386th EMSG welcomes new commander

Published June 28, 2010
By Staff Sgt. Stefanie Torres
386th Expeditionary Air Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Col. A.R. "Riz" Ali took command of the 386th Expeditionary Mission Support Group from Col. Richard McComb during a change of command ceremony June 14, 2010, at an undisclosed air base here.

Colonel Ali comes to the 386th EMSG from Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., where he served as the chief of global intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance modernization at U.S. Strategic Command.

In welcoming Colonel Ali to the base, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Commander Col. John R. Gordy II called him "exactly the right man for the job."

"There is no doubt in my mind that you are the right person to step in and take this group to even greater heights," Colonel Gordy said.

The 386th EMSG commander oversees six squadrons and approximately 850 Airmen in a variety of career fields, including force support, security forces, logistics, contracting, communications and civil engineering.

Prior to his position at STRATCOM, Colonel Ali twice commanded units at the squadron level and served as the deputy mission support group commander at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. He also has participated in multiple contingency operations in Southwest Asia, Africa and Europe.

Colonel Ali attended college on a full four-year Air Force scholarship at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J. He entered the service as a communications officer after graduating in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in engineering. He is a career communications/cyber professional with nine years' experience working on space systems and space issues.

During the ceremony, the new EMSG commander expressed his appreciation to the team members with whom he will be working in the coming year.

"To the men and women of the 386th EMSG, you are a team of highly trained professionals," he said. "You have put your lives on hold and separated from family and friends in order to answer our nation's call. Thank you for your service and dedication. It is members like you that make me proud to be an American and a member of the U.S. Air Force."

Colonel McComb, who stepped down after a year as commander of the 386th EMSG, credited his team for numerous mission successes.

"This year has come and gone with what seems like a blink of an eye," he said. "This year as a commander of the EMSG has not been as good as my squadron command -- it has been better because of the number of dedicated Airmen I have been able to lead or work beside. With that, I would like to take this time to thank those who have provided me the opportunity and support necessary to lead these fine Airmen who did the real work behind these accomplishments."

Colonel McComb was then awarded the Bronze Star for his accomplishments while serving as the 386th EMSG commander. It was his leadership over the past year that enabled the execution of 14,900 combat sorties, and the transportation of 193,000 tons of cargo and 635,000 passengers in direct support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, the award citation said. He also brokered 40 construction projects valued at more than $13 million.

"I will say that I could not have hoped for a better group of squadron commanders," Colonel McComb said. "They came together as a team and made great things happen. I would happily take this team anywhere and perform and mission. As everyone knows, any commander is only as good as his staff. Fortunately, I have only had the best."

Colonel Gordy personally thanked Colonel McComb for his work, noting that he broke records during his command here.

"The long hours you put in have definitely paid off," Colonel Gordy said. "The team set the conditions here that enabled the second busiest aerial port in the Air Force to do its mission. Your Airmen took care of all our Airmen."

During his time here, Colonel McComb completed three quality-of-life projects that have substantially enhanced Airmen morale at the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, Colonel Gordy explained. In the first project, an area dedicated to the housing of transient troops received a $1.2 million facilities upgrade. The second initiative deployed free broadband Internet access to all Airmen living in base housing, while the third project secured improvements to the base theater so that first-run Hollywood movies could be shown.

"He took these projects and made them a reality," Colonel Gordy said. "He did much more than just work issues here. No one did a better job representing the Air Force here than Colonel McComb. His unmatched leadership and love of people and mission guaranteed success."