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Higby assumes command of 81st Training Wing

  • Published
  • By Susan Griggs
  • 81st Training Wing Public Affairs
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Threatening thunderclouds didn't dampen the spirit of today's 81st Training Wing change of command.

The ceremony had to be moved from the parade field to the Bay Breeze Event Center, but the enthusiasm about the new commander, Brig. Gen. Patrick Higby, and the sense of gratitude to the outgoing commander, Brig. Gen. Brad Spacy, shone through.

Maj. Gen. Leonard Patrick, 2nd Air Force commander, was the officiating officer and described Spacy, who began his career in the security forces career field, as "a cop who's broken the mold. He brought a special pride and confidence to this job, but he also brought a spirit of competition that challenged his people every day not just to set the bar, but to exceed it.."

Patrick expressed his confidence about the new commander, noting that Higby previously served in the engineering, intelligence, space, communications and cyber career fields at base, major command and joint agency levels. He comes to Keesler from the White House Communications Agency, where he served as the deputy commander.

"He brings a new energy, a new enthusiasm and a new expertise to this job," Patrick said.

The past year has yielded many accomplishments for Keesler - a successful consolidated unit inspection, earning the Commander-In-Chief's Installation Excellence Award, leading Air Education and Training Command in its cost-conscious culture campaign, instituting a teal rope program for student leaders in cooperation with the base's sexual assault prevention and response office, a hurricane preparedness award from the National Hurricane Center and the state's top recycling award for government entities.

"When Airmen believe it, when they dedicate themselves to being better tomorrow that they are today, they can do anything," Spacy emphasized.

To Keesler's Airmen, his parting words were, "Congratulations for stepping up to serve your country. Remember, you took an oath, you told America you'd be there. America is counting on you. Life in the service of your country is a wonderful thing - every day is filled with purpose, and every night you'll go to bed with a sense of accomplishment."

After the guidon was passed from Spacy to Higby, the new commander was exuberant about his responsibilities at Keesler.

Pulling a reference from the ceremony's invocation by Chaplain (Col.) Wilfred Bristol, the new commander closed by saying, "I pray that the good Lord will give me the wisdom of Solomon to know how to serve you well in this capacity."

"General Spacy, awesome - it's very humbling to follow in your footsteps," he continued. "In my original speech, I was going to say that you crammed two years worth of accomplishments into one year, but after hearing both of you speak, it sounds more like five years. My hat's off to you.

"I hope you enjoy my old hometown of Ramstein, Germany, where I basically grew up as an 'Air Force brat,'" Higby added.

To Patrick, Higby expressed gratitude at the change of station and the new challenges he will face as commander.

"This is a fantastic opportunity," Higby said. "General Patrick, I know there were many other more capable and more deserving officers that you had to pick from, but I assure you that none are as excited as I am, right here, right now. I didn't sleep last night - I'm still pinching myself to figure out if this is just a dream."
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