Col. Gilmour Says Farewell

  • Published
  • By Maj Kathryn Bienfang
  • 916th ARW
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  The 916th Air Refueling Wing will say farewell to their current commander Col. Gregory S. Gilmour as he leaves Seymour Johnson Air Force Base to assume command of the 315th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Charleston, S.C.

"The C-17 is a heavy strategic lift airplane. You name it, it moves it!" Gilmour said. In his new position, Gilmour will be defining the future of airlift and delivering critical resources as well as managing the complicated logistics that goes along with that mission in support of the joint warfighter.

An experienced command pilot, Gilmour spent 13 years as a naval aviator, including three shipboard deployments, before joining the Air Force Reserve in 1999. He served tours of duty in the Mediterranean for Desert Shield/Storm, as well as numerous deployments to the Caribbean and Pacific for Counter-Drug Interdiction.

He was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Northern Watch, and as commander of the 90th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. He has more than 4,000 hours in the T-34, TH-57 A/C, SH-2F, SH-60B, and the KC-135R/T/RT aircraft.

Even while he is looking forward to his new assignment, Gilmour expressed how hard it is to leave the people he served with for the past two and half years.
Gilmour praised the staff of the 916th ARW and thanked them for their hard work.

"The folks here on base are great," he said. "You are all really fantastic and it's hard to say goodbye to such great folks. I have thoroughly enjoyed being your commander. You knock it out of the park!"

Gilmour credits his wife Kathy with the legacy of building a supportive network for Reservists at Seymour Johnson AFB. Kathy, a nurse in her own profession, has been involved with the Red Cross, USO, and Moms, Pops and Tots to name a few programs on base.

Having a personal understanding of what it's like to be a military spouse, Kathy nurtured the Key Spouse and Hearts Apart programs that provide spouses with assurance that their Air Force family will be there for them when their loved ones deploy away from home.

Together, the Gilmours built a network of support for the families of Reservists who travel long distances to serve.  "We try to support those people at home so the service member can be successful," Kathy said.

The Gilmours are looking forward to their move back to the place "where it all began." Charleston has been home before; it is where Gilmour began his military career in 1986 as a graduate of The Citadel and Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. Charleston is also where the Gilmours were married.

Gilmour will pass the wing's guidon to 916th ARW Vice Commander, Col. Craig Shenkenberg, in an official change-of-command ceremony to be held April 18 at 9:16 a.m.  In addition to a new commander, the 916th ARW will also be welcoming a new vice commander, Col. Michael G. Miller.  He is the former 439th Operations Group commander, Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass.