Photo By Staff Sgt. Thomas Cox | Col. David Chauvin, Nevada Air National Guard Chief of Staff, passes the guidon to...... read more read more
NEVADA AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE RENO, Nev. -- The 152nd Airlift Wing welcomed a new commander during a change of command ceremony at the Nevada Air National Guard Base in Reno, Nevada.
Col. Jeremy R. Ford, a C-130 pilot and previous 152nd Maintenance Group commander, replaced Col. Jacob Hammons, who served as the wing commander since November 2019.
“I truly believe that if we take care of the airmen and each other, there is no mission and no challenge that will be put in front of us that we will not succeed at,” Ford said to members of the base at the ceremony. “If we take care of people, we will accomplish the mission.”
Ford, a native of Athens, Ohio, started his military career by serving in the 261st Ordinance Company, U.S. Army Reserves in Ripley, West Virginia for five years, following in the footsteps of his older brother, a now retired Green Beret.
Ford said that after talking with his mother, who reminded him of his dream to become a pilot, he decided a career change was in store.
He said that his grandfather, James Ford, of Coolville, Ohio, would take him and his brother flying in his farm’s small private plane. “A big part of my passion came from that,” he said.
Ford then joined the Air Force ROTC program at Ohio University, where he also met his wife, Melissa. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology in 2002, he then went on to Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
He didn’t start flying the C-130 Hercules aircraft until 2012, when he joined the 164th Airlift Squadron with the Ohio Air National Guard in Mansfield, Ohio, where he spent over 11 years of his career.
During his entire career as a pilot, Ford flew in multiple airframes, including the C-21A, C-27 and the C-130H, for more than 3,100 hours as well as over 400 combat hours in operations Joint Forge, Joint Guardian, Enduring Freedom and Inherent Resolve.
Before coming to Nevada, Ford served as the Chief of Force Planning, Basing, and Conversions Division at the Air National Guard Readiness Center, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.
Eventually, last year, he joined the Nevada Air National Guard as the 152nd Maintenance Group commander.
“For us (Reno) is really an opportunity for us to live and experience a side of a country that my family have never lived on,” Ford said. “We are very adventurous and really enjoy outdoor things… we are big skiers, even our three-year-old.”
Hammons, outgoing commander, is set to transfer to Headquarters Air Force A5/7 Strategy, Integration and Requirements at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
During his time as the wing commander, Hammons most notably oversaw the largest and lengthiest state activation in Nevada Air National Guard history during the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You (Ford) are the right leader at the right time to take this unit to the next level,” Hammons said. “I can’t wait to see what you have in store.”
The wing has more than 1,000 Airmen providing tactical airlift and expeditionary combat support across the world. The wing also operates the U.S. Forest Service’s Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) in support of large-scale wildland firefighting across the nation.
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 06.07.2021 15:16 |
| Story ID: | 398312 |
| Location: | NEVADA AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, RENO, NV, US |
| Hometown: | ATHENS, OH, US |
| Hometown: | LAS VEGAS, NV, US |
| Hometown: | MANSFIELD, OH, US |
| Hometown: | RENO, NV, US |
| Web Views: | 383 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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