The eagle has landed: New commander focuses on warfighting

  • Published
  • By Stephanie Bemrose
  • The Bombardier
Col. Robert Wheeler assumed command of the 2d Bomb Wing from Col. Daniel Charchian Thursday.

Colonel Charchian leaves Barksdale to assume duties as the chief of the Air Force Division of the United States Military Training Mission in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Colonel Wheeler arrives here from Whiteman AFB, Mo., where he served as the commander of the 509th Operations Group.

During the change of command ceremony, Lt. Gen. Rob-ert Elder, Eighth Air Force commander, introduced Colonel Wheeler to the base.

"I know a little bit about Colonel Wheeler and I've hired him once before in his role as a member of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force's Operations Group," the general explained. "He is well-prepared for this role."

Although new to the 2d BW, Colonel Wheeler appreciates the unit's rich history.

"The accomplishments of this wing going back through history are phenomenal," the commander explained. "We are on the cusp of more combat-type issues throughout the world and the history that has been brought from this wing is what has made America strong in the past."

The colonel is also excited to return to a B-52 unit having spent eight and a half years as a B-52 pilot and later an instructor pilot with more than 3,300 hours in the BUFF.

As he looks to prepare for the future, Colonel Wheeler plans to keep members focused on the combat-capability of the wing.

"If you work together as a team and help people understand the bigger goal, the synergy makes the group go much further than an individual could go," the colonel explained.

The colonel said he plans to make Team Barksdale stronger by bringing together tenant units' capabilities.

At the same time, Colonel Wheeler also places a high importance on the individual so each person stays focused on the long war.

"In every war there are times of heavy combat and times where there are lulls," he said. "I think right now, as we see this kind of war, we're in one of those lulls. It's hard to tell what the future is going to hold, so we must keep focused on that combat requirement out there ahead of us. Keeping focused is not easy right now, but our Airmen desperately need to stay focused on the fight."

General Elder also spoke about Colonel Wheeler's strategic plan.

"Colonel Wheeler is working with the total force team and he has a good world-wide operations focus," the general said. "He has deployed as an air expeditionary wing commander so he already has this experience. I look forward to working with Colonel Wheeler."

Besides on-base support, Colonel Wheeler understands that off-base support is also important to keep Barksdale strong in this fight.

"There's an excellent relationship between the base and the Shreveport-Bossier area because the community is very patriotic and have a 'we support the base' mentality," the commander said. "There are many retirees and other local folks around here who really understand the need for the military and the fact that we're a nation at war. Their support is as critical as our support for this war, especially in this kind of conflict, which is unique in our history.

Today, our Air Force is changing rapidly but we must never lose sight of the fact that this is a war where long-range bomber aviation and the American Airman of all specialties are a pillar of our nation's deterrence."