Change of Command for Alaska Air National Guard Wing

Members of the Air National Guard’s 176th Wing gathered in a hangar on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to recognize a major transition for the 1,440-person unit.

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By Kirsten Swann

Story Created: Sep 18, 2011 at 8:45 PM AKDT

Story Updated: Sep 18, 2011 at 10:37 PM AKDT

Today, members of the Air National Guard’s 176th Wing gathered in a hangar on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to recognize a major transition for the 1,440-person unit.

The change of command: A transition-filled ceremony that only happens once every several years, handed control of the wing from Gen. Chuck Foster to Col. Scott Wenke.

"If I were to say that there was one descriptor of the 176th Wing during my command, it is that we had change,” said Foster, addressing the wing one final time before he moves to a staff position at the Alaska National Guard’s Joint Force Headquarters.

Wenke came to Anchorage in April as vice commander, and previously led the 168th Air Refueling Wing at Eielson Air Force Base.

“It's certainly a true honor to have been selected to come down and work with so many great men and women in the Air National Guard and be able to lead this organization into the missions for tomorrow,” Wenke said.

The afternoon ceremony was a chance for the wing to look back at the changes they experienced under Foster’s direction, including uprooting and moving to JBER from Kulis Air National Guard Base earlier this year.

“The fact that we're doing this change of command reminds us that change is necessary for growth,” Foster said.

As the wing moves forward under Wenke’s command, the one thing that will never change is their pledge to remain “always ready, always there.”

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