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Spacy assumes command of 81st Training Wing

  • Published
  • By Susan Griggs
  • 81st Training Wing Public Affairs
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Brig. Gen. Brad Spacy assumed command of the 81st Training Wing from Brig. Gen. Andrew Mueller Friday on Keesler's parade field.

Maj. Gen. Leonard Patrick, 2nd Air Force commander, officiated the ceremony and remarked on the bittersweet mood of a change of command.

"There's an officer that I'm about to have to rip the flag of command out of his hands because the 81st Training Wing has become his heart and soul and has taken on his personality," he said of Mueller. "Then there's the officer who's about to feel the burden of command as a wing commander for a second time."

Patrick recapped Mueller's accomplishments, both at Keesler and in the surrounding community, by leading the base's cyber training transformation and earning recognition as a local civic leader.

"But what you won't hear about is his passion to do what's right, his personal energy to leave the campground behind better than he found it and his 'glass house' attitude to do what he asks of others," he added. "In short, General Mueller has had a magnificent command tour and has been a driving force in change for the better in a time of political and economic uncertainty, and in a time of war. Your footsteps and fingerprints are all over the successes of this wing."

The 2nd Air Force commander said he's convinced that Spacy and his wife, Lisa, have the "right stuff" to lead the 81st Training Wing.

"The Spacys won't walk in the Muellers' footsteps -- they're going to plow their own path," Patrick predicted. "They're ready to tackle their new adventure, a complex training wing, with many mission partners inside and outside the fence that will help you with every decision you make.

"Brad and Lisa, hold on --it's going to be a wild ride and don't blink -- the time will go way too fast," he advised.

During the ceremony, Patrick awarded Mueller the Legion of Merit, first oak leaf cluster, for "exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements." Mueller is headed to Geilenkirchen, Germany, to command NATO's Airborne Early Warning and Control Force.

Mueller used Keesler's 70 years of heritage as his touchstone for guiding the base for 22 months and reiterated Keesler's mission statement, "Train, care innovate -- develop combat power for air, space and cyberspace."

"When I look across this parade field at our Airmen, I see the tech sergeants of 2020 -- I see the master sergeants in the year 2025 -- and out there standing before you today, I see the chief master sergeant of the Air Force in the year 2042," he remarked. "This heritage comes with some responsibility --Team Keesler must be at its best every day."

Of the wing's new commander, Mueller said, "I can think of no better person to entrust this heritage to than General Brad Spacy and his wife, Lisa. He comes to Keesler with the experience of tech training. You won't be able to overwhelm him with acronyms like you did me.

"More importantly, they've been on the inside of 2nd Air Force -- they know the larger spectrum of tech training across our Air Force," he continued. "And probably most importantly, they know the city of Biloxi. They know the heart and soul of those who live on the Gulf Coast --they've been here before and they know what a wonderful thing we have here at Keesler Air Force Base. For the Airmen of Keesler, I find in him an example to emulate."

In assessing Mueller's Keesler legacy, Spacy noted, "I've been around the Air Force long enough now that I can drive onto a base and can tell within a few minutes how that base is run. Within a couple hours I can tell you what they do well and in a couple more minutes I can tell you what they do wrong. And after just being on Keesler for just a few days, I can tell it's a well-led, well-run, excellent training base and America should be proud, so thank you, General Mueller, for this opportunity."

Spacy, who formerly served as chief of the Air Force Senate Liaison Office at the Pentagon, gave Team Keesler a preview of what to expect from his command by outlining six principles that guide his leadership style.

"I believe in the core values. My parents raised my sisters, my brother and I on the concepts of integrity, service and excellence long before the Air Force officially adopted them as core values. They're more than words -- they're the way we live our lives.

"I believe in hard work. I believe that all Americans like to work and they like to work hard, as long as that work is challenging and interesting and you recognize them for it.

"I don't believe in gray areas -- I believe in absolutes.I believe in right and wrong, good and bad, and win and lose. I think gray areas are a weak leader's excuse to avoid accountability. I think it's the responsibility of every leader at every level to clear up gray areas to give their Airmen the clear guidance they need to do their mission. I challenge you to find gray areas and clear them up, and if you can't, see me and I guarantee you I'll clear them up.

"I don't believe in trying to do anything -- I believe in doing things. It sounds like a small difference, but it's an important difference -- when you say, 'I'll try,' you've already done two things -- first, 'I might fail,' and then second, 'That's OK.' You might say, 'Well, I tried,' and as long as we try our best, that's OK, but not in our business ... we have to do things. Think about our oath -- we said we WILL support and defend the constitution of the United States. We didn't say we would try and do it. We're going to do it.

"I believe in continuous improvement. Now that's a watchword that's been very in fashion the past few years, but it's always been the core of what the Air Force is all about. If we didn't believe in continuous improvement, we'd still be flying the Wright flyer; we'd be using a string on cans to communicate. We have to improve. I challenge you, the young people in the Air Force today, to come up with the next great idea -- don't wait for me to do it.

"I believe in the Air Force family. We share something --we wear blues. You can come find me any time, day or night. When times are good, we're cheering, and when times are bad, we're mourning. You can knock on my door and you're always welcome.

"I'll make you only one promise," Spacy concluded. "While we're here, you'll get everything we've got every single day we're at Keesler --we're yours."
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