Photo By Staff Sgt. Nicole Erb | U.S. Air Force Col. Ray Luevanos, right, former 446th Mission Support Group commander,...... read more read more
Twenty-five years ago, a young Ray Luevanos sat in the crowd baring witness to the momentous occasion of his father's retirement.
His father, Ray Luevanos Sr., enlisted in the Air Force as a jet mechanic later retiring as a chief master sergeant after 30 years of service.
Inspired by his father, he followed in his footsteps, earning his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 1990.
Luevanos, the former 446th Mission Support Group commander here, celebrated 30 years of service, with his father and mother by his side, in a retirement ceremony held here Oct. 4.
His parents, Leticia and Luevanos Sr., made the four-day, 300-mile journey from San Antonio, Texas to see their son retire.
“We are so proud of him,” Luevanos Sr. said. “He has had a very rewarding career. Today marks the 25th anniversary of my retirement, what a coincidence.”
During the ceremony, Luevanos Sr. placed a retirement pin on his son’s lapel and they embraced.
“Mom and Dad, you are the reason I am here today,” Luevanos said. “Every step of the the way you have encouraged and inspired me.”
The El Paso, Texas native comes from a strong lineage of those who have served. His father and uncles enlisted in the Air Force, Army and the Marines during the Vietnam War.
Luevanos started his active duty career as a C-141B navigator at Joint Base Lewis-McChord where he acquired over 2,400 hours as an instructor and evaluator over the course of his career.
After nine years, he transitioned to the Air Force Reserve as an 313th Airlift Squadron instructor navigator.
In 2002, he came to the 446th Airlift Wing as an executive officer and later became the operations officer McChord’s last Tactical Airlift Control Element.
In October 2008, Luevanos served as the deputy commander of the 446th MSG.
For three years, he assumed the role as the Oregon Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer for the National Security Emergency Preparedness staff, First Air Force, Tyndall Air Force, Florida.
Luevanos, who has spent 27 of his 30 years of service at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, said he considers the military his second family.
“I’m going to miss the people the most,” Luevanos said. “You see your friends and the people you grew up with in the military and you get to talk about their families and share their successes— the graduations, the anniversaries, the birthdays. Not only do we work together, we care about each other.”
During his three years serving as the 446th MSG commander, Luevanos said he took the most pride in seeing his Airmen deploy. He traveled to the airport to send off and welcome his Airmen.
“Last year, we had the largest deployment we've had since since 2009,” he said. “We sent off 200 Airmen from the Mission Support Group to 15 different locations in Europe, Southwest Asia, and Africa. This is one of the best memories I have; our Airmen serving their country and doing what they are trained to do.”
Luevanos challenged Reserve Citizen Airmen to remember the reason why they raise their right hand and to practice their core values.
“Honor your oath and commit it to memory,” Luevanos said. “Every time I give an an oath of reenlistment it renews that commitment. When Airmen say that oath, I say it too. I always tell Airmen this is a sacred oath and vow. Secondly, be a good wingman, I am firm believer at any given time Airmen have challenges. There is always an opportunity to check in with each other and take care of one another on both a professional and personal level.”
| Date Taken: | 10.26.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 11.06.2020 17:46 |
| Story ID: | 381790 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 101 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Like father, like son: Luevanos retires after 30 years of service, by 2nd Lt. Mary Andom, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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