 Ladies and Gentlemen, please find your seats. The ceremony will begin momentarily. Throughout the ceremony you will be given cues to stand and be seated at the appropriate times. As a reminder, during the singing of our national anthem, military members should stand at attention and salute. Civilian guests are invited to place their right hand over their heart. We request all electronic devices be silenced for the duration of the ceremony. Lastly, we would also like to acknowledge that given our proximity to the flight line, there will likely be times during the ceremony when aircraft are taking off and landing. During these times, we will pause all narration and speeches and pay due respect to the sound of freedom tearing through the skies. Thank you. Our ceremony will begin momentarily. Good morning. I am Technical Sergeant Adrienne Kramer from the 673rd Medical Support Squadron and I will be your narrator for today's ceremony. The men and women of the United States Air Force observe a change of command in which the reins of responsibility for the 673rd Air Base Wing will pass from Colonel Kirsten G. Aguilar to Colonel David J. Wilson. The presiding official for today's ceremony is Lieutenant General David A. Crumb, Commander, Alaskan Norrad Region, Alaskan Command, and the 11th Air Force, accompanied by his wife, Lisa. Also joining Lieutenant General Crumb is Chief Master Sergeant Chris Berg, Senior Enlisted Leader of the Alaskan Norrad Region, Alaskan Command, and the Command Chief Master Sergeant, 11th Air Force, and his wife, Amy. We would like to take a moment to recognize our distinguished guests in attendance today, Colonel Aguilar's husband, Abraham, and her father, Barry. Colonel Wilson's wife, Susan, their daughter, Ella, and his father-in-law, Craig Williams. Representing Senator Lisa Murkowski, Mr. Greg Kaplan. Representing Senator Dan Sullivan, Mr. Nick Capose. Brigadier General Tracy Smith, Assistant Adjutant General, Air, Alaskan National Guard, and Commander, Alaskan Air National Guard. Chief Master Sergeant Kim Grote, Alaska State Command Chief. Brigadier General Tony Stratton, Commander, 176th Wing. Colonel Trevolis Simmons, Commander, 3rd Wing, and his wife, Jamise. Colonel Brian Budd, Deputy Commander, 477th Fighter Group. Colonel Jody Schaus, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division. Colonel Chris Ward, Chief of Staff, 11th Airborne Division. Lastly, a special welcome to all senior officers and civilians, commanders, chiefs, first sergeants, members of Team Jaber, our community partners, friends, and guests joining on Zoom for being here to share in this special occasion with Colonel Wilson and his family. At this time, we would also like to pay tribute to the Dinaina Athabaskans. We owe a deep gratitude to the Dinaina for their continued care and stewardship of the land on which we call Jaber. For thousands of years, the Dinaina have been and continue to be the stewards of this land. With gratitude and respect, we recognize their contributions and innovations. Please stand for the arrival of the official party and remain standing for the playing of ruffles and flourishes, presentation of the colors, singing of the national anthem, playing of the Alaska State Song, followed by the invocation. A distinctive feature of military ceremonies is the formal presentation of command to the reviewing officer. Today's formation represents the men and women who will serve under Colonel Wilson. Oh, say can you see the dawn's early? What's so bright at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars through this fight, parts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's still there. Chaplain Nelson will now deliver the invocation. Lord, we gather this morning for the change of command as Colonel Kirsten Aguilar relinquishes command and Colonel David Wilson assumes command of the 673rd Air Base Wing. We are grateful for Colonel Aguilar's leadership and mentorship and guidance. We are grateful that she put people first, that she cared deeply for the mission here at Jaber. We appreciate all that she has done during the difficult times these past two years, leading during the pandemic and trying to accomplish all that was needed of the 673rd Air Base Wing, and all the mission partners that placed demands upon her. I now ask a blessing upon her and her family, her husband Abe and their children Nathan, Emma, and Lucas. As they continue their Air Force journey, bless her in her new job as the head of A1P, bless them all for their service and sacrifices they have made to Jaber 11th Air Force, the 673rd Air Base Wing, and let them know that they will be greatly missed. And now I ask a blessing upon Colonel Wilson. Bless him with the wisdom and vision necessary to continue the successes of Colonel Aguilar, that he may improve and build upon them and lead the 673rd and Jaber to greater mission accomplishments. Bless his staff, the groups and squadrons to help him accomplish his mission here at Jaber, and also in supporting all the partners in accomplishing of their missions. And now I ask for special blessing be a place upon his wife Susan and their daughter Ella, understanding of the responsibilities that are now placed upon him, and that they now have to share their time with him with others. Bless them for the sacrifices they have made and will make while here in Alaska. And bless Colonel Wilson and his family to take advantage of all that Alaska has to offer and appreciate the great and wonderful experiences that await them. And for these blessings I humbly pray for and ask for in your holy name. Amen. Thank you Honor Guard, Chaplain Nelson, and Specialist Trinity Colvin. