Ceremony welcomes new 910th AW leader
By Tech. Sgt. Brenda Haines, 910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
/ Published March 03, 2013
YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio --
Col. James D. Dignan became commander of the 910th Airlift Wing here, during a change of command ceremony here today as Maj. Gen. Wallace W. "Wade" Farris Jr, commander of the 22nd Air Force, passed the guidon representing the unit to him.
Dignan comes to the 910th AW from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., where he was the commander of the 446th Operations Group.
"The 910th has a great reputation, always has," said Dignan. "I remember we used to bring our 130s here to get them fixed ... this is one of the places we counted on. It's an honor to be here."
As commander of the 910th AW, Dignan is responsible for the training and readiness of more than 1,600 Air Force Reservists and has the operational control of 12 C-130H2 Hercules tactical cargo aircraft that are assigned to the wing.
Dignan received his commission through U.S. Navy Aviation Officer Candidate School in 1990 and is a command pilot with more than 6,500 flight hours in the T-34C, T-44A, P-3A/C, C-130 E/H/H2/H3, WC-130H/J and C-17A. He held numerous staff positions and commanded at the group level.
"I knew [Dignan] from back when we flew C-130s together down at Keesler," said Farris during the ceremony. "He's a prop guy. He's flown [more than 100 hurricane penetration missions] ... he's familiar with special missions and you guys have a spray mission. He knows how to deal with the people that oversee those special missions, another reason why I selected him. He's proven his leadership ability in several places. He knows how to take care of people."
Dignan replaced Brig. Gen. Brian E. Dominguez, vice commander of the 22nd Air Force, who served as interim commander for the 910th AW for the past four months.
The 910th AW is home to the Department of Defense's only large-area fixed-wing aerial spray capability to control disease-carrying insects, pest insects, and undesirable vegetation and disperse oil spills in large bodies of water on DoD installations, in combat areas or in response to disasters and emergencies as declared by the president of the United States.