Army's special ops boss surveys key Duke Field facilities Published Sept. 16, 2009 By Dan Neely 919th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs DUKE FIELD, Fla. -- One of the 919th Special Operations Wing's biggest customers will soon become its next-door neighbor. With that in mind, the Army's top special operations officer wanted to see first-hand the wing's capabilities to support one of his elite units, the 7th Special Forces Group, when it relocates in 2011 from Fort Bragg, N.C., to its new home next to Duke Field. On a brief tour of Duke Field led by Col. Jon Weeks, 919th SOW commander, Lt. Gen. John Mulholland Jr, Commanding General, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, briefly surveyed the wing's deployment, medical training and weapons storage facilities. Those who spoke with the general following tours of their respective facilities said he was pleased with what he saw. "He was extremely impressed with both the (deployment) facility and the proximity to both the airfield and weapons storage area," said Maj. Scott McDonald, 919th Logistics Readiness Squadron commander. "He mentioned how logistically sound it was to have everything so close. He also mentioned that it was one of the nicest facilities he had seen for deploying forces." General Mulholland concluded his whirlwind visit with a tour of the medical training facility led by Chief Master Sgt. David Simmet, 919th MDS superintendent. Again, the general was pleasantly surprised by what he saw. "He said that he was led to believe that the building was in worse shape than it is," the chief said. "I heard from his entourage that their current offices are not in such good shape and that we were fairly well ensconced. I got the impression that he saw we were making the most of what space we had."