JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- The enlisted Airmen of Air Mobility Command honored retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Maryanne Miller with a ceremony on Joint Base MDL, inducting her into the Order of the Sword, April 23.
The Order of the Sword is the highest honor and tribute the Air Force enlisted corps can bestow upon an individual and serves as a token to a leader among leaders.
That sentiment was echoed in attribution to Miller throughout the evening.
“I’m totally amazed with the way that you led,” said Chief Master Sgt. Brian Kruzelnick, AMC command chief and the ceremony host. “You led with, not only conviction, but with love. That is something very hard to find in a leader.”
Prior to her Air Force retirement in 2020, Miller was the AMC commander and responsible for providing rapid global mobility and sustainment to America’s Armed Forces. She was a command pilot, in a variety of aircraft, with more than 4,800 flying hours in her career.
“General Miller, you have walked an extraordinary path of shattering barriers,” said retired Chief Master Sgt. Terry Greene, AMC command chief under Miller’s command. “You have given so many others the confidence to walk their own path and let their heart guide them to achieve greatness.”
To further her merit, Miller is the only Airman in the history of the Air Force Reserve to pin on a fourth star while actively serving. Also, she was the first female chief of the Air Force Reserve and commander of the Air Force Reserve Command.
Throughout her tenure, Miller led with transparency and genuine care, believing those attributes bring out the greatness in others.
“Lead from your heart. If they can’t see your heart, they’re certainly not going to share theirs. By knowing their heart, you’ll learn how to communicate… you’ll know that special language to reach each person. We then become stronger. The mission moves faster, moves better; the mission is safer.”
-U.S. Air Force Gen., retired, Maryanne Miller
This was the 11th. Order of the Sword ceremony for AMC, and their first induction of a female. This was also the first Order of the Sword ceremony held on Joint Base MDL.