New commander on board

Dick Trail, Lt. Col. Nate Allerheiligen [Click to enlarge]

Ann and I were privileged to attend the "Change of Command Ceremony" last Friday, the 26th of June, in Arkansas. Now-a-days the Air Force does it in style! The formal ceremony took place in a maintenance hangar right there on a busy flight line. Positioned, for background, just outside the huge open door was one of Squadron's C-130 "Hercules" proudly displaying its red painted tail stripe proclaiming that it belonged to the 50th. Dressed in their every day working flight suits in formation stood the men and women of Nate's new squadron, at least those that weren't scattered about the world on temporary duty. The military guests and spouses were seated on the left and we "civilian" guests were seated on the right. The ceremony started with an appropriate prayer, all heads bowed and hearts appealing to God for guidance and protection. All that was missing was the traditional brass band but that was seamlessly covered by canned music through an adequate sound system. One exception, a Colonel's spouse beautifully and appropriately rendered the National Anthem a cappella.

The formal ceremony was only about twenty minutes long start to finish but for most of those of us privileged to attend it will carry a lifetime of meaning. Yes I had attended formal change of command ceremonies before but only for the lofty positions of Wing Commander or higher ranking positions of command. Best I can remember back when I took command of my own tactical squadron, a KC-135 "tanker" outfit, the only difference was that the day before I had been the "Operations Officer" and that day when I showed up for work I was the "Commander". About the only thing that changed was the name plate on my desk along with a mantle of responsibility for the welfare of a hundred aircrew their spouses and families then laid upon my shoulders.

The US Air Force is only about sixty years old and has earned a reputation over the years among her sister services as being shall we say "informal"! Yet the formal change of command ceremony dates to the 18th century during the reign of Frederick the Great of Prussia. The significant event is the passing of the unit flag in front of the assembled unit so they could see and witness their new leader assuming his dutiful position. It is good to see the resurgence of "military tradition" as I think it fosters a much greater sense of loyalty and pride in serving the nation. Just to sit and observe our fantastic young service members in action makes this old warrior mighty proud. It was well that it was a hot day, 100 degrees in humid shade makes one perspire, as that was good cover for my eyes that flowed tears of joy because real men don't cry!

The 50th Airlift Squadron the "Red Devils" is a 14 UE (Unit Equivalent) squadron meaning that it has fourteen aircraft and an adequate number of flight crews assigned to man them. In this case about 135 men and women trained in the roles of pilot, navigator, engineer and load master, make up each basic five member flight crew.

Colonel Nate's 50th has a proud history dating to the beginning of WWII. They have participated in every major campaign since their first mission in 1943, including WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and all the recent named campaigns in Yugoslavia, Somalia, Panama, Haiti and currently have aircrews deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. At presently they are flying the newest Hercules in the active-duty inventory, the C-130H3.

The C-130 was cutting edge technology when I first rode on one in 1956. Over the years the airplane has been worked hard but also vastly improved. The H3's of the 50th assigned starting in 1993 brought the Global Positioning System, glass-cockpit instrumentation, color radar and counter-threat systems to the tactical airlift arena. The C-130 is still being manufactured with the latest version the J model. The "J" with its modern electronics is flown with a three person crew, two pilots and a loadmaster. At present all those airframes are assigned to the National Guard and Reserve units who operate them world wide.

My ties with new commander Colonel Nate go back to when I was newly retired from the Air Force and taught a high school Sunday school class of high school students. Those kids were achievers and today count a medical doctor, at least two lawyers and now a commander in their number. Nate's dad was Doctor Dave Allerheiligen and his mom wrote for the McCook Gazette under the pen name of Judy Hamilton. Upon graduation from MHS Nate went to the Air Force Academy where he graduated number two in his class, definitely a distinguished graduate! The Air Force has been a good fit for this super achiever and to date he has attended all the proper schools even earning a Masters of Air Mobility through the Air Force Institute of Technology. Also along the way flying the T-37, the T-38, C-21A (Learjet) and other versions of the C-130 he has earned three air medals while accumulating some 3800 hours of flying time and is rated a Command Pilot. His mom tells me that I personally had a lot to do with Nate's successful career but while I maybe pointed him in that direction he has earned every bit of it on his own. I feel that we will be seeing much more of this sharp young man as he advances to the stars in a career he is obviously enjoys.

A definite highlight of the Change of Command Ceremony was the presentation of Nate's family. He married Susan Beth Grundmann of Colorado Springs shortly after he graduated from the Academy. They have six children: Ashley, James, Marc and identical triplets Sarah, Rachel & Isabel. The triplets are five years old and stole the show. They are well behaved but precocious and full of energy so can't help but garner attention wherever they go.

With good Christian men and women like Nate in command, I feel the modern day Air Force is in good hands. And yes I am honored to have been a small part of the progression. Thank you Nate for including Ann and me in your moment of honor.

And now this Fourth of July enjoy your family and friends. Enjoy your barbeques and picnics. Enjoy baseball games, the sunshine, the backyard, the park, the beautiful green countryside, the lake. Enjoy your freedom and remember where it came from and who paid for it. Remember our troops, all of our troops, past and present. May God bless them all. Happy Independence Day!

That is the way I saw it.