Top general gets first-hand view of Sunny Point.

General John W. Handy, USTRANSCOM Commander, recently visited the 597th Transportation Terminal Group, Military Ocean Terminal, Sunny Point--offering nothing but praise for the Army's sole ammunition shipment facility.

The four-star Air Force general, promoted to command last November, holds responsibility for managing global air, land and sea transportation for the Department of Defense in times of peace and war.

The "return home" for the Raleigh, N.C. native provided Handy with a first-hand look at operations within the North Carolina terminal's boundaries.

Seated in an Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, Handy was given an aerial tour of the installation, which included a view of the 2,115-acre Buffer Zone/Fort Fisher, the MOTSU waterfront, with a flyby of all three wharves and the facility proper.

"You talk about it, you see pictures of it, but you really need to be here to appreciate it," stated Handy at a press conference held at the installation's center wharf.

"Sunny Point is the most sophisticated military port in the United States," said Handy, highlighting the facility's secure, protected and remote environment, and the amount of supplies and equipment it handles as a major board of upload.

"I applaud the folks who work here," said Handy, referring to the 200-plus terminal employees.

During the press conference, Handy also addressed Sunny Point's pivotal role in the War on Terrorism.

"Since the military stepped up its pace after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, this military ocean terminal has kept materials moving to troops," Handy said.

With TRANSCOM's Air Mobility Command headquartered at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Ill., Handy spoke highly of his troops' performance in Afghanistan.

Handy also voiced his appreciation for the reservists, referring to them as "priceless ... extraordinary Americans."

He added, "9-11 was a lesson for all Americans. It made us tougher."

In addition to the press conference, Handy attended a Sunny Point command and operations briefing and received a "windshield" tour of the massive facility, located on 8,502 acres of rolling sand hills along the Cape Fear River near Wilmington, N.C.

Handy also witnessed an uploading exercise being conducted jointly by the Army and the Marines from the New River Air Station in Jacksonville, N.C. During the readiness exercise, the Marines loaded 250 containers onto the USS Wright, at the Sunny Point wharf.