An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

New vice commander at 375th Air Mobility Wing

  • Published
  • By Karen Petitt
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  In rural Prince George County, Va., John Price lived a simple life, having never traveled far beyond the county lines, but that all changed when he headed off to the Air Force Academy in 1989--his first flight ever.

Now, after 19 years of service, he has traveled to all corners of the globe including deployments to Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Haiti. During that period, Price has had 12 assignments, only one of which lasted beyond the 24-month point.

"My children, Maggie (11) and Josh (9), have definitely had a much different upbringing than I did," said the colonel, who arrived to Scott AFB late July to serve as the new 375th Air Mobility Wing vice commander. "During all of our moving around, my roots in Prince George County have been my 'stabilizing factor' as my parents and brother and sister still live there."

He said it was the leadership and developmental challenges of the Academy that drew him in, and while there he met his future wife, Stephanie, while singing in the Academy Protestant choir. They dated through his senior year, but it would be another year while she finished her studies before they could marry and start their life together.

"Stephanie very well could have chosen to fly, but at the time our priorities were focused on 'us' and how we could serve together rather than how both of us could have individual careers. So ultimately she chose to serve as an information management officer," he said.

This made it possible for them to marry in Stephanie's native town of York, Maine in April 1995--sandwiched between pilot training graduation and a move to Montana for him, and information management training in Mississippi for her. She joined him after training and they spent the next five years at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., MacDill AFB, Fla., and Grand Forks AFB, N.D. After six years active duty, Stephanie transitioned into the Reserves and has been serving ever since as an Air Force Academy Liaison officer.

Meanwhile, he spent time flying in the tanker world in the KC-135 airframe and was then selected for the Air Force Intern Program at the Pentagon for two years, which gave him an up-close view at how the Secretary of the Air Force's action group and the Joint Staff worked. It was this introduction to the strategic level that set him up for later attending the Joint Advanced Warfighting School followed by serving as a strategic planner for U.S. Pacific Command.

By now he had switched airframes to the C-17 and earned three Masters Degrees in management, organizational management, and Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy, as well as served as a squadron commander. Prior to assuming his position here as the vice wing commander, he served a year as a National Defense Fellow at MIT in Cambridge, Mass., followed by another year at the Pentagon as the Chief, Distribution Capabilities Branch in the Logistic Directorate of the Joint Staff.

"You spend a lot of time prepping for opportunities like this [vice command] and as Teddy Roosevelt used to say, 'I'm eager to get into the arena.' I'm ready to take what I've learned and truly work to help make things better for our Service and for our Airmen here.
I think I've tried to do that in every job, every position I've held ... making our lives and our Air Force better."

He said being at Scott offers a unique opportunity with its Total Force Integration efforts with the Guard and Reserve units here, and he's excited to see the wings work together on a daily basis.

"Also, the ability to have influence well beyond the wing is more noticeable here," he added. "When I was coming through the ranks at other bases, I could see how the wings had influence on the bigger missions. I hope our Airmen will see that their sphere of influence doesn't just stop at their squadron or group or in the wing, but how it impacts our mission partners in very direct and important ways."

He also said his goal is to provide whatever support and resources are needed to enable Col. David Almand's, the 375th AMW commander, and the wing's success.

"My only agenda is the commander's agenda," he said. And with that, Colonel Price said he's ready to operate effectively from the shadows. "As long as the commander is prepped for success, then that's my measure of how well I've performed my job on his behalf."