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. And now it is my pleasure to introduce Lieutenant General Crumb. I guess I shouldn't have sat down, huh? Hey, good morning everyone. So let's just start off with to answer all the questions you have right now. And yes, it is true. When you're flying an F-22 and you're coming up tack initial, the first thing you do is you look down at Heritage Park and say if anyone's there, and if so, you do as many patterns as possible with as much noise as possible because that government, that's the sound of freedom as we go forward. I'll tell you, Trinity, that was a great, great national anthem. And when the rocket's red glare, when she belted that out right after all that jet noise, man, I had goosebumps going up and down my spine. And you look around and see what we got going on and what a beautiful day is. You know why we're here. To defend our country and to keep her safe. And so it's a beautiful day here in the state of Alaska and I timed that perfectly. I'm excited because we get to celebrate what a great achievement of Colonel Aguilar and the coming of Colonel Wilson into be the commander here. But it's also a sad day because you see a couple of great airmen depart from us as well. I'm going to start off by recognizing some important people. And before I do that, let's just recognize the fact that I want everyone to look to your left, look to your right. You'll notice that there's someone next to you. This may be a new phenomenon for each of us that we're actually close and together once again. And what an amazing thing it is. I don't want to really say the C word. I think I'll say it a little bit later on when we talk about COVID. But you know, when we talk about where we've come over the last two years or so, every accomplishment, everything that we've been able to do together and what this wing has been able to do has all been overlaid by the challenge of COVID. And you guys have done an amazing job overcoming that. So I will say first off, welcome Abe and Barry and Susan, Ella and Craig. We're glad to have you guys here. We've also glad to have Tracy with you guys here and all the rest of our Tony. Glad to have you guys here. Greg, good to see you. I didn't see Nick, but I think he's probably around here somewhere. All of our local leaders, our DVs, thank you guys for being here today. But really thank you to the many leaders in the Airmen of the 673rd Air Base Wing, who are both here, but also the wings mission never stops. So we've got a lot of Airmen working and holding down the floor this morning. The purpose of today's ceremony is to formally transfer authority from one commander to the next, let's make sure that the Airmen here and the ones working are never without leadership. I will tell you that this organization is one of the best. Now normally when you get to talk about an organization, you talk about, you know, back in the dark ages when the earth was still cooling, this was formed and then Napoleon handed off a sword. But we're relatively new. 2010 is when J. Bear stood up, 673rd. In my, you know, multitude of research that I did, I discovered that Tesla offered their first Model S in 2010. So that's about the only thing I got for heritage as it came out. But if you go back in 1940, Elmendorf was one of our strategic bases here. In World War II, the base service is the main logistic center. And we fought and we helped support to fight the only enemy campaign here on our homeland when Japanese took some of our Aleutian Islands. And during the Cold War, Alaska's strategic location was critical to radius and power projection. And in Elmendorf, the distinction is top cover for America as depicted above remains true today. I will tell you that in today's content, 673rd is even more important than ever as the Air Force prioritizes excellence in agile combat employment throughout this region. I want to give you guys a sense of how big this wing is. The wing has 5,000 people, four groups, 15 staff agencies, three total force Air Force wings, the Army's 11th Airborne Division, because I'm a five jump chump. I just want to get that out there real quick for all my Army brothers and sisters. And 55 tenant and subordinate units. And each one of them thinks they're more important than the others. $15 billion of infrastructure covering more than 85,000 acres. And if that doesn't sound like a whole lot of important responsibility, I'd like to know what you're responsible for. But that's what the leader of this wing is in charge of. But this wing's growth and strategic importance also reflects a changing international security environment. Put simply, we live in a different world today. We truly live in dangerous times. Over the last few months we've seen the nation's state