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New commander takes Mission Support Group helm

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jim Brock
  • 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Col. Kevin Riley relinquished command of the 910th Mission Support Group (MSG) to Col. Donald Wren during the April Unit Training Assembly. Col. James Dignan presided over the ceremony which was attended by family and friends of both Riley and Wren as well as members from the 910th.

The Mission Support Group Commander is responsible for equipping and training more than 800 Citizen Airmen whose mission is to provide peacetime and wartime mission readiness support to the Air Force Reserve Command and the Air Mobility Command.

“My vision was to have the best base in the Air Force; installation excellence,” said Riley.

The official Change of Command ceremony began with the formation of troops, a protocol where squadron commanders present units in parade fashion to the outgoing commander. Maj. Scott Allen, supervisor of logistics management with the 910th Logistics Readiness Squadron, and Tech. Sgt. Elizabeth Majors, an Airman and Family Readiness technician, performed the National Anthem followed by an invocation by Maj. David Black, a 910th Airlift Wing chaplain.

During his time as Commander of 910th MSG, which began in June of 2014, Riley put together a package for the Air Force Installation Excellence Award.

“It was very disappointing that we didn’t win,” said Riley, “but what we did do was pull everyone together, and from that point I wanted to re-blue the Mission Support Group.”

Riley said that he wanted to make it more of a military organization, having a military mindset and getting away from a social club mentality.

“Over time, units embraced this through the success we had with Aerial Port winning the Port Dog Challenge award, the Civil Engineers working in downtown Youngstown (to demolish blighted houses) and Logistical Readiness Squadron marching down here,” said Riley. “That’s huge!”

Riley’s retirement ceremony, celebrating 31 years of service, was held following the Change of Command.

Incoming commander Wren’s previous assignment was MSG commander for the 440th Airlift Wing, Pope Field, North Carolina.

“Continuing with Colonel Riley’s plan, seeing his top priorities come to fruition and making this a better place for the Airmen and supporting the mission,” said Wren, “those are my goals.”