Commander prepares to bid farewell to 'best wing in AF' Published Aug. 5, 2009 By Col. Jay Raymond 21st Space Wing commander PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- We say 'the sun never sets on the 21st Space Wing' and this past week has certainly proved it true, with a host of activities happening around the wing. On Friday the Peterson Air and Space Museum did a fantastic job with their concert in the park, and my thanks go out to Gail Whalen and Jeff Nash from the museum and all the volunteers for making this event possible. With the music, food, camaraderie and atmosphere, it was a terrific night of free, family entertainment. Although the weather didn't fully cooperate, we made the best of the situation with music by the U.S. Air Force Academy Band ensemble Wild Blue Country which gave their usual outstanding performance. Well done and thank you. Also on Friday, Chief Omdal and I attended the senior noncommissioned officer induction ceremony at The Club. The ceremony, which included a delicious banquet, recognized 53 noncommissioned officers who are making their transition to the senior NCO tier. The transition to SNCO is very significant as it represents the point in these sharp NCOs' careers where they transition from expert technicians to managers, where they focus in institution competencies. I congratulate all of our newly-selected SNCOs on reaching this important milestone. I'd like to thank Senior Master Sgt. Mary Lacombe, Master Sgts. Tami Toma, Paul Van Rossum, James Swihart, William Reid, and the entire SNCO Induction Ceremony committee for putting on a flawless event. Special thanks to Chief Usry who did a great job as the guest speaker. On Sunday our Chapel held a ministry fair and picnic with food and fun for all, which was also a rousing success. The Chapel provides a variety of religious and counseling services and sponsors activities throughout the week to provide our Airmen tools they need to be spiritually fit. Great job to Chaplain Randall Kitchens and all involved for their hard work and dedication to providing an entertaining environment at the event and the spiritual resources that are important to many of us every day. If you missed it, you missed your chance to dunk your chaplain in a dunking booth, as well as plenty of food, games and more at the chapel. On Monday the 21st Space Wing and Tierra Vista Communities held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the first newly constructed homes as part of the privatized housing development on Peterson. This event marks the beginning of a new chapter in the biggest quality of life improvement for Peterson servicemembers and their families for years to come. It also represents the largest housing project in terms of both space and finances in Peterson's history. A ribbon cutting for the first 31 new homes in privatized housing was held that morning, and I can tell you, these are not the homes of days gone by. Each month for the next four years, about 25 new homes will open to Peterson families. These homes are bigger, better and more energy efficient than anything built on Peterson in the past. These homes feature spacious kitchens with islands, increased storage space, roomy master bedroom suites, home office space with technology niches, covered porches, garages and more. I can't tell you how excited I am to see this project some to fruition. There are far too many dedicated people involved with this project for me to name all of them, but my most sincere thanks go to all involved with this huge undertaking which will pay dividends for our Airmen for many years to come. On Monday afternoon we said goodbye to a trusted leader and outstanding Airman - Col. Brad Gentry, 721st Mission Support Group commander. Colonel Gentry retires after 27 years of dedicated service to the Air Force and his presence will be missed. His team has the challenge of providing installation support in the heart of a granite mountain - no easy task - but he has seen to it that the mission never failed. Thanks Brad, for your fine leadership and years of service. During the change of command ceremony, we welcomed Col. Russell "Rusty" Wilson to command of the 721st MSG. Rusty, the Wing and I look forward to working with you as commander of America's fortress. On Tuesday I was honored as many of you turned out for my farewell golf outing and Santa Maria barbecue lunch at The Club. It was fantastic to spend one of my last remaining days as 21st SW commander with you - the men and women of the best space wing in the Air Force. You make the mission happen day in and day out and you provide flawless missile warning and space control operations and unsurpassed installation support. Thank you all for your dedication to the wing and the Air Force - it's been my sincere pleasure working with you. On Aug. 5, we held the 21st SW Quarterly Awards luncheon at The Club. Congratulations to: Airman of the quarter: Airman 1st Class Olivia Gorman, 21st MSG NCO of the quarter: Tech. Sgt. Michael Venning, 21st MSG SNCO of the quarter: Master Sgt. Robert "Bob" Goble CGO of the quarter: Capt. Andre Pennington, 21st SW/JA Civilian of the quarter category I: Mr. Elias Kunishige, 721st MSG Civilian of the quarter category II: Mr. William J. Torres, 21st MDG Civilian of the quarter category I supervisory: Mr. Edward "Ed" Miller, 21st MSG Civilian of the quarter category II supervisory: Ms. L.J. Van Belkum, 21st SW/DS Next week I will be TDY, but I look forward to returning and spending my last few days with the great Airmen of the 21st SW. Again, your efforts have made this wing the great unit it is. While I may not get the chance to personally say goodbye to all of you before I PCA, I want to thank you all for making this one of Mollie and my most memorable assignments.