of Russia, led by a man only interested in his own power, driven by self-interest, violate international law, norms, and sovereignty. With the continuing territorial invasion of Ukraine. And here in Alaska, we're no stranger to Russia. At our closest point being only 55 nautical miles away from it, we know that we can never, and we will never, stop standing in the watch. Because what we know is whether it be persons, groups, or nation states, some are not deterred by words or civility. They are only deterred by strength, and this wing provides that. And as the Arctic becomes more accessible, what we know is those nation states and others, we will have to monitor for other threats. For decades, China has sought to change the world order, and has violated international norms, laws, and established borders. They threaten their neighbors, they steal intellectual property, and they steal resources, such as fish. China, over the last few years, have been making unprecedented forays into the waters of the Arctic, surveying for resources to extract. And what we know today, ladies and gentlemen, is we should not expect either one of those two nation states to abolish their nefarious practices, and especially we don't see why they would stop doing it next to our homeland. Increased military traffic and historically inaccessible Arctic seas is dramatically altering the security calculus of our region. And the 673rd Airbus Wing is a key part of our allies and our nation's homeland defense. But not only up here do we have to fight rising nation states that could be potential adversaries, we have to fight a different adversary, the environment. For those of you visiting, this is not a typical Alaska day. It is a spectacular day, but it might not be our typical day. We deal with challenges our sisters and our brothers in arms in the other parts of the world rarely have to think about. Bitter cold, howling wind, volcanoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, no storms, wildlife. I saw two bears today. We all have to remember that we are not at the top of the food chain when it comes to bears as we go forward. And we just, not only to mention the sheer size of the state, no one else can do what all of you do as Arctic warriors. Your ability to operate efficiently, survive, and thrive in the Arctic will make the difference when it comes to the success of our agile combat employment. Because agile combat employment is something we're practicing all over the world, but equally so up here. Because we have to be able to do agile combat employment from polar bears to penguins and palm trees in between, all over the Indo-Pacific and our homeland. And our forces here in Alaska are part of a strategic triangle that stretches across the Indo-Pacific Air Responsibility when it starts up here in the North Com AOR. And it's critical to our nation's efforts to maintain a free and open Arctic, as well as Indo-Pacific. That triangle hinges on the forces up here in Alaska and our ability of our nation's air force to operate all over the world. The airman of the 693rd year mission is essential to our projection of power and the demonstration of democracy. And it's important. We're reminded of that by the actions of China and Russia. That strength is important. And every day when you come to work, I want you to know that. So when you look at that person in the mirror and you're getting ready to come to work, you know that that person looking back at you is what guarantees peace, prosperity, and freedom. It's what you do. Every second, every minute, and every day, you bring freedom to our nation and the rest of the world. And you've been led by the best. Kirsten, I told you this before, but you've been spectacular. These airmen have been well, well led. You and your team, I know that you'll be the first to deflect your team. I know that they're talented, but they wouldn't have done what they've been able to do without great leadership. And it starts with you. You've tackled all those seven plagues of Egypt's, tsunamis, earthquakes, wildfires, wildflowers too, in case you haven't seen outside of my CHQ. It's an inside joke. But Kirsten, you expertly led your team through obstacles and led the organization to be even stronger than when you arrived. We owe you our gratitude. And I love and hate this part of the job. I love it because I get to recognize what she's done, but also that she's going to depart us. And when she and Abe go, it's going to be a tremendous loss for us. And what's worse, it's almost like you're getting penalized. You're having to go to the Pentagon after doing such a great job. But Kirsten, or what I'm proud to say, Brigadier General Select Aguilar, thank you for your leadership and commitment to this great team. The men and women of this wing are phenomenal, and they are because of you. Your contribution to this will live a legacy in each one of their lives. Thank you very much for that. And Abe, I want to especially thank you. Being a supportive spouse is not easy. And the things that you've done and supported Kirsten, not only here but throughout her career have also been phenomenal. And I thank you for your service as well, what you've done. You guys are a great, great