39th Air Base Wing Titans welcome new commander

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kristan Campbell
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

In a change-of-command ceremony filled with military tradition, Col. David Eaglin assumed command of the 39th Air Base Wing from Col. John Walker June 1, 2017, at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, 3rd Air Force commander, presided over the ceremony.

Service members from the U.S gathered with NATO partners to say farewell to Walker and welcome Eaglin.

As commander, Eaglin will be responsible for approximately 5,000 U.S. military, civilian and contractor personnel and the combat readiness of the U.S. Air Force units in Turkey.

“To the 39th Air Base Wing: I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the Titan team,” Eaglin said. “I’ve always admired your sense of pride and professionalism in everything you do. Our mission is no simple task, and there is no doubt there will be challenges ahead of us, but I promise to work together through these and accomplish the mission.”

During the ceremony, Clark reflected on the wing’s accomplishments during Walker’s tenure as 39th ABW commander.

“Saying goodbye to Col. Walker is going to be hard; his list of accomplishments are numerous and distinguished,” said Clark during opening remarks. “Luckily, we have just the right person at just the right time for the job.”

Walker also added his sentiments.

“I can confidently say that you are the perfect commander for this wing,” Walker said. “I know you are going to lead this team to great new heights beyond what anyone here can imagine.”

Eaglin is a command pilot with over 2,300 flight hours and served as chief of current operations and Power Projection Division for Headquarters, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.

During his command, walker led over 70,000 strikes in Operation INHERENT RESOLVE while integrating military units from seven different nations and sister services. He more than doubled the amount of personnel assigned to Incirlik AB, and reached over 2,500 flying hours in Operations SOUTHERN WATCH and IRAQI FREEDOM.