140th Wing Medical Group Welcomes New Commander

  • Published
  • By Technical Sgt. Wolfram Stumpf
  • 140th Wing Public Affairs
1/30/2010 - Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. - "It's an important time to make sure we have the right leadership in charge and Lt. Col. Shingledecker is the right man at the right time to lead this group (140th Wing Medical Group) to new heights and success," commented Maj. Gen. H. Michael Edwards, Adjutant General of the Colorado National Guard.

In a packed auditorium, members of the 140th Wing, along with friends and family, gathered to watch Lt. Col. Paul E. Shingledecker assume official command of the 140th Medical Group.

Brig. Gen. Trulan A. Eyre, 140th Wing Commander, officially passed the 140th Medical Group Command Flag to Shingledecker, who had been serving as the interim commander for four months.

After recognizing members of the medical group and his family for their hard work and support, for which he contributed to his assumption of this new position, Shingledecker went on to reflect on the past 9 years that he has witnessed some of the group's greatest accomplishments such as the support of Operation Noble Eagle, the response to the 9/11 attacks, being the first unit in the nation to certify the medical element in a CERFP or CBRNE Emergency Response Force Package, the treatment of 13,000 patients in jungles of El Salvador, as well as the sacrifice of individuals as they have deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

"I see the tremendous potential of our members as we continue to focus on accomplishing our unit mission." Shingledecker stated. "I look forward to our future challenges - both in the near and distant futures."

Shingledecker summed up the ceremony by saying, "My goal for the medical group is that we cultivate a culture of excellence - a program that serves as an outstanding example to the rest of the Air Force Medical Service, and one that allows its members to attain their professional and personal best." While expressing the importance of the Air Force core values and quoting the group's news letter, Shingledecker added, "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much!"