LAKEHURST – You could learn about jets, military hardware and sheer speed but officials at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst stressed that the true “power in the pines” were the people who serve in the military branches at the base and who are part of the community.
This year’s Power in the Pines event started off on the soggy side with some rain that delayed a few pre-show events but that didn’t dampen the excitement of those attendees who came out on Saturday and Sunday which featured clear skies and mild temperatures.
According to the JBMDL Public Affairs Office the event drew over 165,000 attendees during the weekend and a live stream brought in an additional 200,000 viewers across 39 countries.
The event allowed attendees to observe what equipment, units and programs are taking place at the joint base made up of Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and National Guard units among other personnel. It also allowed them to meet some of those who serve on the base and learn what they do.
Photo courtesy Brian Lundy
Coast Guard Lieutenant Junior Grade Maxamillion Carfagno is one of those individuals. He was escorting members of the press onto the base for a news conference and told Jersey Shore Online.com/Micromedia Publications that he had been serving at the JBMDL for about a year and serves as the chemical division officer in the Atlantic Strike Team “which is a special deployable unit for the National Strike Force which is a statutory team for Hazmat and oil pollution response.”
“In addition, we do a lot of emergency management and response and so I am part of a search and rescue team,” he added. “It is a three-year tour for us so I’ll be here until 2027 and then it is on to the next adventure.”
Carfagno said the unit is comprised of 45 active duty and reservists. “We work closely with a lot of the other New Jersey Coast Guard units. Our main role is to help federal on scene coordinators. Basically, Martine response of any pollution spill. We can be incorporated into their emergency management scheme.”
Photo courtesy Brian Lundy
The press conference featured Col. Anthony Smith who is the commander of JBMDL and the 87th Air Base Wing. He provides installation support to more than 80 mission partners at the Defense Department’s only tri-service base.
Joining him was Chief Master Sgt. Michael Wynne of the 87th Air Base Wing who is the senior enlisted leader at the base. The wing provides mission support, civil engineer and medical services to more than 88 mission partners and 52,000 active duty, reserve, guard, civilian, retiree and family members residing on the base.
Colonel Smith said he was busy working on the transition of his successor which will take place next month. “The change of command is June 17 for the 87th Air Base Wing and the Joint Base Commander.”
“I’m heading down to the Pentagon after this assignment. What I will miss about this place is that for one, it is a unique installation. There are a lot of things that only happen here the way we are structured. We have several Joint Bases but this is the only one that have three services joined together to become a joint base,” Smith added.
“We have two deputy base commanders to represent the other branches (Army and Navy).” Smith noted the relationship between the three military branches. “I have never seen it better than the way we have it structured and the folks who are in that seat here so I will miss that.”
Photo courtesy Brian Lundy
Smith said, “you sometimes get to go to some extraordinary places and some places you would like to avoid going back to but what you tend to remember and rely on the most are the relationships you have at that time.”
“The individuals during my command tour here in the last 23 months have been phenomenal. The teamwork that we have been able to execute a relationship to make Joint Base to function the way it needs to. Those relationships I will miss the most,” he added.
Wynne noted “we’ve taken a lot of time and effort to maximize the Joint Base and all the facilities that exist here to get our folks to just get used to working together because if you are in the Air Force you are just doing Air Force stuff, if you are in the Army, you are just doing Army stuff but here you do all of it.”
Lt. Col. Matthew Mattson, who served as the event’s director, said, “Putting together JBMDL’s Open House and Airshow was a huge team effort with almost 3,000 people pitching in from the installation and our local communities.”
“More than 2,300 of our own joint force military members and federal civilians stepped up, while a core team of 89 people somehow managed to plan this entire thing for the past year on top of their regular jobs,” he added.
An infant wears ear protection while joining their parents for a preview of the Power in the Pines Air Show event on the tarmac of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. (Photo by Bob Vosseller)
Mattson shared, “we had 400 on and off base police from local, state and federal agencies keeping everyone safe; paramedics from nine different squads ready to help; local fire departments on-site; 15 nearby hospitals on call; and emergency management teams from two counties all working together.”
“At the end of the day, it’s all about celebrating our military heritage and hopefully sparking something in the next generation of Americans who might serve their country or better understand what the military does for our nation,” Mattson noted.
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