926th GP welcomes new commander

by Staff Sgt. Siuta B. Ika
99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

8/7/2014 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev.  -- The 926th Group, an Air Force Reserve unit assigned to 10th Air Force, welcomed a new commander during a change of command ceremony here July 31.

During the ceremony, command of the group, which consists of 10 squadrons and one detachment located across the nation, passed from Col. John Breeden to Col. Ross Anderson.

The presiding official of the ceremony, Maj. Gen. William Binger, 10th AF commander, extended a warm welcome to all in attendance before making remarks about the men and women of the 926th GP.

"A couple things strike me - the quality of Airmen and how deeply integrated you all are," Binger said. "It is a total force team. We need to continue to build on that. The active component commanders have told me they can't perform their mission without us... My hat's off to you, and I want to personally thank [Breeden] for what he's done here."

After Binger's speech, Breeden stepped up and reflected on his time as the commander of the 926th GP, which is set to become the 926th Wing in the near future

"I've done this job for almost three years and I've got a lot to be boastful about, but I'm very thankful for my staff," Breeden said. "I'm thankful for [Anderson] for stepping up, but I already told him this job beats the heck out of a staff job. Those of you not familiar with the Reserves, we are made up of a 70 percent part-time force, so out of our 1,100 Airmen, more than 700 of them come in two days a month, two weeks a year, more if we could get money for them, and they serve out of their free time. The other 30 percent, our full-time support, run the day-to-day operations. I'm truly thankful for each and every one of you and it's been my honor and privilege to have led you on this amazing ride."

At the conclusion of his speech, Breeden received his final salute as the 926th GP commander before relinquishing the group's guidon to Binger, who then passed the guidon to Anderson - signifying the official start of his command tenure.

"General Binger, thank you for the leadership opportunity," Anderson said. "You once said that every Air Force Reserve officer has to, at one time, touch the 'mothership' - of course the mothership in his part of the ranch is [Air Force Reserve Command] headquarters at Robbins, Ga., but with this assignment, you've allowed my family and I to touch Air Force mecca."

The new commander concluded his speech by speaking directly to the members of the 926th GP.

"All of you bleed Air Force blue, and you will all be proudly remembered for your Air Force contributions," Anderson said. "When you look back at your lifetime and career accomplishments, I want you to remember most your time in the military, because you'll never live like you're living now, each day serving your country. Let me be clear when I say I work for you. Nothing will define my success here better than you becoming the best you can be. I can't wait to meet all of you in the Air Force mecca, and I look forward to serving you all."