Warbirds get to know new leaders during 5th BW all-calls

U.S. Air Force Col. Jesse Lamarand, 5th Bomb Wing (BW) commander (left), and Chief Master Sgt. Wayne Sharp, 5th BW command chief (right), host their inaugural 5th BW all-call at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, July 30, 2024. During the all-call, the team introduced themselves, their leadership philosophies, and their goals for their time at Minot AFB. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alyssa Bankston)

Warbirds get to know new leaders during 5th BW all-calls

U.S. Air Force Col. Jesse Lamarand, 5th Bomb Wing (BW) commander, speaks during his inaugural 5th BW all-call at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, July 30, 2024. Lamarand explained his leadership philosophy during the all-call, emphasizing the importance of interpersonal connection. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alyssa Bankston)

Warbirds get to know new leaders during 5th BW all-calls

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Wayne Sharp, 5th Bomb Wing (BW) command chief, speaks at his inaugural 5th BW all-call at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, July 30, 2024. During the all-call, Sharp and Col. Jesse Lamarand, 5th BW commander, introduced themselves, their leadership philosophies, and their goals for their time at Minot AFB. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alyssa Bankston)

Warbirds get to know new leaders during 5th BW all-calls

Airmen assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing (BW) attend an all-call at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, July 31, 2024. This all-call marked the first for Col. Jesse Lamarand, 5th BW commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Wayne Sharp, 5th BW command chief, as the new 5th BW command team. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alyssa Bankston)

Warbirds get to know new leaders during 5th BW all-calls

U.S. Air Force Col. Jesse Lamarand, 5th Bomb Wing (BW) commander, hosts his inaugural 5th BW all-call at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, July 30, 2024. Lamarand explained his leadership philosophy during the all-call, emphasizing the importance of interpersonal connection. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alyssa Bankston)

Warbirds get to know new leaders during 5th BW all-calls

U.S. Air Force Col. Jesse Lamarand, 5th Bomb Wing (BW) commander, holds his inaugural 5th BW all-call at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, July 30, 2024. During the all-call, Lamarand introduced his leadership philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of interpersonal connection. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alyssa Bankston)

Warbirds get to know new leaders during 5th BW all-calls

Published Aug. 5, 2024
By Airman 1st Class Alyssa Bankston
5th Bomb Wing Public Affairs

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --

Col. Jesse Lamarand, 5th Bomb Wing commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Wayne Sharp, 5th BW command chief, hosted their first all-calls as the new 5th BW command team here, July 30-31.

The team took advantage of the occasion to introduce themselves, their families, and their leadership philosophies to the Warbirds of the 5th BW.

“We don’t want to be strangers,” explained Lamarand. “We’re going to be out and about so when you see us, come talk to us. We love hearing from you and we want to hear your stories because you are our ‘why.’ You guys, each other, our families, that’s why we do this.”

Prior to assuming command of the 5th BW, Lamarand served as commander of the 2nd Operations Group at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. His 24-year military career shaped his unique leadership philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of interpersonal connection and teamwork.

“How do we overcome the challenges that will come our way? Teamwork, challenging realistic training, and disciplined execution leads to lethal combat mission readiness,” explained Lamarand. “Fortitudine vincimus. ‘By endurance, we conquer.’ The first line of defense are those disciplined and dedicated teams you form in the workstation and the friends and families supporting each other at home. Take care of each other so we can all get after the mission.”

Sharp served as command chief of the 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall AFB, Florida, before assuming responsibilities as the 5th BW command chief. Having previously served at Minot AFB in various roles from 2017-2020, he acknowledged the unique challenges faced by Airmen stationed here, and echoed Lamarand’s sentiments.

“J-BAG-P,” said Sharp. “It stands for ‘just be a good person.’ I came back here because I care about the Airmen at Minot AFB. I know this can be a tough base to work at, but y’all kill it every day and I wanted to be a part of that again.”

Lamarand explained that a strong foundation of operational discipline, dignity, and respect is necessary for mission success, both at work and at home.

“Our purpose here is to build combat mission-ready Airmen–not just aircrew–Airmen across the board,” said Lamarand. “We do that by establishing a family of teammates succeeding at work and at home. Make sure you're listening, you're talking to the person to the left and the right of you, and you're taking care of each other.”

The command team concluded by acknowledging the gravity of the 5th BW’s mission and encouraging Airmen to take care of each other so they’re better equipped to handle the unique stressors associated with an assignment to Minot AFB.

“Our job here is to win without fighting, and we do that by establishing a credible, capable deterrent,” said Lamarand. “We are the most strategic and important DoD base; mission success at Minot affects the world. That’s the stress and the pressure that's on you, and it's your teammates who are going to help you achieve it.”