Nellis commander headed to Mideast says his time in Las Vegas has been rewarding

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Miranda Alam / Special to The Sun

Col. Paul J. Murray, commander of the 99th Air Base Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, is shown Wednesday, May 16, 2018.

Tue, May 22, 2018 (2 a.m.)

Col. Paul J. Murray

Col. Paul J. Murray commander of the 99th Air Base Wing at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas on Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Miranda Alam/Special to the Sun Launch slideshow »

Standing next to a 7-foot-tall replica of the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign changed to read “Welcome to Fabulous 99th Air Base Wing” in his office, it’s clear the city has left a lasting impression on Col. Paul J. Murray, the outgoing commander of the wing.

Murray’s change of command ceremony is Thursday, when incoming commander, Col. Cavan K. Craddock, current vice commander, 15th Wing at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, will take over.

The position includes providing installation support for operational testing, tactics development and advanced training in air, space and cyberspace, in addition to global remotely piloted aircraft operations at Nellis and Creech Air Force bases and the Nevada Test and Training Range to the north.

Murray, who has more than 2,500 flight hours in the F-16 in his career, is on his way to Qatar where he’ll serve as the chief of staff for all the U.S. air forces in central command, units based mostly in the Middle East.

“It’ll be a year away from my family, but it’s going to be a real important job,” Murray said. “Both for national security and the Air Force.”

Of all the places Murray and his family have lived in his 24-year military career, he said Las Vegas ranks right near the top, which explains the reasons his family chose to live in Las Vegas when he would depart for the next year.

“There’s so much more to do around the valley other than the Strip, and I love the Strip as much as the next guy, but my kids and I really enjoy mountain biking and soccer and everything else,” he said. “There’s very few places, if any, that have the diversity of opportunities here and recreation here of anywhere I’ve ever been.”

Murray said the recession took a toll on the U.S. economy and the Air Force that lingered years later. Murray said Nellis lost a lot of connections in the city at that time by not working with community leaders as much because of financial constraints.

“So, when I came in, I made it a priority to reconnect with the local community,” he said. “We had the air show that year, almost 300,000 showed up that year. Clearly the community was ready to re-engage with the base.”

Murray also put time into meeting with state, county and city leaders to get those relations rolling again.

“I’m really proud of those connections we’ve done,” he said. “It’s been at an important time, because since I came on the economy has really come on in the local area. They’re starting to build again; you see new places going up all around the valley, and the new administration increased the budget for the military.”

Clark County is working with the base to help each other grow, as evidenced last week with the two entities hosting a groundbreaking for a Carey Road extension near the southern portion of the base.

He’s also worked closely with the area’s professional sports teams, who have been quick to partner with Nellis for events. During this year’s NFL Draft, Nellis teamed up with the Raiders, who announced their final-day picks from the Thunderbirds hangar on base.

“One of the great relationships that we have is with the sports teams,” Murray said. “The Raiders got with us early on and wanted to be partners, and we have cherished that relationship already and we’re really excited about it.”

The base has also worked with the Vegas Golden Knights, even naming President Kerry Bubolz an honorary commander. Bubolz donated 700 Golden Knights game tickets to Nellis officials and their families.

“We give tours all the time — I love to show off the base,” he said. “Whether it’s mom and pop on the corner coming to our air show to learn about the base, or bigwigs from downtown or the big-name sports athletes. It’s just as much of an excitement for them to see the airplanes as it is for some of airmen to see some of the pros.”

Murray’s tenure also included tragedy when one the Thunderbirds airmen was killed during a training exercise.

“We had so many phone calls from people saying, ‘I grew up watching the Thunderbirds, we feel like we lost one of our own,'" he said. “That really touched us and let us know that having the Thunderbirds here is more than just getting to see an airshow or the prestige of having the Air Force here. It also means a lot to our community.”

Nellis is the center of operational testing for the entire Air Force, Murray said. Every new airplane the Air Force buys goes to Nellis first before getting sent to the fleet to be tested.

“When we give it to our airmen to fight in combat, we know it’s going to be great,” he said.

Also, units from around the world come to Nellis to train throughout the year, specifically for Red Flag training days, because Nellis, Creech and the testing and training range offer exercises unavailable elsewhere.

“A lot of countries are buying the F-35 and those countries want to come here to train, because we are the only place in the free world that brings all the capabilities that we’ve talked about together in one place,” Murray said. “It’s the only place in the free world that can test the F-35 to its full capabilities.”

As Murray exits his Nellis office, the Welcome to the 99th Air Wing sign that’s adorned his office since an airman and his daughter built it for an awards ceremony in November, won’t be coming with him, despite an effort to station it in his home.

The commander of his household gave the final word. “My wife said no,” Murray jokingly recalled.

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