way when he sees an Airman in need of help," Chief Gilbert said. "When he sees an Airman that's out there serving his country and there's someway he can help them out...he's all over it!"

"General Wooley is a remarkable man who has a vision for the enlisted corps, said Senior Master Sgt. Steve Haggett, AFSOC first sergeant. "There's not a conversation or topic within the course of the day he's not talking about quality of life and what are we doing for the enlisted corps."

This genuine concern was evident in the way he personally greeted Airman Basic Crystal Miller from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, the youngest Airman in attendance. "I thought I might have been nervous being on camera eating at the head table with all the big dogs, but they made me laugh. They're pretty cool guys," Airman Miller said.

In his remarks to the crowd, General Wooley said, "it was mentioned early on that yesterday was the 35th anniversary of a great marriage to the most beautiful and most wonderful lady God has put into my life, Kathy Wooley, it is also the 35th anniversary of me wearing this uniform."

The general credited his parents Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Wooley for his accomplishments. "Those two people are the reason I'm standing here doing the things that I'm able to do, because of the values they instilled in me and my two brothers early on in life."

Mr. Wooley, a former Marine who received a Purple Heart for wounds suffered on Iwo Jima during World War II, stated, "this is an amazing night, and we are just glad we were able to witness it in our lifetime".

In his closing comments, General Wooley said, "It is my high honor to be inducted into the Order of the Sword. Thank you very much for that high honor, one that is the highlight of my 35 years wearing this nation's uniform. I will never forget you, I will never forget the things that you do, I will never quit praying for you every day... I want to leave you with this one thought, I will find a way where there is no way to assist without fail... I love each and every one of you, and I'm very humbled to accept this award of the Order of the Sword."