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Change of command exemplifies 'total force' cohesion

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Carolyn Viss
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The 64th Air Expeditionary Group welcomed a new commander in a change of command ceremony more than 1,500 miles from Southwest Asia's 379th Air Expeditionary Wing headquarters April 14.

Col. Willie Braggs, III, replaced Col. Arthur G. Hatcher, Jr., who will return to Langley Air Force Base, Va., as the Air Combat Command Communications Group commander.

379th AEW commander Brig. Gen. Charlie Lyon presided over the ceremony and praised Colonel Hatcher's excellent leadership over the six months he commanded the 64th AEG.

"I'm amazed at the job Colonel Hatcher has done [in Southwest Asia]," the general said. "He, together with the Airmen here, has made this the hardest target in the kingdom."

Colonel Braggs will be the fifth Airman to command the 64th AEG, a unit comprised of more than 275 active-duty military, civilian, and contracted specialists.

"I am excited to continue the excellent legacy of the 64th AEG as we accomplish the mission," said the Air National Guardsman from the 138th Fighter Wing, Okla. "My goal is to take care of the Airmen here in mind, body and spirit, and my roadmap is clear: to use the Air Force core values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do."
Many of the Airmen serving under him are also Air National Guardsmen and Reservists, and they have been filling in-lieu-of taskings for the base there for the last two years, General Lyon said.

"This ceremony was a perfect picture of 'total force' cohesion," the wing commander said. "With the way we organize, train and equip our Airmen, whether they are Reservists, Guardsmen, or active-duty, we are prepared for the future of our ILO tasking," which is uncertain as U.S. Air Forces Central looks at rebalancing the use of Airmen in the AFCENT area of responsibility.

No matter how long or short of a time they are there, General Lyon said he is certain the 64th AEG defenders and communicators will continue to prove themselves and make him proud of the partnership the Air Force currently enjoys with its host nations.

"I have complete confidence in Colonel Braggs," the general said. "From the time he enlisted as an Airman in 1976 to his commissioning and ascending the ranks to colonel, his experiences ... have completely prepared him for this assignment."

Colonel Braggs accepted the responsibility with excitement and humility.

"I want to be able to look back on the next six months and be proud of how I conduct myself [here]," said the prior-enlisted colonel. "I look forward to serving you."