team. Now, as Brigadier General Select Aguilar's command comes to close, I get to go back to the part of the job that I do love, and that's to welcome another outstanding airman and their family. Colonel Wilson joins us from Peterson Space Force Base. We'll get you back in the Air Force now. You're good. Where he was the commander of the 21st Mission Support Group in his previous assignment, Colonel Wilson led 2,000 personnel, so we're going to more than double that up here. Personnel security and services support to the 21st Space Wing and units of the Peterson Shriver Garrison in addition to 23 geographically separated units. So we more than double all the stuff that you did before. So good luck. We're all counting on you. Dave, I will tell you, you've got my full confidence as commander. Your experience and your mindset give me absolutely no doubt that you're going to do great things. Jay Perry is happy to welcome you, Susan and Ella, and Sound of Freedom. And I'm going to be really, really thrilled to see how you develop this organization. But I will tell you now that Tony's airplane is going to give me a little bit of a reprieve. Here's what I want you to do. I want you to continue Colonel Aguilar's work, bringing that every single day, overhead, and making the sixth and eighth part of a seamless global force protection paradigm. I want you to relentlessly collaborate with all those mission partners, including the New Year 11, the Airborne Division, all of our different wings, our Alaska National Guard, to keep us synchronized and harmonized. And most importantly, take care of them. The service members and their families, they are the backbone for everything that we do. Ladies and gentlemen, I tell you one of my favorite expressions is to say I usually just can't wait to see what the new commander is going to do, so we're not going to wait any longer. Thank you very much for your attendance today. Thank you for everything that you guys do. May God bless you all, our great nation, in this Air Force. Thanks. Brigadier General Stratton and Colonel Aguilar, please join Lieutenant General Crumb on stage for the presentation of the Legion of Merit First Oak Leaf Cluster and the Alaska Legion of Merit. Attention to orders. This is to certify that the President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 20, 1942, has awarded the Legion of Merit First Oak Leaf Cluster to Colonel Kirsten G. Aguilar for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services 14 July 2020 to 28 June 2022. Colonel Kirsten G. Aguilar distinguished herself by exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service to the United States as Commander, Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson and the 673rd Air Base Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska from 14 July 2020 to 28 June 2022. During this period, the exemplary ability, diligence and devotion to duty of Colonel Aguilar were instrumental factors to her leadership of over 5,000 personnel in four groups and 15 staff agencies, securing the installation status as the PACAF's Keystone Weapons System. Her guidance enhanced joint Arctic Strategy capabilities as she drove the Below Zero Medicine Initiative, amplifying research, training and readiness for medical professionals across the region. Colonel Aguilar's unparalleled determination propelled Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson to establish a new Arctic Regional Training Site to advance the Air Force's Arctic Strategy as well as the United States' Northern Commands and Pacific Air Force's Mission Readiness. Additionally, she skillfully executed the installation's first hub-and-spoke exercise involving three wings, advancing the Pacific Air Force Commander's Agile Combat Employment Priority. As a master of managing resources, Colonel Aguilar flawlessly executed an annual budget of $547 million while sustaining a $15 billion infrastructure portfolio. She expertly navigated the Joint Base through the coronavirus pandemic, ensuring zero disruptions to the mission while under health protection condition Charlie. Her thorough analysis, Health Protection Emergency Declaration and calculated protocols in conjunction with the efforts of the state and the municipality of Anchorage ensured the continuation of mission essential activities while safeguarding the community. Finally, Colonel Aguilar's unrivaled passion for excellence and commitment to the mission inspired countless service members to exceed expectations, leading the wing to garner 100 major command, Air Force, and Department of Defense individual team and unit award wins. The Superior Initiative, Outstanding Leadership and Personal Endeavour displayed by Colonel Aguilar reflect great credit upon herself and the United States Air Force. This is to certify that the Governor of Alaska has awarded the Alaska Legion of Merit to Colonel Kirsten G. Aguilar for exceptionally meritorious service to the state of Alaska from 14 July 2020 to 28 June 2022 while assigned to the 673rd Air Base Wing Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska. During this period, Colonel Aguilar's steadfast leadership and commitment to total force integration with Alaskan base