VALDOSTA —
Moody’s 93 AGOW (Air Ground Operations Wing) said farewell to one commander and welcomed another during a change of command ceremony Friday morning at the Air Force Base.
Col. Scott A. Kindsvater, the outgoing commander of the 93 AGOW, bid a solemn good-bye to the servicemen and women and citizens of Valdosta as he prepares to head to Islamabad Pakistan, where he’ll serve as deputy chief of support and security assistance.
“I am filled with thankfulness and graciousness -- it has been a real treat to serve here,” said Kindsvater. “And without the help of the 23rd Wing, we would have not reached our goals or realize our vision.”
Kindsvater’s replacement, Col. Samuel P. Milam, said he has completed the transition from Davis Monthan, Ariz., where he was the operations group commander of the base’s 335th Fighter Wing, and he said that he’s eager to start working as the 93rd AGOW’s new commander.
“The boxes are unpacked and the pictures are on the wall, so I’ll be here for a while,” said Milam. “To the AGOW, we’ll be talking a lot in the next few days about my thoughts on the direction we’re going to head.”
Col. Kindsvater’s exit comes a year earlier than normal, according to Col. Paul Walski, the 93 AGOW’s vice wing commander. He said changes in command usually happen every two years.
“We lost a phenomenal leader with incredible vision and guidance – he brought an amazing energy to the wing,” Walski. “Milam is another proven leader. All change is a good thing. It re-energizes us, it keeps us going and it makes us better than we were before.”
The change of command ceremony, a tradition adopted from the United States Continental Army, was concluded with the sacrosanct words that have become common place in the Air Force.
“Sir, I relinquish command,” said Kindsvater.
“Sir, I assume command,” said Milam after Kindsvater.
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