New commanders take the reins

  • Published
  • By Airmen 1st Class Luis Loza Gutierrez and Stephen Musal
  • Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Det. 847

Angelo State University's Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program welcomed their new commander June 4.

Col. Michael Buck assumed command of Air Force ROTC Det. 847 from Col. Brian Brown, who retired June 15.

Col. Buck came to Det. 847 from Washington D.C., where he served as executive assistant to the director of the Joint Staff. He previously served as vice director for manpower and personnel, also with the Joint Staff.

Col. Buck earned his bachelor's degree in management information systems and earned his commission from the United States Air Force Academy in 1981. He has also completed two master's degrees, one in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College, R.I., and another in national security studies from the Air War College, Ala.

Col. Buck is a command pilot with over 2,800 flight hours. He has flown the A-10 Thunderbolt II as well as the F-111 Aardvark.

Col. Buck's military awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Aerial Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal and Air Force Achievement Medal.

17th Security Forces Squadron

A change-of-command ceremony was held June 15 for the 17th Security Forces Squadron.

Maj. C. Hunter Sawders III took command from Lt. Col. Kenneth O'Neil, who will head to F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.

Major Sawders has been the operations officer for the 33rd Student Squadron at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., the 51st Security Forces Squadron at Osan Air Base, Korea, and the 1st Security Forces Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Va.

In addition, Maj. Sawders has been the commander of the 321st Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron and the deputy commander of the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron.

Maj. Sawders earned his bachelor's degree in management from Bellevue University, Neb., and received his commission through Officer Training School in 1995. Maj. Sawders had previously served 11 years as a security forces policeman, reaching the rank of technical sergeant.

Maj. Sawder's military awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with six oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal and Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster.

312th Training Squadron

A change-of-command ceremony was held Tuesday for the 312th Training Squadron.

Lt. Col. Mark Zimmerhanzel relinquished command of the squadron to Lt. Col. Shawn Moore. Lt. Col. Zimmerhanzel's next assignment will be at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.

Lt. Col. Moore's previous assignment was chief of the Planning and Basing Branch at Pacific Air Forces Headquarters at Hickam Air Force Base. He served there since September 2005.

As the new commander for the 312 TRS, Lt. Col. Moore will be responsible for the technical training and professional development of trainees in the fields of Joint Fire Protection and Special Instruments training conducted at the Louis F. Garland Fire Academy.

Some of Lt. Col. Moore's previous assignments include squadron operations officer and support flight commander of 607th Support Squadron at Taegu Air Base, Republic of Korea, and base civil engineer and base closure officer, 469th Air Base Group at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany.

Lt. Col. Moore was commissioned in January 1991 upon graduation from Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor of science degree in architecture. He entered active duty in September 1991.

Lt. Col. Moore's awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal and the 1997 United States Air Force Design Excellence Award.

315th Training Squadron

A change-of-command ceremony was held June 14 for the 315th Training Squadron at the flag pole in front of the Norma Brown Building.

Lt. Col. Thomas Hensley took command from Lt. Col. Devin Swallow, who's been assigned to the Air Force Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

Lt. Col. Hensley was previously assigned to the Air Force Intelligence Analysis Agency in the Pentagon as chief of the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Operations Branch.

From June 1997 to June 1999, Lt. Col. Hensley served as chief of Operations Intelligence for 366th Operations Support Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.

Lt. Col. Hensley's previous assignments also include two consecutive chief positions at Aviano Air Base, Italy. His first position at Aviano was chief of Intelligence Systems Element for the 31st Operations Support Squadron from November 1993 to April 1995. His next position was chief of Squadron Intelligence for the 555th Fighter Squadron from April 1995 to January 1997.

Lt. Col. Hensley earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Management, from Texas A&M University at College Station, Texas in 1992.

He has three masters' degrees, the first of which was earned in 2000 in the area of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. The second degree came in 2005-- a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.

One year later he earned the third, a Master of Airpower Art and Science at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.

In addition, in 1993, Lt. Col. Hensley was a distinguished graduate of the Intelligence Applications Officer Course here.

Lt. Col. Hensley's military awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with valor device and two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, National Defense Service Medal with bronze star device, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with bronze star device, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Air and Space Campaign Medal with bronze star device and the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Medal.