Lauren Gleason
507th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
Col. Miles Heaslip succeeded Col. Douglas Gullion as the commander of the 507th Air Refueling Wing at Tinker Air Force Base in a change of command ceremony June 3.
Fourth Air Force commander, Maj. Gen. Randall Ogden, presided over the ceremony, which took place at 2 p.m. in Hangar 1030.
Heaslip was commissioned by the Academy of Military Science in 1990. Since then, he has served as an aircraft commander, instructor pilot, evaluator pilot, chief of mission development, chief of current operations, chief of tactics, chief of safety, chief pilot, director of operations and as a deputy and group commander.
Maj. Gen. Randall Ogden, Fourth Air Force commander, hands the 507th Air Refueling Wing flag to Col. Richard Heaslip, 507th ARW commander, June 3, at Tinker Air Force Base. The passing of a flag during a change of command ceremony serves as a visual symbol of command to Airmen within the unit. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samantha Mathison)
Heaslip said he told his wife many years ago that he set his sights on commanding a wing.
“This is right where we wanted to be,” said Heaslip. “I’m not here to do your job. I’m here to support you so you can do your job.”
As the incoming 507th ARW commander, Heaslip will lead more than 1,100 Reserve Citizen Airmen in three subordinate groups and 11 squadrons, who support daily missions both locally and around the world for Air Mobility Command and U.S. Strategic Command’s national emergency war order requirements.
Gullion, who served as commander from April 2016 to June 2018, praised the Reserve Citizen Airmen of the 507th Air Refueling Wing for their many accomplishments, including being named the 18th Air Force’s top Air Force Reserve Command 801X strategic aircraft wing and earning the Fourth Air Force’s 2017 Raincross Aircrew Excellence award.
“These folks put their game faces on, roll up their sleeves and get to work,” said Gullion, who will move on to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, to command the 459th Air Refueling Wing.
Under Gullion’s guidance, the 507th Air Refueling Wing supported international operations while simultaneously maintaining a robust training schedule totaling 1,329 sorties across 6,866 flight hours, offloading 36,729,270 pounds of fuel to 4,343 receivers.
“Men and women of the 507th, you’ve been busy,” said Heaslip. “If you haven’t stopped and looked around at what you have accomplished, you should.”
During fiscal years 2016 and 2017, 822 Reserve Citizen Airmen deployed from the 507th ARW, nearly 75 percent of total assigned personnel, in support of National Command Authority-directed operations. including Operations Freedom’s Sentinel, New Dawn and Inherent Resolve.
“You have people who are deployed all over the world,” said Heaslip. “You have people who are deploying from their deployed location. That’s how it is for us. It is my honor to be with you today as your wing commander.”
Command Chief, Fourth Air Force, Chief Master Sergeant Timothy White, Jr., family and friends were in attendance to show their support for the new commander, as well as the following Team Tinker leaders: Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex commander, Brig. Gen. Tom Miller, 72nd Air Base Wing commander, Col. Kenyon Bell and his wife, Lori Bell, Chief Master Sergeant Melissa Erb, Command Chief, 72nd Air Base Wing, 552nd Air Control Wing commander, Col. Geoffrey Weiss and his wife, Karen Weiss.
Also in attendance: Col. Laurie Dickson, commander, 513th Air Control Group, and 507th ARW Community Partners, Jaime Schmidt, assistant vice president, branch manager, Tinker Federal Credit Union, and Monty Strickland, board member and military liaison, Moore Chamber of Commerce.