Command to change hands at Travis Monday

Command to change hands at Travis Monday
By Ian Thompson | DAILY REPUBLIC | June 27, 2008

TRAVIS AFB - Col. Steven Arquiette will hand over command of the 60th Air Mobility Wing to Col. Mark C. 'Marshall' Dillon Monday morning, the Travis Public Affairs Office announced.

Arquiette called his two years at Travis 'a very fast-paced and extremely rewarding opportunity' working with all those 'who make Team Travis what it is.'

In addition to the 60th AMW, Arquiette praised the 349th Air Mobility Wing, the 615th Contingency Response Wing and David Grant Medical Center.

'It has also been rewarding to see all that the community does to support Travis,' Arquiette said Friday.

Arquiette lauded how well Travis personnel and their families have risen to the challenge of maintaining high operations tempos and supporting the base's missions.

The base's success through inspections and at last year's Air Mobility Command Rodeo competition are other noteworthy accomplishments, Arquiette said. Travis earned top honors in the rodeo.

With about 1,000 Travis personnel deployed overseas, this has been a time when those remaining at the base have had to work harder, he added.

'The team has really performed and I am proud of each and every member,' Arquiette said.

Dillon has served as the U.S. Transportation Command's liaison officer to the Southern command in Miami since 2006.

Arquiette said his successor 'comes with a great wealth of mobility knowledge. He will come in and take the wing even higher. We are giving him a well-oiled and well- functioning team.'

Dillon is no stranger to Travis, where he once commanded the 22nd Airlift Squadron.

See the complete story at the Daily Republic online.