Photo By Senior Airman Mckenzie Airhart | Brig. Gen. Jeremy Horn (left), Washington Air National commander, passes the 194th...... read more read more
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CAMP MURRAY, Wash.—Col. Kenneth Borchers took command of the Washington Air National Guard’s 194th Wing here on December 7. Borchers, who previously commanded the 252nd Cyberspace Operations Group, pledged to “give you all I’ve got every single day.” Col. Gent Welsh, the outgoing commander, will move to Washington Air Guard headquarters next.
Brig. Gen. Jeremy Horn, commander of the Washington Air National Guard, noted that Welsh and Borchers both enlisted in the Washington Air Guard before receiving their commissions, and both once served in the 111th Air Support Operations Squadron. “They are leaders who have the perspective of the Airmen they serve,” said Horn. Horn charged Borchers to be a “servant leader” to Airmen of the 194th Wing.
In his remarks, Borchers called on Wing leaders and members to “focus above all else on making a positive impact on your Airmen every day.”
Borchers enlisted in the Washington Air National Guard in 1992, serving in the 111th ASOS. Four years later, he received his commission and served as an intelligence officer. A graduate of the Weapons Instructor Course, Borchers went on to command the 194th Intelligence Squadron and the 252nd Cyberspace Operations Group.
Reflecting on his rise from a junior enlisted Airman to Wing commander, Borchers addressed newly enlisted Student Flight members directly. “I don’t want you to let anyone tell you that you can’t be a Wing Commander,” he said.
Borchers is the sixth commander of the 194th Wing. When the Wing was formed in 2006, it was the Air National Guard’s only non-flying Wing. The Wing has gained wide attention for its innovative work within its operational fields, including cyberspace operations and air support operations.
Welsh began his tenure as the 194th Wing commander in April 2017. During the change of command ceremony on Saturday, Horn presented the Legion of Merit to Welsh in recognition of the Wing’s improved mission readiness, launch of an Airman Care Center with coordinated services to Wing members, and advocacy for the cyberspace operations field at the national level. In an email to Airmen in November, Horn credited Welsh with “leading the wing to new levels of readiness and improving the lives of Airmen throughout the organization.”
“We have broken barriers that no one ever thought possible,” said Welsh.
As commander, Welsh was constantly mindful of his Airmen, Borchers told Airmen on Saturday. “He’s a tough act to follow.”
| Date Taken: | 12.08.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.08.2019 15:03 |
| Story ID: | 354700 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 426 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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