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305th AMW welcomes new 'Can Do' commander

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sean M. Crowe
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  The 305th Air Mobility Wing commander passed the reins in a change of command ceremony July 11, 2014, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

Service members and community partners gathered to watch Col. John F. Price Jr. assume command from Col. Richard Williamson, Jr., with a ceremonious passing of the unit guidon.
 
"Colonel Price's challenge begins today," said Maj. Gen. Barbara Faulkenberry, 18th Air Force vice commander and the ceremony's presiding officer.

Faulkenberry remarked that Price will be commanding a wing that had involvement in many missions, hosted a plethora of aircraft on its aerial ports and delivered more than 8.4 million gallons of gasoline in its past two years. She concluded by expressing her assurance that Price's leadership will keep the steadfast wing moving into the future.
 
"Today, I have become your commander and that is an immense privilege and responsibility," said Price. "Good leadership is about service and keeping our focus on those we have the opportunity to lead. I look forward to serving your families and you as we all continue to do the great work that has made this wing famous across the command."

Price was the vice commander of the 375th Air Mobility Wing at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., prior to his assignment here. He is a command pilot with more than 3,200 flight hours, including 630 combat hours, in the C-17 Globemaster III, KC-135 Stratotanker, C-40 B/C, T-37B Cessna, and T-38A Talon aircraft. He entered the Air Force in 1993 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Price was previously stationed here from 2008 to 2010 as commander of the 6th Airlift Squadron, a subsidiary unit of the 305th AMW.

In his final words to the wing and the joint base community, Williamson assured Price of the wing's ability to operate under his command and noted that the wing has had three aircraft airborne at any given time over the past two years.

Williamson was awarded the Legion of Merit for his leadership of the 305th AMW before handing over the reins.

Price, in his new role as commander of the 'Can Do' wing, will provide global mobility support for national security objectives, combat operations, contingencies and humanitarian relief efforts worldwide through air refueling and airlift capabilities.

Williamson, the outgoing commander, is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and entered the Air Force in 1991. He has been selected for reassignment to the Headquarters U.S. Air Force Plans Division in Washington, D.C.

The 305th AMW provides U.S. military combatant commands with global reach by rapidly generating, mobilizing and deploying 32 KC-10 and 13 C-17 aircraft to conduct strategic airlift and air refueling missions worldwide.