Late night host opens Air Force recruiting site

  • Published
  • By Luke Waack
  • JBER PAO
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Tonight Show host Jay Leno opened the newest military recruiting station in Wasilla, Saturday.

The king of late night TV watched as 13 locals took the enlistment oath as part of the Air Force Reserve recruiting station grand opening.

Leno's appearance is part of the Reserve's ongoing effort to fill approximately 250 positions in the 477th Fighter Group, a new unit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Wasilla and small towns all across the U.S. are what make our nation great, Leno said, along with the men and women serving in the military who have helped make his success possible.

"I come from a town a lot smaller than this and this is really what America is all about," Leno said, "I just like this small hometown feel, regular folks come out to see men and women enlisting in the United States Armed Forces - boy it's amazing."

There's something special about towns like this, Leno said.

"Living in Los Angeles is fine - it's nice, it's fun, it's busy - but just to be in the heartland of America, even though we're sort of far away from what people call the heartland, it's really the heartland when you look around and see regular folks ... It feels like we're in the Andy Griffith Show," Leno joked, "But that's a good thing."

Leno thanked the newest members of the Air Force Reserve.

"I thank you so much for doing this, because I wouldn't be able to do what I do. People say, 'oh, you have all these nice cars,' well I wouldn't have them if it wasn't for you guys," Leno said, "I appreciate all that you've done."

The 477th FG stood up recently and Leno's visit helped draw attention to the location at the corner of the Parks and Palmer-Wasilla highways.

The building houses other military recruiting stations as well.

Hundreds of community members flocked to the recruiting station at noon, to catch a glimpse of Leno, and if they were lucky, to pose with him in a photo.

Air Force Col. Eric Overturf, 477th FG commander, addressed the crowd.

"We are so happy that we are now going to have a place to get to see and talk to and recruit people here in the fastest growing part of Alaska, right here in the Mat-Su Valley," Overturf said.

Leno topped the distinguished visitor list, but it also included Air Force Maj. Gen. Frank Padilla, Commander, 10th Air Force, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas; Air Force Col. Joe Wilburn, Air Force Reserve, chief of recruiting and Wasilla mayor, Verne Rupright.

Padilla led the new recruits through the oath of enlistment and Leno and Rupright cut the ceremonial ribbon at the door to the recruiting station.