forces, interagency partners, and the Alaskan Native communities was foundational in advancing Alaska's military readiness. She was a strong mission partner as the 176th Wing carried out Title X missions including air defense, rescue, and strategic airlift. Furthermore, Colonel Aguilar skillfully led the installation through the COVID-19 pandemic balancing operational capability, readiness, and safety and enabled the Alaskan National Guard to maintain operational and training requirements. Under her leadership, total force integration between Alaska North America Air Space Defense Regions, active duty, and Air National Guard forces enabled 18 enabled 18 air patrols and two intercepts in the support of the 24-7 Air Sovereignty Missions and more than 9,000 hours of C-17 strategic airlift emphasizing Alaska's missions, partner, and active duty forces support to the governor of Alaska. Finally, Colonel Aguilar's strong advocacy for Alaska search and rescue forces contributed to 112 rescue missions resulting in 79 saved lives. The Superior Initiative Outstanding Leadership and the personal endeavor displayed by Colonel Aguilar reflect the highest credit upon herself, the Alaska National Guard, and the state of Alaska. Ladies and gentlemen, Colonel Kirsten G. Aguilar, Commander, 673rd Air Base Wing. Colonel Dentor, go ahead and put the formation at ease. Well, good morning. On behalf of the men and women of the 673rd Air Base Wing, thank you very much for making the time to be here today. I am incredibly humbled to stand before you as the Air Base Wing Commander for the final time. Having the opportunity, rather the privilege, to serve my country for the last 25 years, I can honestly say no other assignment has meant more to me than serving as your commander. As I thought about how I could best capture what this wing has done to support the many missions here at J-Bear, I realized the best approach was to spend the next few moments expressing my gratitude. For the many teammates I've had the honor to serve with during the last two years. First to my boss, General Crumb, Miss Lisa. Sir, I cannot thank you enough for the trust and confidence that you had in me. Let's be honest, having your three-star boss on your base can be a little unnerving at times. But sir, you gave me the decision space that I needed to provide for the health and safety of this installation while ensuring our mission partners were able to execute their assigned missions. I'm incredibly grateful for your guidance, your direction, and your patience. Miss Lisa, you are simply wonderful. Abe and I could not have asked for a more caring senior spouse to advocate on behalf of the families in Alaska. We will miss you, but we wish you both the best. To Brigadier General Smith, Brigadier General Stratton, our Alaska Air National Guard partners, thank you for your partnership, but frankly, thank you for your support as we navigated the many challenges during the last two years. And to General Stratton, sir, I am incredibly humbled by the presentation of the Alaska Legion of Merit. Words cannot express my gratitude for your partnership the last two years. Thank you, sir. To my fellow Wing Commander, Brigadier General Tony, Brigadier General Select, Tony Simmons, and the entire Third Wing leadership team, Jaws, I wasn't sure if you were going to bring it this morning, but my goodness, you know how much of a fangirl I am, but thank you. I don't know if anyone else gets as fired up as I do, but standing here seeing the flag of our nation and hearing that amazing rendition of the National Anthem and seeing air power and freedom in action, it just gets me going, so thank you so much for that. Just being able to be immersed in your mission gets me excited, but seeing how much our two teams have accomplished together over the last two years, the only word that I can think of is just awesome. You are a true professional. I have learned so much from just watching you lead, and I am honored to have served by your side. Thank you. And Abe and I could not have asked for better teammates in you and Jamies. And to our Army partners, Colonel Jody Schaus, thank you so much for being here and to all of the 11th Airborne Division team. The commanders in my wing know that your priorities are this wing's priorities, and we take that responsibility seriously. We know that our support to your mission is critical, and I appreciate your partnership as we continue to advocate for our soldiers, our airmen, and their families in Alaska. I also want to thank our many community partners, especially my good friend Sarah Riffer from the U.A., the U.S.O., Atheese Deca, our housing partners at Aurora and the Anchorage School District. There is no doubt about how much our community partners care about our Alaskan service members and their families. Thank you for all that you do to ensure this community at J-Bear can thrive. And finally, a special thanks to my leadership team within the Air Base Wing. I know I'm biased, I admit that, but we have such a rockstar team with commanders, senior enlisted leaders who go out every day and give it their all to ensure the many missions that call J-Bear home are successful. I told you that my priority was to ensure that this wing was trained, resourced, and ready when our nation calls upon us. And I am overwhelmed with how hard you have worked to ensure that we are ready when that worst day comes. To my senior enlisted advisors, Sergeant Major Howell and Chief Mills, I appreciate how passionate that you are about our soldiers, our airmen, and their families. And Chief Mills, I am grateful for your Sage Council and your candor for having my back and reminding me not to read the comments. Mr. Weckhorst, sir, thank you for your 42 years of service to this nation. