Vandenberg AFB CA (SPX) Mar 14, 2007
Civic leaders, guests and the men and women of Vandenberg, gathered at the parade grounds here to welcome a new 30th Space Wing commander during a change of command ceremony, March 5. Col. Jack Weinstein relinquished command to Col. Stephen Tanous, formally the 21st Space Wing vice commander, Peterson AFB, Colo.
Maj. Gen. William Shelton, 14th Air Force commander, presided over the ceremony.
"One of the finest military traditions we have is the seamless passing of command from one military commander to another," said General Shelton. "We celebrate the achievements of the current commander and we also know the highly professional men and women of the 30th will carry on the tradition of excellence under the new commander."
With a formation of more than 200 Airmen from the wing's groups and tenant units, Colonel Jack Weinstein took the stage for his last salute as commander and said his good-byes to the wing.
During his command, Colonel Weinstein deployed more than 800 Airmen to support the Global War on Terror, supported Hurricane's Katrina and Rita, and conducted 18 successful launches,including the first successful interception of a ballistic missile for the missile defense mission, the final launch of the Titan IV and the first launch of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle.
"I am profoundly grateful to you for giving me the honor to work with you as we flawlessly executed our launch, range and expeditionary missions," Colonel Weinstein said. "I will always remember this assignment, not as a simple stop in my career, but as the pinnacle of why I serve."
Colonel Weinstein will serve as the director of Strategic Plans, Programs, Analyses, Assessment and Lessons Learned at Headquarters Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB.
On the heels of Colonel Weinstein's final salute, Colonel Tanous gave his first and took control of the 30th Space Wing.
His remarks to the wing spoke to his expectations and the how important the base is to the nation's security through advanced space power.
"You are the nation's experts in this mission, and I am honored to be part of your team," said Colonel Tanous. "As your commander, my responsibility and my promise to you is to provide an environment that allows every member of this wing to succeed and an environment where our Air Force core values are at the head of what we do every day."
