325th Fighter Wing commander receives first star Published Sept. 5, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Vesta M. Anderson 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 325th Fighter Wing commander, Col. Darryl Roberson, pinned on the rank of brigadier general during an official promotion ceremony here Sept. 3. The ceremony was officiated by Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, United States Air Force chief of staff. "We're going to pin Colonel Roberson to brigadier," said the chief of staff. "There's something very special about this. Not to over dramatize, but it's worth mentioning that in our country - a democracy - flag officers, generals and admirals have special obligations and special responsibilities." Family, friends and fellow Airmen lined the east wing of the Heritage Club as the promotion ceremony began. The National Anthem was followed by an invocation. General Schwartz offered remarks on General Roberson's career during the ceremony. After listing many of the wing commander's significant accomplishments, which include serving two combat tours, piloting four different types of aircraft, and serving as an Air Force Thunderbirds pilot, General Schwartz stated, "All of these things are pretty special ...and this is the kind of person we're going to pin today. "This guy took on the burden of trying to introduce yours truly to fighter aviation," said the Air Force chief of staff. "It was one of the extraordinary moments of my career when I had the opportunity to learn about things I had never been exposed to." The four-star general, taking the left shoulder, joined the commander's wife, Cheryl Roberson, who took the right shoulder, in the pinning on General Roberson's first star, signifying the promotion to the rank of brigadier general. It was a family event, as the commander and his wife's parents participated in placing one-star shoulder boards on his service dress shirt. After the applause, General Schwartz administered the oath to the newly minted one-star. "I'm completely humbled to be given these stars and the potential opportunity that it means for the future," said the new one-star. "Of course, Cheryl and I have done it as a team from day one, and we're excited to continue to do that. "But what I hope most of all, as this incredible, tremendous journey continues, is that we are worthy of our Airmen's trust," said General Roberson, "and that we can do the job that we need to be doing for our Airmen." The commander addressed the entire crowd with his closing comments. "One of the keys to our success is one of those sayings you hear quite often, 'If you surround yourself with better people than yourself, you will be able to achieve potentially greater success." General Roberson took command of the 325th Fighter Wing in March 2008 after commanding the 52nd Training Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. General Roberson is a command pilot with more than 4,400 flying hours including 366 combat hours in Operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, and Iraqi Freedom. The colonel has flown the F-4, F-15, F-16, and is currently flying the F-22.