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served with you and learned from you. And to my executive team and my front office staff, the folks that work behind the scenes, thank you for keeping me on track. Thank you for ensuring that we took care of every last personnel action we could before this moment. Because our purpose is to ensure the folks within our wing are taken care of. And finally, to my Vice Commander, the Army Commander of Troops, my number two, Colonel Dentor, I could not have asked for a better teammate. You truly are a national treasure and a phenomenal leader. Your job is not an easy one. I mean, you had to put up with me, clean up my mess. But you did it with compassion, always keeping the focus on others. It has been my honor to serve alongside you. A special thanks to Lieutenant Wallace, Senior Master Sergeant Kalika, Ms. Tori Moore, and the protocol team from 11th Air Force. Chaplain Colonel Select Nielsen for his kind words and blessing and the entire team that made today's ceremony so special for me, my family and for the Wilson family. Special thanks to the 9th Army Band and again, Specialist Trinity Colvin for that beautiful rendition of our national anthem. Yes! I actually recorded this because I'm not going to get this at the Pentagon, so... I'm grateful for the many family and friends in the crowd and those that are joining us virtually. To my kiddos who are watching online with their grandparents from Oregon, Dad and I miss you so much already, but we are excited to start that next special thanks to my dad who traveled all the way from New England to be here and I'll know those she's no longer with us. I know my mom is watching from above and smiling down on this ceremony today. To my husband Abe, you are my rock. I could not have done any of this without you. Your love and your support is amazing to me. Alaska has stolen our hearts and I am grateful that we bought that land on the Kenai so that we can come back. Thank you for being my best friend, my biggest supporter, but also thank you for not being afraid to hurt my feelings and tell me when it was time to put my big girl pants back on and get after it. I was asked if I was getting a gift for my husband and I said that he already got a gift and it was one that I was not involved in the decision making of because I was TDY when this gift was purchased. Just wait for it. So I see you looking at me Oh, here comes another one. I'm sorry sir, I get giddy. So I see you looking at me wondering what this peculiar gift is. Yes! One more! So you can thank the rest of Dayton County for the chainsaw that we definitely did not need but that you said we need and that you got a really good deal on so you're welcome for your farewell gift. I am humbled by how willing you are to continue to stand by me. Thank you for all your love and support. I love you. To my good friend, Colonel Dave Wilson, Abe and I couldn't be more excited to turn over our military family to you and Susan once more. We know that this Wing and Team J-Bear will continue to be taken care of because you and Susan are kind and compassionate and you put people first. Dave, you are an exceptional leader. I'm excited to see the heights that you take this team to. Lead well, lead boldly, my friend. And finally, to the men and women of the 673rd Air Base Wing. Two years ago I challenged you to focus on being airmen of character who were committed to the mission and built meaningful relationships. I asked you to build connections with people here at J-Bear with our partners up north and across the command. Over the last two years you have overwhelmed me with how well you have cared for one another time and time again reaching deep to ensure that your teammates could be the best version of themselves. You have impressed me, impressed me with how well you've done your job and enabled the mission of our many teammates who call J-Bear home. Whether it was support to the many exercises executed right here Northern Edge, Arctic Edge, Red Flag or a day like today when I think every single F-22 on the wing is taken off today. Whether it was supporting our 3rd wing teammates here during Neptune Hawk, Valiant Shield, Pack Iron, the multiple exercises that they went on or supporting our Army partners during Uniboss, JPMRC or during a Jaffeo, you always found a way to ensure the mission was accomplished to keep our enemies on their toes and decide that today was not the day. And finally in July of 2020 when my family and I arrived I did not realize how critical it was going to be for us to build meaningful connections. But is because of those connections you forge and continue to strengthen that we were able to persevere through COVID find a way to continue to project power from J-Bear and defend the homeland because the nation depends on us to be at our best every day. It has been my greatest honor to serve as your commander and I will continue to admire you from afar. Thank you. Colonel Aguilar will receive her last salute from the men and women of the 673rd Air Base Wing. Lieutenant General Crumb and Colonel Wilson, please join Colonel Aguilar center stage. