Saturday, February 8, 1997
Col. Sturch assumes command of the Dyess 39th
By MARY HOPKINS / Staff Writer
A hangar large enough for three aircraft became the auditorium
for a change of command ceremony on Friday at Dyess Air Force
Base.
With one salute and the passing of a flag, Lt. Col. James Sturch
assumed command of the 39th Airlift Squadron from Lt. Col. Bryan
Mills.
"I don't expect to make changes," said Sturch. "The
squadron is on course."
In his outgoing address, Mills said when he took command of
the squadron 20 months and 13 days ago, he focused on making things
better and doing the job right.
The squadron has received good reviews under his direction.
Mills will become a deputy commander of the 7th Operations Group.
Sturch said he was surprised three weeks ago with the news
that he would become commander of the 39th Airlift Squadron.
He has been in Abilene for five months, serving as the 7th
Wing's chief of safety. Before that he was stationed at the Air
Combat Command headquarters.
On April 1, the squadron he commands will shift from Air Combat
Command to Air Mobility Command, which is part of the 317th operations
group.
This change is all part of the military downsizing, Sturch
said.
Sturch, 38, graduated from high school in Walnut Ridge, Ark.,
and earned a bachelor of science degree and his commission from
the Air Force Academy. He then earned a master's degree in computer
resource management from Webster University in St. Louis, Mo.
He is married to the former Suzanne McNamara of Lubbock and
has five children: Kimberly, Megan, Emily, Bradley and Steven.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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