BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The 99th Air Refueling Squadron hosted a Change of Command ceremony here on May 29.
Lt. Col. Aaron Torczynski, the 99 ARS Commander, relinquished command to Col. Travis L. Edwards, the 6th Operations Group Commander and Lt. Col. Douglas Curran, the 99 ARS Director of Operations, assumed command.
The 99 ARS has been an active duty associate unit at the 117th Air Refueling Wing since 2009. This was a historic day for the 99 ARS and the 117 ARW.
Col. Scott Grant, the 117th Air Refueling Wing Commander, was in attendance during the ceremony and welcomed Sen. Doug Jones and other guests to Sumpter Smith Air National Guard Base.
“We have one of only three types units in the nation, which we call a total force association,” said Grant. “We have active duty folks that are serving alongside of our guardsmen here every day and we’re blended. You can’t tell one from the other. We are very unique in the fact that we can train the way we fight because when we go down range and we do what we need to do in support of the national defense strategy we fight alongside of our active duty components.”
The change of command ceremony is deeply rooted in military history, when organizational flags were used on the battlefield to serve as rallying points and reminders of a soldier’s allegiance to their leader. The change of command ceremony allowed members of the 99 ARS and the 117 ARW to witness the official changes in leadership.
Lt. Col. Douglas Curran assumes command of the 99th Air Refueling Squadon during the 99th Air Refueling Squadron Change of Command ceremony at Sumpter Smith ANGB, Birmingham, Alabama May 29, 2019. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Ken Johnson)