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand as Lieutenant General Crumb performs the change of command. How does she order? Attention to orders. Under the provisions of Air Force Instruction 51-604 and Special Order Number G-22-029 effective 28 June 2022. Colonel Kirsten G Aguilar relinquishes command of the 673rd Air Base Wing and Colonel David J Wilson assumes command of the 673rd Air Base Wing. Thank you. Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you for the very first time Colonel David J Wilson commander 673rd Air Base Wing. Colonel Denter, please put the wing at ease. Take a moment and look around us. Beautiful day, this location, all of the folks, the sounds of freedom. I wish you could see the perspective that I see. It's a testament for the resolve of the American people, sons and daughters before me, the jets behind me, and while there is always a place in my heart for the space force, it's good to be home to our Air Force. Good morning, thank you all for joining us. I want to do a quick thank you for all the folks and Colonel Aguilar, listed by name. So many people make this happen. Nothing happens on accident to the narrators, to all of the project officers, to the fantastic musicians, to the folks in formation here, the vehicles you see around you. Just a huge round of applause for all of the work that goes into this. Today is a bit of a dream come true for Ella and Susan and I, to be here at Joint Base Elmodorf Richardson in the land of the Midnight Sun, serving with the tremendous Arctic warriors of the 673rd Air Base Wing. I want to begin by thanking my family, Susan and Ella, for sharing this lifetime of adventure with me, for all the sacrifices you make each and every day. I love you. To Pam and Craig, for traveling all over the world with us, the best grand and grandpa, professional and house unpackers that we could ask for. To my mom, to my brother Danny, to Susan's sister Amy, and to their wonderful families who are not here with us today, we love you. We look forward to future visits. Lieutenant General Crumb, thank you for this opportunity. To serve in the 673rd Air Base Wing, there is no greater honor than leading our airmen, and I am extremely grateful for your confidence. Mrs. Crumb, thank you for being here today. Thank you for your support, for everything you do for this entire community. Mr. Kaplan, Mr. Capose, General Smith, General Stratton, Chief Grote, thank you for being here, and always supporting our J-Bear family. I'd also like to thank the other commanders and directors, senior enlisted leaders, community leaders, soldiers, airmen of J-Bear, and attendants. Thank you for all you do each and every day for the families and the mission. A very heartfelt thank you to Colonel Aguilar. You are an extraordinary airman and a selfless leader. During the last two years, J-Bear was in need of steady, level-handed, dynamic leadership, and I cannot imagine any other officer who would have more perfectly met the challenge, led this team to greater success. Thank you, Abe, for your unwavering service, for your support, and to Nate, Lucas, and Emma for sharing your mom with us and all of the personal sacrifices that military families make each day as part of the defense of our nation. Thank you. Finally, to the Arctic Warriors of J-Swing and all of the extraordinary mission partners here at J-Bear, thank you for showing up each and every day. Our success requires singular purpose, shared sacrifice, and empowered leaders. We are an Air Force family. Therefore, we will encourage, support, and hold one another accountable. Together, we will build the systems, the teams, and the habits of excellence to ensure we are an unbreakable wall in our nation's defense. My priorities are simple. Family first. In our core, it is the core of our Wingman culture. I've got your six, and I know you've got mine. Agile combat support is our mission, and therefore we will invest in readiness, we will exceed customer expectation and empower subordinate leaders. And finally, we will cultivate a culture of respect and professionalism by being empathetic, connected, and present. How are we going to do all of this? Teamwork. We will face challenges and opportunities each day. Many of them will be unpredictable. Regardless of circumstance or crisis, I commit to each of you that as long as I have the privilege to serve alongside you, I will devote my every effort to provide unrivaled support to this mission and unwavering dedication to the welfare of you and your families. Thank you. Arctic Warriors, lead on. Colonel Wilson will now receive his first salute from the men and women of the 673rd Air Base Wing. Please stand through the Air Force Song and the departure of the official party.